Advanced HDR By Technicolor

NEXTGEN TV Promises Sharper Pictures, Better Sound and More Free Programming Options for American Households

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 17:53:23 +0000

NEXTGEN TV Promises Sharper Pictures, Better Sound and More Free Programming Options for American Households

American television viewers are approaching another major change in how they watch their favorite programs, with a new generation of over-the-air broadcasting promising sharper pictures, richer colors, improved sound and greater access to high-quality programming plus advanced emergency alerts and accessibility features such as multiple languages and audio description, without requiring another monthly subscription.

The technology, known as NEXTGEN TV, is gradually expanding across the United States as broadcasters prepare to replace the digital television system introduced more than two decades ago. Built on a standard called ATSC 3.0, the new platform brings capabilities commonly associated with premium streaming services to free television delivered through an antenna.

For households increasingly combining streaming subscriptions with traditional television, the transition could make free over-the-air broadcasting a more attractive option, particularly for live sports, local news and other popular programming.

However, enjoying those improvements will depend on several factors, including where viewers live, whether their televisions support the new standard and how quickly broadcasters introduce enhanced programming. Some households may eventually need a new television or an affordable converter box to continue receiving free broadcast services.

During a recent vidcast interview, Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, and Rick Dumont, head of business development at Advanced HDR by Technicolor, discussed what the transition means for everyday viewers and how the television industry is preparing to make the experience more accessible.

According to Schelle, NEXTGEN TV signals are now available to nearly 80% of U.S. households through participating broadcasters. That figure describes potential signal coverage rather than the number of homes already equipped to receive the new broadcasts. The distinction is important because consumers may live in an area served by NEXTGEN TV stations without owning a compatible television.

Live Sports Could Give Viewers the First Noticeable Improvements

For many households, the most immediate reason to consider NEXTGEN TV may be the promise of a better picture when watching live sports. Football games, outdoor sporting events and other live broadcasts frequently present difficult viewing conditions. Bright sunlight, deep shadows, fast-moving action and changing camera angles can make it challenging to reproduce the full detail captured during production.

A technology called high dynamic range, or HDR, helps address those limitations. HDR expands the range of brightness and contrast a television can display, allowing viewers to see more detail in both bright and dark portions of an image. It can also produce more natural-looking colors when the original programming and receiving equipment support those capabilities.

Dumont explained that traditional television production has often relied on standard dynamic range, which limits the amount of brightness information carried in the picture. For viewers watching an afternoon football game, that can mean losing detail in brightly illuminated portions of the field or struggling to distinguish objects in shadow.

HDR can preserve more of that information, creating a picture that more closely reflects the original scene.

The technology is distinct from 4K resolution, which increases the number of pixels used to create an image. While 4K can make pictures appear sharper, HDR improves how those pixels reproduce light, contrast and color.

Together, the technologies can produce a more noticeable improvement than either provides independently.

Dumont said more sporting events are now being produced in native HDR, meaning the improved visual information is captured during filming rather than added afterward. That shift could make a difference for viewers as broadcasters introduce more programming designed specifically for enhanced television displays.

Schelle expects 4K HDR broadcasts to become more prominent beginning in 2027, with major sporting events helping build awareness ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, not every NEXTGEN TV broadcast will automatically be delivered in 4K or HDR. The actual viewing experience will depend on the programming, local broadcaster and capabilities of the receiving equipment.

Existing Televisions May Still Have a Place in the NEXTGEN TV Era

One of the most important consumer considerations is whether adopting NEXTGEN TV will require purchasing another television.

For many households, the answer may be no.

Although some newer televisions include built-in NEXTGEN TV tuners, owners of older sets may be able to receive the broadcasts by connecting an external converter box.

Schelle said Pearl TV is working with manufacturers and technology suppliers to encourage development of affordable receivers that allow households to retain their existing televisions and antennas. The simplest devices are expected to connect through an HDMI cable, enabling compatible televisions to display NEXTGEN TV programming without requiring consumers to replace their existing equipment.

That approach could be particularly important for households that rely heavily on free over-the-air television. Consumer research commissioned by Pearl TV and conducted by Magid in January 2026 found substantial interest in maintaining access to local broadcast programming. The study of 600 antenna-using adults aged 25 to 64 found that 86% would purchase either a compatible television or converter box to preserve their access to free television.

The findings suggest that viewers place considerable value on antenna-based programming, even as streaming services become increasingly common.

Schelle said Pearl TV is working with three manufacturers participating in an affordable converter box program, with products expected in 2027. The initial devices are intended to provide basic reception capabilities, while more advanced products could offer interactive features, recording functions and the ability to distribute programming to multiple televisions in a household.

For consumers, the distinction could create a range of purchasing options based on individual viewing preferences. A household interested primarily in local news and football might choose a basic receiver, while another might prefer equipment supporting additional features.

However, connecting a converter box to an older television will not necessarily reproduce the picture quality available on a newer HDR-compatible 4K display. Dumont explained that Advanced HDR by Technicolor supports technology designed to adapt video signals to the capabilities of different television screens.

That means older standard dynamic range televisions can receive a compatible picture even when broadcasters transmit enhanced HDR programming. The approach may improve image reproduction under certain conditions, but the ultimate results will remain limited by the television’s display technology.

Consumers should also distinguish between televisions advertised as 4K or HDR-compatible and those specifically equipped with NEXTGEN TV tuners. A television capable of displaying 4K streaming content does not necessarily include the equipment needed to receive ATSC 3.0 broadcasts through an antenna.

Free Television Could Become More Attractive as Viewing Habits Change

The transition is taking place as Americans reconsider how much they spend on television and how they assemble their entertainment options.

Streaming services have expanded the range of available programming, but maintaining several subscriptions can become expensive. Meanwhile, free over-the-air television continues to provide access to local news, network entertainment and major sporting events in many markets.

Schelle pointed to a growing segment of consumers who combine antenna reception with streaming subscriptions rather than relying exclusively on cable, satellite or a single digital platform. According to Nielsen, the share of U.S. TV households that rely solely on an antenna rose from about 16% to 19% in the past year, a 17% increase and the fastest growth of any way of receiving TV. In some markets, such as Albuquerque, Oklahoma City and Houston, it ranges from nearly 30% to almost 35%.

For those viewers, NEXTGEN TV could improve the quality of free programming while preserving the flexibility to choose which streaming services are worth paying for. The new standard also supports interactive television features and improved audio capabilities, although availability will vary by broadcaster and receiver.

Reception reliability is another potential benefit. ATSC 3.0 was designed to support more robust signal delivery, which could improve reception in certain environments. Actual performance, however, will depend on factors such as local signal strength, building construction, antenna placement and broadcaster implementation. The standard also includes technical capabilities that could eventually support television reception on portable and mobile devices.

That creates longer-term possibilities for viewing compatible broadcasts beyond the living room, including on supported equipment while traveling. However, mobile reception should not be confused with the availability of ordinary smartphone streaming applications. Consumers would need compatible hardware and services, and widespread mobile viewing remains dependent on additional industry development.

