Here is what he had to say:

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES

Q: Why is there growing urgency around the HDR conversation in the broadcast and content community?

Mitchell: The promise of HDR has always been to deliver a more dynamic, immersive, and visually rich experience. But right now, the industry is falling short of that promise. Many broadcasters are leaning into predictable workflows built around static lookup tables—which means they’re limiting the HDR signal to ensure compatibility with SDR. That compromise is leading to HDR and SDR versions that look almost identical. If HDR doesn’t visually differentiate itself, it’s hard to justify it as a premium product.

Q: Why are producers playing it safe when HDR can offer more impact?

Mitchell: It comes down to brand consistency. Sponsors want their colors and brand assets—like Coca-Cola red, sports team logos or national flags—to appear exactly as intended. The safest way to ensure that is to compress the HDR range so it maps predictably to SDR. Unfortunately, that “safe” approach minimizes the unique benefits HDR was designed to provide. As a result, we’re seeing situations where even broadcast engineers can’t tell the difference between HDR and SDR versions.

Q: What’s at stake if the industry doesn’t rethink its approach?

Mitchell: If we continue down this path, HDR could become a missed opportunity. Viewers are paying premiums for “HDR-enhanced” streams, and in many cases, they’re not seeing the value. This undermines consumer trust, limits innovation, and prevents advertisers from fully leveraging the format’s potential. There’s a real strategic need to shift toward dynamic HDR workflows that protect SDR integrity without compromising HDR quality.

OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Q: What are the operational realities driving this static approach?

Mitchell: Live content—especially sports—is unpredictable. Broadcasters value stability and control, and static LUTs offer exactly that. But this predictability comes at the expense of creativity. Many production teams are even shading HDR cameras based on how the SDR version looks, instead of optimizing for HDR first. That’s the wrong incentive structure if we want to unlock the full potential of the format.

Q: How does this affect production teams in real-world scenarios?

Mitchell: A great example came from a sports broadcast service provider we spoke with. They received HDR and SDR feeds from a major live sporting event and couldn’t tell the difference. They actually called the broadcaster to ask if something was wrong. When trained professionals can’t see a difference, we can’t expect the average viewer to perceive value either. That’s a sign that something has to change.

Q: So what needs to happen operationally to shift the paradigm?

Mitchell: First, we need to encourage experimentation in controlled environments—labs, testbeds, and production pilots—where broadcasters can evaluate dynamic workflows without risk. Second, production crews need better tools that give them confidence in the output of HDR-to-SDR conversions. That’s where Advanced HDR by Technicolor comes in. It enables dynamic, frame-by-frame optimization, reducing the need for human intervention and making HDR workflows more predictable and scalable.

FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES

Q: Why should broadcasters and content providers rethink the business case for HDR?

Mitchell: Because viewers are being asked to pay more for HDR content—but many are getting a product that looks nearly identical to SDR. That’s not sustainable. We’re entering a period where visual differentiation is essential to justify premium tiers, and dynamic HDR is how you get there. If HDR continues to under-deliver, platforms risk churn and revenue erosion.

Q: What about advertisers and sponsors—do they benefit from better HDR implementations?

Mitchell: Absolutely. Advertisers want their product to stand out. Properly implemented HDR makes colors pop and highlights more vibrant, giving brands more visual impact. But today’s static workflows often fail to preserve that impact. Once brands see how dynamic HDR can make their messaging more compelling, they’ll become advocates. We just need to bring them into the conversation earlier in the process.

Q: Is there an economic benefit to simplifying HDR/SDR delivery architectures?

Mitchell: Yes. Advanced HDR by Technicolor allows for single-stream delivery using SL-HDR formatting, which eliminates the need for dual-stream simulcasts. That’s a significant bandwidth and operational cost savings—especially in ATSC 3.0 environments where spectrum is tight. One stream, one format, full compatibility with legacy SDR devices—that’s economically and technically efficient.

TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION

Q: What sets Advanced HDR by Technicolor apart from other HDR solutions?

Mitchell: Our system is truly dynamic. It uses machine learning algorithms to evaluate each frame and determine the optimal conversion to SDR. This allows content creators to focus on making a great HDR version without constantly worrying about how it will downconvert. The result is more creative freedom, less manual tweaking, and better outcomes on both ends.

Q: How does this affect real-world production workflows?

Mitchell: In traditional workflows, producers are often watching the SDR output and then adjusting the HDR input to fix issues downstream. With dynamic HDR, we flip that model—you optimize the HDR feed first and trust the algorithm to produce an excellent SDR version. That’s a major leap in workflow efficiency and quality assurance.

Q: Does this require a total overhaul of existing infrastructure?

Mitchell: No. One of our goals was to make the technology easy to integrate. We work with standard distribution equipment and support common file formats. Our delivery format is backward compatible, which means no changes are needed on the consumer end. For broadcasters, it’s about software-driven optimization, not hardware replacement.

Q: Is the approach gaining industry validation?

Mitchell: Yes. We’re part of the ATSC 3.0 standard, which speaks to the credibility and scalability of our solution. Broadcasters already using Advanced HDR by Technicolor are seeing real benefits—both in terms of performance and economics. The technology is ready. Now it’s about driving awareness, engagement, and testing so others can see the same results.