For most households, the more immediate impact will be felt on the television screens they already use.

The transition also presents an important policy issue.

Broadcasters have been introducing NEXTGEN TV while continuing to provide programming through the existing ATSC 1.0 system. This arrangement has allowed consumers to retain access to conventional digital television during the early stages of deployment.

Schelle said Pearl TV is urging the Federal Communications Commission to establish a firm timetable for completing the transition, along with requirements intended to expand receiver compatibility. A definitive timetable could help consumers determine when to purchase new equipment and give manufacturers clearer expectations about future television requirements. Until those decisions are made, households should avoid assuming that existing broadcasts will disappear on a particular date.

Consumers interested in NEXTGEN TV can begin by checking whether local stations offer ATSC 3.0 services and whether their current televisions include compatible tuners. The NEXTGEN TV logo can help identify supported equipment. For viewers satisfied with their current television experience, there may be little immediate reason to upgrade. Others, particularly sports enthusiasts and households interested in free local programming, may find the enhanced services increasingly attractive as more content becomes available.

The larger significance of NEXTGEN TV lies in its potential to improve the competitiveness of free broadcasting at a time when consumers have more viewing choices than ever. Whether the transition becomes as consequential as the earlier move from standard-definition to high-definition television will depend on how successfully broadcasters deliver visible improvements while keeping the experience affordable and accessible.

For American households, the most meaningful outcome would be straightforward: better pictures, improved sound and continued access to the programming they value, without necessarily adding another subscription or replacing a television that still works.

Watch the Full Vidcast Here.

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Broadcasters and Technology Suppliers to Rethink the Economics of Television Delivery with Transition to NEXTGEN TV

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 17:42:11 +0000

Broadcasters and Technology Suppliers to Rethink the Economics of Television Delivery with Transition to NEXTGEN TV

The U.S. broadcast television industry faces a complex technology and infrastructure transition as the adoption of ATSC 3.0 introduces new requirements for content production, transmission efficiency, receiver interoperability and equipment manufacturing. The transition also raises important economic questions about how broadcasters and technology suppliers can modernize television delivery without imposing excessive costs on an industry already confronting changing consumer viewing habits.

Marketed as NEXTGEN TV, ATSC 3.0 represents a significant upgrade to the digital broadcasting infrastructure introduced more than two decades ago. The standard supports higher-resolution video, high dynamic range (HDR), enhanced audio, interactive services and improvements in signal reception along with public service capabilities such as advanced emergency alerting and enhanced accessibility, including multiple languages and audio description. However, delivering these capabilities requires coordinated investments across an ecosystem that includes content producers, broadcast networks, technology licensors, semiconductor suppliers, television manufacturers and consumer electronics companies.

The industry must also manage the transition while maintaining access to existing over-the-air services. Unlike the earlier analog-to-digital conversion, the migration from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 involves two generations of digital broadcasting technology, creating operational and financial considerations for broadcasters and equipment manufacturers.

During a recent executive vidcast interview, Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, and Rick Dumont, head of business development at Advanced HDR by Technicolor, examined the technical, commercial and regulatory issues influencing the transition.

According to Schelle, NEXTGEN TV signals are now available to nearly 80% of U.S. households through participating broadcasters. However, expanding transmission coverage represents only one dimension of the transition. Achieving widespread adoption requires the industry to align content availability, receiver compatibility, manufacturing economics and regulatory expectations.

HDR Production and Bandwidth Efficiency Reshape Broadcast Infrastructure

The transition to ATSC 3.0 is coinciding with broader changes in television production, particularly the increasing use of native HDR formats for live sports and other programming.

Historically, improvements in television picture quality were driven primarily by higher resolution. HDR introduces another dimension by expanding the brightness and contrast information available in video signals, enabling more detailed images in scenes with substantial variations in lighting.

According to Dumont, the limitations of standard dynamic range production are especially apparent in outdoor sports, where changing sunlight and shadows can create overexposed or underexposed images. Over the past several years, more broadcasters and production companies have begun capturing programming in native HDR, creating opportunities to preserve higher-quality source material throughout the distribution chain.

That development has implications for broadcast engineering and infrastructure investment. Delivering HDR programming requires coordination among production equipment, encoding systems, transmission networks and receiving devices. Each stage must accommodate differences in image formats and display capabilities while minimizing the additional bandwidth and processing requirements associated with enhanced video.

Dumont described the challenge as managing the entire glass-to-glass process, extending from the camera lens to the consumer’s television screen.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s SL-HDR1 technology addresses part of this challenge by supporting HDR delivery while maintaining compatibility with standard dynamic range displays. The approach allows broadcasters to distribute enhanced video information while accommodating receivers with different technical capabilities. Dumont said the technology is designed to preserve bandwidth efficiency, enabling improved picture quality without requiring a proportional increase in transmission capacity.

For broadcasters, this has financial significance because transmission bandwidth remains a finite resource. Technologies that improve picture quality without substantially increasing bandwidth consumption can reduce the pressure to expand infrastructure capacity or compromise other services. The broader operational challenge involves integrating these capabilities into existing broadcast workflows while preparing for additional developments, including expanded 4K programming.

Schelle expects major sporting events beginning in 2027 to accelerate the availability of 4K HDR programming over the air. For broadcasters and technology suppliers, these developments create incentives to modernize production and transmission systems while preserving flexibility to accommodate evolving formats and equipment.

Equipment Costs and Licensing Economics Influence the Migration

The economics of receiver manufacturing represent another important factor in the industry’s transition strategy. Although compatible televisions are available from manufacturers including Samsung, Hisense, TCL, Sony and Panasonic, ATSC 3.0 reception is not yet universal across television product lines.

That creates a challenge for broadcasters seeking to expand the addressable audience for NEXTGEN TV services. Consumers with existing televisions may require external converter boxes to receive ATSC 3.0 signals, while manufacturers must determine how to incorporate additional functionality without significantly increasing product prices.

Schelle said Pearl TV recognized that affordable converter equipment would be necessary to support the transition, particularly among households that depend on free over-the-air television.

Consumer research conducted with Magid reinforced that assessment. According to Schelle, approximately 86% of surveyed over-the-air viewers indicated they would seek a way to maintain access to broadcast programming through either a compatible television or converter box. The findings informed an industry initiative to reduce the manufacturing costs of entry-level ATSC 3.0 receivers.

Pearl TV has worked with intellectual property holders, component suppliers and equipment manufacturers to negotiate favorable pricing arrangements for devices intended to support the transition.

The effort reflects the absence of a federal converter box subsidy program comparable to the one established during the earlier analog-to-digital migration.

Dumont said Advanced HDR by Technicolor is participating in the initiative by providing more favorable licensing terms to manufacturers developing compatible receivers. Such arrangements can help reduce the bill of materials and associated intellectual property costs, potentially allowing manufacturers to offer devices at prices more acceptable to consumers.

Schelle said three companies are participating in the converter box program, with products expected to become available in 2027.

The initial focus is on relatively simple devices that connect existing antennas to televisions through HDMI. More sophisticated receivers could eventually incorporate interactive applications, recording capabilities and whole-home distribution functionality. The tiered approach allows manufacturers to address different market segments without imposing the cost of advanced functionality on consumers who primarily want continued access to broadcast programming.

Dumont emphasized that technology suppliers must consider the economics of implementation across the entire value chain. Additional capabilities cannot depend on substantial increases in hardware costs if manufacturers are expected to support them across a broad range of television models.

For the industry, the commercial challenge involves balancing near-term investments and licensing revenue against the longer-term benefits of wider technology adoption.

Regulatory Uncertainty Complicates Investment and Deployment Planning

The transition’s ultimate pace will also depend on regulatory decisions and the industry’s ability to coordinate the retirement of legacy broadcasting infrastructure.

Since NEXTGEN TV launched in 2020, broadcasters have operated within a framework that allows the introduction of NEXTGEN TV services while preserving existing ATSC 1.0 programming.This arrangement has supported gradual deployment without immediately requiring consumers to replace receiving equipment.

However, maintaining compatibility with two transmission standards creates operational complexity and limits the industry’s ability to complete the migration. Schelle said Pearl TV is advocating for the Federal Communications Commission to establish a definitive transition deadline and require compatible receiving equipment as part of the migration framework.

A clearer regulatory timetable could help broadcasters plan infrastructure investments, give manufacturers greater certainty about product requirements and establish a more predictable schedule for equipment deployment Without such coordination, the industry faces the prospect of an extended transition in which legacy and next-generation systems must coexist. That uncertainty also affects the commercial decisions of technology suppliers, which must determine how aggressively to invest in new capabilities while continuing to support existing products and customers.

Receiver identification is another practical consideration. Schelle said Pearl TV is developing a NEXTGEN TV logo for certified converter boxes so consumers and retailers can easily identify compatible products. Standardized identification could improve equipment selection and reduce confusion among consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

Meanwhile, broadcasters must continue developing programming that provides a compelling reason for viewers to adopt the new technology. Live sports are expected to play an important role, particularly as native HDR production becomes more widespread and 4K distribution expands. The combination of improved programming, more affordable receivers and greater regulatory clarity could create the conditions for faster adoption.

However, the transition also depends on whether broadcasters and their technology partners can demonstrate sufficient economic value to justify investments across production, transmission and receiving infrastructure. The broader implications extend to the competitive position of free over-the-air television.

As households increasingly combine streaming subscriptions with antenna-based reception, ATSC 3.0 could help broadcasters improve service quality while retaining the economic advantages of terrestrial distribution. According to Nielsen, the share of U.S. TV households that rely solely on an antenna rose from about 16% to 19% in the past year, a 17% increase and the fastest growth of any way of receiving TV. In some markets, such as Albuquerque, Oklahoma City and Houston, it ranges from nearly 30% to almost 35%. For technology suppliers and manufacturers, the transition presents opportunities to introduce new capabilities, but also requires cost discipline, interoperability and coordinated development.

Ultimately, the industry’s progress will be measured by more than the geographic availability of NEXTGEN TV signals. The more consequential milestone will be the establishment of a commercially sustainable broadcasting ecosystem capable of delivering advanced television services while completing the migration away from legacy infrastructure.

Watch the Full Vidcast Here.

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Advanced HDR by Technicolor Officially Joins the Pearl ATSC 3.0 Converter Box Program

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:19:31 +0000

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Officially Joins the Pearl ATSC 3.0 Converter Box Program

Advanced HDR by Technicolor announced its participation today in the Pearl TV NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Program, a new initiative unveiled at the 2026 CES Show to support the development of affordable, ATSC 3.0-enabled converter boxes for the US market.

With Pearl TV’s launch and deployment of this strategy, Advanced HDR by Technicolor is playing a leadership role in adjusting its intellectual property (IP) offering to ensure affordable viewing experiences can be delivered without compromising picture quality.

The economics of delivering video to mass-market audiences have historically forced a choice between picture fidelity and distribution cost. It is a tension that becomes acute in a program like Pearl TV’s affordable converter box initiative, where price constraints are a design requirement.

In addition, Advanced HDR by Technicolor also addresses that tension directly through a single-stream transmission architecture that carries dynamic range metadata at standard definition bandwidth. It is a feature that has practical implications for all members of the TV value chain interested in meeting the cost and performance requirements of Pearl TVs affordability program. Since the vast majority of TV viewers do not require UHD features to enhance their viewing experience, the capability to add high dynamic range (HDR) to Full HD video resolutions through Advanced HDR by Technicolor gives viewers the best possible video quality at the lowest possible converter box cost.

Broadcasters avoid the infrastructure investment required to transmit parallel SDR and HDR streams for different display capabilities, while device manufacturers (including TV, tablet and mobile phone makers) can meet HDR compliance at lower bill-of-materials cost. As a result, end users automatically receive picture quality scaled to the capability of any display, regardless of whether they own a standard definition (SD), high-definition (HD), or ultra-high definition (UHD) device. Advanced HDR by Technology therefore helps to deliver on NEXTGEN TVs promise of further improved viewing experiences while at the same time continuing to support legacy SDR video streams at the best possible quality.

“The unique combination of single stream distribution and dynamic management of HDR and SDR provided by the Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution creates an economically beneficial situation across the ecosystem,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “We optimize the NEXTGEN TV viewing experience for consumers with HDR or SDR displays, delivering premium video quality in full HD HDR. With Advanced HDR by Technicolor being designed for a low memory footprint implementation, it also relieves part of the tremendous pressure that consumer device makers are under with today’s memory device shortages that drive up memory pricing.

For a converter box program targeting price-sensitive households, the combination of backward compatibility and transmission efficiency means HDR can be included as a baseline feature rather than an upgrade offered for those who can afford to pay for premium services.

“Getting NEXTGEN TV into every American home starts with making the converter box affordable, and that takes industry leaders willing to step up. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s commitment to special IP pricing does exactly that, lowering the barrier for manufacturers and accelerating the transition. We’re grateful that they’ve joined the growing coalition turning this device from a concept into a reality for store shelves and ultimately for consumers throughout the U.S,” said Pearl TV managing director Anne Schelle.

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About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of high-dynamic-range (HDR) technologies designed to deliver superior video quality across a variety of display devices and network environments. It includes formats like SL-HDR1, SL-HDR2, and SL-HDR3, which dynamically optimize and convert HDR content to match the capabilities of the display device in real-time. This allows broadcasters and content providers to deliver a high-quality viewing experience with improved contrast, brightness, and color accuracy while maximizing bandwidth efficiency. With support for multiple distribution workflows, Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables seamless integration into existing infrastructures, making it a preferred solution for broadcasters seeking to future-proof their HDR delivery. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s partnerships include broadcasters, streaming service providers, TV and conversion box manufacturers, SoC producers as well as hardware and software solution providers. To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit: https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

About Pearl

Pearl TV is a business organization of U.S. broadcast companies with a shared interest in exploring forward-looking broadcasting opportunities, including innovative ways of promoting local broadcast TV content and developing digital media and wireless platforms for the broadcast industry. Pearl’s membership, comprising more than 820 TV stations, includes eight of the largest broadcast companies in America: Cox Media Group, Graham Media Group, Gray Television, Hearst Television Inc., Sinclair Broadcast Group, and the E.W. Scripps Company.

Experts Say HDR Plays a Bigger Role Than 4K in TV Picture Quality — NAB 2026

admin — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:11:00 +0000

Experts Say HDR Plays a Bigger Role Than 4K in TV Picture Quality

HDR Is the Path to a Better Viewing Experience, According to BitRouter & ZapperBox President Gopal Miglani

For years, consumers have been told that 4K resolution is the key to better TV picture quality. That premise is now being challenged, as industry experts point to high dynamic range (HDR) as a more meaningful upgrade of what viewers actually see on screen.

Gopal Miglani, founder and president of BitRouter and ZapperBox, shared these observations in a recent video interview conducted for journalists, stating that the most noticeable improvements in picture quality come not from increasing the number of pixels, but from improving how those pixels are displayed.

For consumers, this means picture quality gains may depend less on resolution alone and more on whether a TV supports HDR, because HDR makes better use of the powerful lighting in today’s televisions to render brilliant colors at any resolution, even as low as 720p.

Gopal Miglani, BitRouter and ZapperBox

The most effective path to a better viewing experience, he said, comes from HDR, which also enhances brightness, contrast, as well as color depth to create a more realistic image.

Industry experts and colorists say HDR combined with standard high-definition resolution can deliver roughly 85% of the total perceived improvement in picture quality. This shifts the definition of picture quality away from pixel count and toward how images are rendered. A higher range of brightness, made possible by HDR, therefore also provides a perceived higher resolution.

According to Miglani, before increasing the number of pixels, it is important to ensure that the available pixels can each contribute to a sharper picture by adding a higher brightness range, which means adding HDR.

“TV manufacturers have amplified the benefits of 4K resolution for years, supporting the idea that more pixels equals a better viewing experience,” explained Miglani. “It is a narrative that’s easier to tell consumers, because it looks like simple math. Explaining the benefits of HDR is more difficult. However, when you provide consumers with a side-by-side comparison of TVs with and without HDR, the difference is clear. HDR displays win.”

That contrast reflects how modern TVs actually perform, where built-in upscaling reduces the impact of higher resolution while HDR improves brightness, contrast, and color in ways viewers can more easily perceive.

“The TVs available today are highly likely to be 4K capable, and the latest TVs and conversion boxes are able to upscale 1080p content up to 4K,” said Miglani. “This delivers about a 10% to 15% improvement in the viewing experience, which is modest compared to the visual improvements offered by HDR.”

Consumer Misconceptions

After years of marketing focused on resolution, many consumers assume that upgrading to 4K will always deliver a better picture. In practice, the benefits of 4K often depend on viewing distance, screen size, and content quality. In addition, HDR has often been marketed in relation to 4K, to the point that consumers are unaware that HDR is available for any resolution, like the widely available 1080p (2k) and even 720p (1k) resolutions.

“One of the most common misconceptions is that upgrading to 4K is always better,” Miglani said. “To truly see the difference, viewers need to sit close enough to the screen, have a high-quality TV, and know what details to look for.”

Another common assumption is that more pixels automatically result in a better image. In reality, HDR enhances the elements the human eye is most sensitive to, including contrast and color variation.

“Resolution defines the number of pixels available on a TV screen. HDR, on the other hand, delivers brighter highlights, deeper shadows, and richer colors,” he said. “With HDR, more information is dedicated to color and differences in brightness, which makes those improvements stand out.”

Those improvements are already being delivered to viewers as broadcasters deploy HDR over the air.

“For consumers waiting for more 4K content, it is important to note that HDR content is already available today from over-the-air broadcasts, including stations owned by Gray Media and Sinclair,” said Miglani.

Why This Shift Matters

The transition to next-generation broadcast standards is accelerating the move toward HDR.

Broadcasters across the United States are shifting from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 (also called NextGenTV), a newer format that supports HDR, higher frame rates, improved audio, and 4K resolution. However, bandwidth constraints are influencing how these capabilities are deployed.

HDR with 1080p (full HD) or 720p (HD) requires significantly less bandwidth than full 4K video, making it a more practical way for broadcasters to improve picture quality and deliver more channels over the same available bandwidth. Streaming services also receive a significant bandwidth savings when HDR is paired with lower resolutions than 4K. For consumers enjoying these streaming services, the lower bandwidth means a more stable delivery of wireless indoor (Wi-Fi) and outdoor (cellular) service, with less interruptions.

As a result, many broadcasters are prioritizing HDR with 1080p resolution rather than delivering full 4K streams. This approach allows them to provide a more noticeable improvement in picture quality without exceeding bandwidth limits.

What Consumers Should Look For

For consumers shopping for a new TV, HDR support should be a primary consideration.

In addition to HDR capability, buyers should evaluate audio quality and whether the TV is optimized for broadcast or streaming environments, with resolution becoming a secondary factor in overall picture quality.

“There are several HDR formats available today,” Miglani said. “HDR10 and HLG are more basic standards, while Dolby Vision and Advanced HDR by Technicolor offer more sophisticated capabilities.”

He added that for consumers watching over-the-air television, antenna quality remains critical.

“If a consumer wants to watch TV over the air, the most important factor is the antenna,” he said. “Professional installation can make a significant difference in performance.”

A Shift in Focus

Whether 4K and even 8K content becomes available, the industry will continue to evolve. However, TV and hardware manufacturers, broadcasters and streaming service providers are increasingly focused on improving how each pixel is displayed rather than simply increasing the number of pixels on the screen. Rising concerns about sustainability, such as the Ecodesign Directive in the EU, means power-hungry 4K and 8K resolutions are less attractive when seen through the perspective of reducing energy use and carbon emissions.

For consumers, that shift suggests that better picture quality may come not from more resolution, but from better use of the resolution they already have.

Watch the Full Vidcast Interview Here.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Amlogic Expand Advanced HDR Integration Across Major NEXTGEN TV Converter Boxes — NAB 2026

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:29:42 +0000

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Amlogic Expand Advanced HDR Integration Across Major NEXTGEN TV Converter Boxes

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Amlogic, a leading platform provider in the global system-on-chip (SoC) market, today announced that the Advanced HDR solution will be integrated into major NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) conversion boxes powered by Amlogic platforms. This integration reflects growing industry-wide coordination to increase the availability of ATSC 3.0-compatible devices amid strong U.S. consumer interest in NEXTGEN TV services.

While ATSC 3.0 infrastructure continues its rollout, ecosystem partners are doubling down on the manufacture of NEXTGEN TV converter boxes ensuring greater consumer awareness of and access to enhanced over-the-air (OTA) viewing with high dynamic range (HDR) picture quality. Converter boxes from leading brands, which include: RCA, ZapperBox by BitRouter, MyVeloTV, Zinwell, and ADTH, are using Amlogic platforms to implement Advanced HDR by Technicolor, enabling more viewers to experience HDR from free broadcast television.

The ongoing deployment of NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) in North America—and the introduction of DTV+ in Brazil, which leverages many elements of ATSC 3.0—signals accelerating global momentum behind next-generation broadcast standards. To enjoy free OTA content in HDR, consumers need an HDR-enabled receiver. By pairing Amlogic-powered converter boxes with Advanced HDR by Technicolor, device makers can help ensure that more households can benefit from improved contrast, brightness, and color performance as broadcasters expand HDR programming.

As a leading system-on-chip manufacturer, Amlogic powers a broad range of operator and retail receiver devices worldwide. This scale helps accelerate ecosystem adoption by enabling multiple converter box manufacturers to deliver consistent HDR experiences on a widely deployed silicon platform.

“As NEXTGEN TV adoption accelerates, consumers expect premium picture quality from free over-the-air broadcasts, including HDR,” said James Xie, SVP, Corporate Business Strategy at Amlogic. “By enabling Advanced HDR by Technicolor on our widely adopted converter box platforms, we’re helping OEM partners bring a consistent, high-quality HDR experience to market faster and at scale—supporting a growing ecosystem of consumer devices.”

“Device manufacturers across the industry are recognizing the impact HDR has on consumer perception of video quality,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “NEXTGEN TV converter boxes extend ATSC 3.0 reception to TVs that don’t have built-in NEXTGEN TV capability, and integrating Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables consumers to maximize picture quality on compatible displays. Because our solution can carry SDR and HDR in a single signal, viewers can receive the best possible experience without needing to worry about TV compatibility. We look forward to continued partnership with Amlogic and other receiver brands to bring NEXTGEN TV content in Advanced HDR by Technicolor to viewers.”

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About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of high-dynamic-range (HDR) technologies designed to deliver superior video quality across a variety of display devices and network environments. Developed as a collaboration between Philips and Technicolor, it includes formats like SL-HDR1, SL-HDR2, and SL-HDR3, which dynamically optimize and convert HDR content to match the capabilities of the display device in real-time. This allows broadcasters and content providers to deliver a high-quality viewing experience with improved contrast, brightness, and color accuracy while maximizing bandwidth efficiency. With support for multiple distribution workflows, Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables seamless integration into existing infrastructures, making it a preferred solution for broadcasters seeking to future-proof their HDR delivery. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s partnerships include broadcasters, streaming service providers, TV and conversion box manufacturers, SoC producers as well as hardware and software solution providers. To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit:https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

About Amlogic

Amlogic is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer and commercial applications. Our products power devices such as TVs, set-top boxes, audio systems, Edge AI platforms, and wireless communication technologies. Our SoCs feature cutting-edge hardware, including low-power multimedia processing, advanced edge AI accelerators, robust on-chip security, high-performance CPUs and GPUs, versatile I/O interfaces, and efficient communication subsystems. With user-friendly development systems and comprehensive turnkey solutions, we empower our customers to quickly bring innovative, market-leading products to life. Founded in Silicon Valley with R&D support, and sales offices worldwide. To learn more about products of Amlogic visit: https://www.amlogic.com

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital Address Live Production Gap as HDR Adoption Collides With Legacy Workflows — NAB 2026

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:23:57 +0000

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital Address Live Production Gap as HDR Adoption Collides With Legacy Workflows

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital are addressing a growing fault line in live broadcast production as the expansion of high dynamic range workflows collides with legacy SDR infrastructure.

At NAB, the companies have introduced an enhancement to Cobalt Digital’s 9904 processing platform that brings a capability known as static diffuse white into commercial deployment. The feature improves consistency in HDR and SDR conversion, a persistent challenge as broadcasters are required to deliver both formats simultaneously.

“Live production environments, particularly in sports, now operate in mixed-format conditions where HDR video, SDR advertising, and graphics overlays intersect in real time. This complexity has exposed limitations in traditional static conversion approaches,” said Ryan Wallenberg, Vice President of Engineering at Cobalt Digital.

The static diffuse white capability allows operators to define a consistent white point across content while maintaining the benefits of dynamic, frame-by-frame processing. The result is greater visual stability across feeds and graphics without sacrificing adaptability.

“The enhancement reflects ongoing collaboration between Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital, shaped by feedback from live production teams. It also acknowledges the continued reliance on legacy workflows. Static conversion methods remain widely used, creating friction as organizations transition to HDR,” said Rick Dumont, Head of Business Development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

By combining stability with dynamic optimization, the feature serves as a bridge between legacy and next-generation approaches.

Cobalt Digital integrates the capability into its 9904 card, which now also supports ST 2110 and both SDI and SMPTE infrastructures. The underlying Advanced HDR by Technicolor framework enables HDR to SDR and SDR to HDR conversion while preserving signal integrity.

The feature moves from earlier custom implementations into a fully commercialized offering, expanding access to a broader range of broadcasters and content providers This support is critical as broadcasters increasingly adopt ATSC 3.0, which includes HDR to enhance the viewing experience across all TV resolutions.

The release comes as production models continue to evolve. Remote workflows are expanding, but major live events still rely on hybrid production environments. In both cases, consistent signal handling across formats is becoming a critical requirement.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital present the enhancement at NAB through curated demonstrations that highlight its impact on real-world content. Meetings with Advanced HDR by Technicolor executives at Central Hall — C3062MR are available by invitation only. Demonstrations will be provided by Cobalt Digital at North Hall — N1340.

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About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of high-dynamic-range (HDR) technologies designed to deliver superior video quality across a variety of display devices and network environments. Developed as a collaboration between InterDigital and Philips, it includes formats like SL-HDR1, SL-HDR2, and SL-HDR3, which dynamically optimize and convert HDR content to match the capabilities of the display device in real-time. This allows broadcasters and content providers to deliver a high-quality viewing experience with improved contrast, brightness, and color accuracy while maximizing bandwidth efficiency. With support for multiple distribution workflows, Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables seamless integration into existing infrastructures, making it a preferred solution for broadcasters seeking to future-proof their HDR delivery. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s partnerships include broadcasters, streaming service providers, TV and conversion box manufacturers, SoC producers as well as hardware and software solution providers. To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit:

https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

About Cobalt Digital

Cobalt Digital Inc. designs and manufactures award-winning ST 2110, IPMX, and SDI conversion, compression, processing, routing, control, and multiviewer technology for the production, broadcast television, and ProAV environments. As a founding member in the openGear® initiative, Cobalt offers a full range of openGear® compliant solutions as well as video and audio processing products for closed caption compliance, production trucks, master control, HD news, signal transport, audio loudness processing, and color correction. Cobalt’s Blue Box Group line of interface mini-converter boxes streamlines and simplifies a wide range of ST 2110, IPMX, and SDI conversion and processing tasks. In addition, the company’s multi-image display processors enable multiviewer capabilities in the most demanding studio and remote production/broadcasting environments. Cobalt Digital products are distributed through a worldwide network of dealers, system integrators, and other partnerships. For further information visit: www.cobaltdigital.com

Modernizing Legacy Workflows to Improve HDR Performance — NAB 2026

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:14:03 +0000

Modernizing Legacy Workflows to Improve HDR Performance

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Showcases the Latest HDR Developments and NextGenTV Conversion Boxes at NAB 2026

Advanced HDR by Technicolor will highlight innovations during the NAB 2026 conference in Las Vegas that address the limitations of legacy high dynamic range (HDR) formats and production models.

Despite the fact that HDR is increasingly being adopted across content creation, production workflows, televisions and mobile devices, many of today’s “premium” video experiences still fail to produce a demonstrably visible or differentiated experience. The reason: industry reliance on static look up tables (LUTs) and redundant standard dynamic range (SDR)and HDR pipelines is flattening image quality while introducing operational costs and complexity.

Attendees at NAB 2025 will experience, firsthand, how Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables At NAB this year, the Advanced HDR by Technicolor team will showcase an evolution away from these constraints, presenting dynamic HDR workflows and single-stream delivery methodologies that are designed to preserve creative intent, and ensure the seamless transition from SDR and HDR while reducing infrastructure costs across broadcast and streaming operations.

Momentum is building around dynamic HDR conversion as broadcasters and streaming service providers seek to deliver premium video quality without increasing bandwidth or workflow complexity. Deployment of Advanced HDR by Technicolor is expanding across NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) and into HDR streaming operations. Implementations with partners such as Hisense combine Advanced HDR by Technicolor with NEXTGEN TV capabilities to enhance the viewing experience of live sports. The solution is also supported by core video workflow providers across the ecosystem including Mainconcept, Cobalt, Ateme and Amagi.

Demonstrations will focus on a few key developments in how HDR is produced and distributed:

Dynamic HDR conversion solution that replaces static LUTs processing while optimizing content frame by frame and maintaining contrast, brightness and color depth across varying types of content.
Single-stream delivery of HDR and SDR which eliminates the need for parallel workflows and enables one signal to serve legacy SDR and HDR-enabled devices.
HDR delivery within SDR bandwidth constraints using existing 8-bit AVC workflows, removing the requirements for 10-bit HEVC implementations.
Content provided at UHD/HDR-like quality at less than 25% of the bandwidth usually associated with such formats.

This approach challenges workflows that have prioritized SDR compatibility over HDR performance.

“Production teams selecting the predictable and safe path of legacy SDR workflows and static LUTs HDR are limiting the viewing experience of consumers while undermining the business case for this technology. If HDR is to be considered a premium feature, then it must be delivered as the ‘hero’ format rather than the compromise,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

As broadcasters and streaming service providers compete in an increasingly saturated market, the inconsistent implementation of HDR has weakened the technology’s ability to capture consumer attention, lessening its impact as a driver of subscriptions or advertising dollars.

At the same time, the production teams that choose to maintain separate SDR and HDR workflows introduce added costs to production, storage and distribution. Those parallel workflows are going to be more difficult to sustain as content libraries continue to grow and live production demands become more complex.

By comparison, a single-stream approach reduces the requirements on infrastructure and bandwidth while simplifying operations. There is no longer a need for manual color adjustments and grading decisions which can deteriorate performance across devices.

At NAB 2026, attendees will be able to experience:

Side-by-side comparison of static vs. dynamic HDR conversion
Demonstrations of a HDR-first workflow
End-to-end delivery scenarios using a single HDR signal with SDR downconversion capability
A showcase of the latest NEXTGEN TV conversion devices integrated with Advanced HDR by Technicolor which include ADTH, Geniatech, MyVelo TV, ZapperBox, and Zinwell.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor experts will be on hand during the show at the following locations:

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Meeting Room (Invitation Only) located at C3062MR in Central Hall
ATSC booth located at C1655 in Central Hall

The Advanced HDR by technicolor team will showcase a single master workflow leveraging dynamic HDR conversion that maintains high quality HDR, while providing best possible SDR at the same time, throughout the content value chain. Experts will also demonstrate how dynamic conversion with Intelligent Tone Management outperforms legacy systems based on static LUTs conversion.

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About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of high-dynamic-range (HDR) technologies designed to deliver superior video quality across a variety of display devices and network environments. Developed as a collaboration between InterDigital and Philips, it includes formats like SL-HDR1, SL-HDR2, and SL-HDR3, which dynamically optimize and convert HDR content to match the capabilities of the display device in real-time. This allows broadcasters and content providers to deliver a high-quality viewing experience with improved contrast, brightness, and color accuracy while maximizing bandwidth efficiency. With support for multiple distribution workflows, Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables seamless integration into existing infrastructures, making it a preferred solution for broadcasters seeking to future-proof their HDR delivery. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s partnerships include broadcasters, streaming service providers, TV and conversion box manufacturers, SoC producers as well as hardware and software solution providers. To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit:

https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.

HDR Technology Redefines Video Delivery as Streaming Wars Intensify

admin — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:56:43 +0000

HDR Technology Redefines Video Delivery as Streaming Wars Intensify

Codec Provider Works to Unify Fragmented Distribution Pipelines and Safeguard Ad Revenue

As streaming services compete for subscriber loyalty and broadcasters scramble to modernize aging infrastructure, High Dynamic Range (HDR) video technology has emerged as one of the industry’s most consequential battlegrounds. At the center of that fight are the codec providers.

MainConcept, a codec technology developer with more than three decades of experience, is one of the firms shaping how HDR content gets encoded, delivered, and displayed across a dizzying range of devices and platforms. Frank Schönberger, senior product manager at MainConcept GmbH, says the stakes for broadcasters and streaming providers offering content to mobile phones, tablets, and televisions around the world have never been higher.

“Premium content is a key differentiator,” Schönberger said. “In a constantly growing streaming services market, and a rapidly changing broadcasting space, you need to stand out against competitors. HDR is emerging as a technology that offers an opportunity for establishing distinction by delivering enhanced viewing experiences.”

This explains how, according to Global Market Insights, a high dynamic range market that was valued at $41.79 billion in 2024 will grow at a CAGR of 27.2% to reach $460.94 billion by 2034.

HDR technology expands the range of brightness and color that a video signal can carry, producing images with brighter highlights, deeper shadows, and more vivid colors than the Standard Dynamic Range, or SDR, format that has defined television for decades. Modern televisions almost universally support HDR. The problem is that hundreds of millions of older devices do not, and the lion’s share of legacy content libraries offered by streaming services and broadcasters were produced in SDR.

That gap creates a costly operational dilemma. Maintaining two entirely separate workflows, one for SDR and one for HDR, doubles hardware requirements and strains budgets. Schönberger said the industry is pushing hard toward a single-stream solution that can serve both audiences simultaneously.

Frank Schönberger, MainConcept

That, he says, is where Advanced HDR by Technicolor comes in. This solution uses embedded metadata and machine learning to deliver a single stream as HDR on devices that support it, while automatically falling back to SDR on those that do not, protecting investments in legacy infrastructure without sacrificing image quality on modern displays.

“If you only have one HDR pipeline, you can drop the SDR pipeline completely,” he said. “That’s a huge benefit for both broadcast and streaming service providers. And on the viewer side, they benefit because regardless of what device they have, they’re always getting the highest quality stream that is possible.”

The challenge of converting legacy SDR content into HDR-compatible formats is particularly acute for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television, or FAST, services. These platforms have built large audiences by offering free access to older catalog content, from 1970s sitcoms and 1990s dramas to more modern blockbusters. But that content arrives in a patchwork of formats, color spaces, resolutions, and aspect ratios that were never designed to coexist in a single distribution pipeline.

Managing Multi-Generational Content Complexity for A Modern Audience

Legacy content, he explained, often carries inconsistent color metadata, varying gamma settings, and brightness levels that do not meet HDR mastering standards. Content that was originally shot on analog formats adds further complications. Upscaling, de-interlacing, and color remapping all introduce processing demands that can threaten the low-latency performance that live scheduling and dynamic ad insertion require.

That last point matters enormously to FAST operators, whose entire business model depends on advertising. If an HDR program is interrupted by an SDR commercial, the jarring brightness shift is not just an aesthetic problem. It is a failure that undermines the premium experience that operators are selling to both viewers and advertisers.

“Users who pay a lot for premium content or a huge live sports event would be very frustrated if there is a break in the HDR processing,” Schönberger said. “The ad must be HDR in the same way as the premium content.”

MainConcept’s codec handles that conversion on the fly, translating incoming SDR advertising feeds into HDR output without introducing visible transitions or latency. Schönberger said the technology exists to execute that process seamlessly, but it requires some integration work on the operator side.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that HDR itself is not a single standard. The market currently supports at least six distinct formats, including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), PQ, and Advanced HDR by Technicolor. Each format carries different technical requirements, and playback devices do not always support every option.

MainConcept’s approach centers on building support for all of those formats directly into its encoder software development kits, which are licensed to broadcasters, OTT platforms, production companies, and operators in industries ranging from security surveillance to medical imaging.

That said, Schönberger highlighted Advanced HDR by Technicolor as a format with particular promise for operators navigating the SDR-to-HDR transition. The technology can take an existing eight-bit SDR feed and generate HDR output from it, meaning operators do not necessarily need to overhaul their production infrastructure to begin delivering HDR content. It also supports HDR-to-dynamic-HDR conversion, adjusting metadata on a per-frame basis to maximize image quality across different display types.

“You can stick to your existing eight-bit SDR infrastructure,” Schönberger said. “You can easily turn your legacy SDR content into HDR, and in the end you only have one stream.”

The format has already been adopted into broadcast standards. It is part of the TV 2.5 standard in Brazil and is included in ATSC 3.0, the next-generation broadcast specification being deployed across the United States. Several U.S. broadcasters, including Sinclair and Gray Media, have already put the technology into production.

Beyond traditional broadcast and streaming, Schönberger sees HDR playing a growing role in augmented reality, virtual reality, and extended reality applications, particularly as wearable devices become more capable. The deeper blacks, brighter highlights, and expanded color palette that HDR enables translate directly into more convincing immersive environments.

“The audience wants to dive completely into the premium content they’ve paid for,” he said.

“HDR extends the contrast ratio and color palette beyond SDR. It shows a more realistic, more detailed, and more immersive picture quality regardless of whether devices support standard definition (SD), high definition (HD) or ultra-high definition (UHD) content.”

Preparing for an HDR Future

Schönberger said the trajectory of the industry is clearly toward dynamic HDR, which adjusts image parameters frame by frame rather than applying a single static setting to an entire program. Doing that at scale, particularly for live content, will increasingly require automated and AI-assisted processing tools.

“Doing this on the fly requires AI-driven or automated tools,” he said. “Dynamic HDR is the future.”

For an industry still managing the long tail of SDR infrastructure while racing to deliver premium HDR experiences, the codec layer may be the least visible but most essential piece of the puzzle.

Watch the Full Vidcast Interview Here.

One Stream to Rule Them All: Navigating the HDR Journey

admin — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:27:13 +0000

One Stream to Rule Them All: Navigating the HDR Journey

MainConcept’s Frank Schönberger on How HDR Is Reshaping the Economics of Video Delivery

Introduction

Codec technology sits at the foundation of every video experience, from a live Super Bowl broadcast to a decade-old sitcom served up by a free streaming platform at two in the morning. MainConcept has been building and licensing codec software for more than three decades, supplying the technical infrastructure that broadcasters, over-the-top platforms, and production companies depend on to encode, package, and deliver content across a constantly expanding universe of devices and formats. The company plays a critical role in helping the ecosystem manage the intensely competitive nature of providing digital entertainment to consumers, while managing the complexity of introducing innovation while protecting technology investments made by industry and individuals alike.

High Dynamic Range video has arrived as a genuine differentiator in a crowded market. According to Global Market Insights, the global HDR market was valued at $41.79 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 27.2% over the next decade. Yet the infrastructure built to deliver premium HDR content must still accommodate hundreds of millions of legacy devices that cannot display it. Frank Schönberger, senior product manager at MainConcept GmbH, sat down with BizTechReports to explain what it takes to bridge that gap, and why the solution may be simpler than the industry once assumed.

Here is what he had to say:

Frank Schönberger, MainConcept

Q: MainConcept has been in the codec business for more than three decades. How does that depth of experience shape the way you approach a technology shift like HDR?

Frank Schönberger: It gives you perspective that younger companies simply do not have. We have watched the industry move through analog to digital, standard definition to high definition, file-based workflows to streaming, and now this HDR transition. Each of those shifts created winners and losers, and the difference usually came down to whether a company could support the old infrastructure while building for the new one. That is essentially the same challenge we face today. Our customers cannot abandon their SDR viewers overnight. They need solutions that allow them to move toward HDR without leaving legacy audiences behind, and without doubling their operational costs in the process.

Q: Premium content has always been a differentiator, but you seem to be saying the stakes are higher now. Why?

Schönberger: The number of streaming services competing for subscriber attention has grown dramatically. At the same time, broadcast is losing ground to streaming in most markets. So you have a situation where everyone is fighting for the same viewer, the same subscriber dollar, the same advertising spend. Premium content, and the technology that delivers it at its best, becomes a real competitive lever. HDR is part of that. When it works well, it is genuinely better. Brighter whites, deeper blacks, more vivid colors. It is a more realistic picture. Viewers who have experienced it on a quality display notice the difference, and that matters to the operators paying for it.

Q: HDR is not a single standard. There are at least six formats in active use. How does MainConcept manage that fragmentation?

Schönberger: That fragmentation is one of the more difficult aspects of the current landscape. You have HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma, PQ, and Advanced HDR by Technicolor, and each of them has different technical requirements and different levels of device support. Our approach is to build support for all of those formats into our encoder software development kits (SDKs) so that our customers are not forced to make an either-or decision. We also have a dedicated universal color space converter that handles the transformation between formats, including conversion back to SDR when needed. The goal is to give operators the flexibility to work within whatever HDR ecosystem their distribution partners and device manufacturers require.

Q: The industry has largely been running dual workflows, one for SDR and one for HDR. What does that actually cost an operator?

Schönberger: It doubles everything. You have double the hardware, double the maintenance, double the operational overhead. For a broadcaster with a large content catalog and multiple distribution channels, that is a significant ongoing expense. And it creates workflow complexity that introduces risk. More moving parts means more opportunities for something to go wrong, especially in live production environments where you have no margin for error. The industry has understood for some time that the goal should be a single pipeline that serves both SDR and HDR audiences from one stream. The question has always been how to get there without degrading quality at either end.

Q: That is where Advanced HDR by Technicolor enters the picture. How does it address the single-stream problem?

Schönberger: Advanced HDR by Technicolor is genuinely well-suited to this challenge because of the way it was designed. It uses embedded metadata and machine learning to deliver a single stream as HDR on devices that support it, while automatically falling back to SDR on those that do not, protecting investments in legacy infrastructure without sacrificing image quality on modern displays. And the machine learning component is important. Traditional SDR-to-HDR conversion relied on static lookup tables, which produced inconsistent results and compressed the HDR signal in ways that undermined the whole point of using HDR in the first place. The adaptive approach in Advanced HDR by Technicolor adjusts on a per-frame basis, which is what you need for live content where lighting conditions are constantly changing. A stadium broadcast at noon looks nothing like the same stadium at dusk, and a static conversion cannot handle that transition gracefully.

Q: Free ad-supported streaming services carry enormous libraries of older content. What specific challenges does that create for HDR delivery?

Schönberger: The scale and inconsistency of legacy content are core issues. When you have a catalog built over decades, you are dealing with content that was produced under completely different technical standards. Different color spaces, different gamma curves, different aspect ratios, varying levels of metadata, some of it analog in origin. There is no single conversion approach that handles all of that uniformly. Each piece of content may need a different treatment to look correct in an HDR environment. And the operational complexity compounds when you factor in live scheduling and dynamic ad insertion, because you may be switching between content from completely different eras and technical backgrounds within a single viewing session. The codec infrastructure has to absorb all of that variation and produce a consistent output stream.

Q: The advertising model is the revenue engine for FAST services. What happens when an HDR program is interrupted by an SDR commercial?

Schönberger: It is a real problem, and it goes beyond aesthetics. When a viewer is watching premium HDR content and an SDR advertisement appears, there is an immediate and jarring shift in brightness and color quality. The viewer notices. In some cases, it looks like something has gone wrong with the broadcast. For an operator who has positioned their service around a premium viewing experience, that is a credibility problem. The ad has to match the quality of the content surrounding it. Our encoders handle that conversion in real time, translating an incoming SDR advertising feed into HDR output without introducing a visible break. The viewer should only notice the ad, not the technical transition.

Q: Where does HDR fit in the emerging world of augmented and virtual reality?

Schönberger: It is a natural fit. The whole premise of immersive content is that you want the viewer to feel present in what they are watching. HDR contributes directly to that by extending the contrast ratio and color palette beyond what SDR can produce, which means the image is closer to what the human eye actually perceives in real life. As wearable devices improve, the display technology will increasingly be capable of rendering HDR content in ways that are genuinely immersive. The production and delivery infrastructure needs to be ready for that. Dynamic HDR, which adjusts image parameters on a per-frame basis rather than applying a single static setting across a whole program, is where that is heading. It is more computationally demanding, but the combination of better processing hardware and AI-assisted automation is making it practical at scale.

Key Takeaways

The HDR transition is not simply a display technology upgrade. It is a fundamental reorganization of how video content gets produced, packaged, and delivered across an increasingly fragmented device landscape. For operators managing legacy content libraries, dual SDR and HDR workflows, and advertising feeds that may arrive in any format, the codec layer is the critical point of integration.

Schönberger’s central argument is that the industry no longer needs to accept the cost and complexity of parallel pipelines. Solutions like Advanced HDR by Technicolor, now available as an MainConcept SDK and already deployed by broadcasters operating under ATSC 3.0, make single-stream delivery viable today. The technology handles the SDR-to-HDR conversion in real time, preserves metadata integrity through the encoding process, and adapts dynamically to the kind of variable content that defines modern broadcasting. For an industry navigating simultaneous pressures from subscriber competition, advertising revenue requirements, and the approaching demands of immersive media, that combination of efficiency and quality may prove to be the most consequential codec development in a generation.

Free Over-the-Air TV’s HDR Upgrades Offer An Enhanced Way to Watch March College Basketball

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:58:56 +0000

Free Over-the-Air TV’s HDR Upgrades Offer An Enhanced Way to Watch March College Basketball

As streaming services compete aggressively for live sports rights, another viewing option is quietly evolving in broadcast television. A growing number of U.S. stations are upgrading their signals with high dynamic range (HDR) technology as part of the ATSC 3.0 “NextGen TV” transition, allowing viewers to watch live sports with enhanced picture quality using free over-the-air broadcasts.

For college basketball fans following the March tournament, the picture quality of a game can be nearly as important as the score. HDR technology expands contrast, brightness, and color range, enabling televisions to display deeper shadows, brighter highlights, and more detailed colors. During live basketball games, these improvements can make elements such as team uniforms, arena lighting, sponsor logos and reflections on the court surface more visible while maintaining image clarity during fast-moving plays like transitions, dunks, and last-second shots.

Sports broadcasts are particularly well suited to HDR because they combine rapid motion with shifting lighting conditions inside arenas. Broadcast engineers say the technology helps maintain visual consistency throughout a game, producing an image that more closely reflects how the human eye perceives the event in person.

The HDR capability is being introduced as part of the broader rollout of NextGen TV, the newest broadcast standard in the United States. The technology allows local television stations to upgrade video quality and audio formats while continuing to deliver programming free over the air.

Many modern televisions — including HD, Full HD, UHD, and 4K models — already support HDR features. Viewers who want to take advantage of HDR broadcasts may need three things: a television with HDR capability, access to a NextGen TV broadcast in their market, and in some cases a compatible tuner or receiver along with an antenna.

In markets where broadcasters have launched NextGen TV signals, some stations are transmitting sports and other programming in HDR formats such as Advanced HDR by Technicolor as part of their upgraded broadcasts.

As the NextGen TV rollout continues across the country, broadcast HDR is becoming another option for viewers who want to watch live sports with improved picture quality. For fans following March college basketball, it also highlights how free over-the-air television continues to evolve alongside streaming services as a way to watch major sporting events at home.