DVB now incorporates HDR dynamic mapping

The addition of HDR Dynamic Mapping provides content creators and device manufacturers a means to tailor video content so that it plays as faithfully as possible.

DVB has announced a new revision of its specifications for the use of the video and audio encoding in broadcast and broadband applications to include solutions for HDR dynamic mapping.

The solutions allow a receiver, such as a television, to adapt a high dynamic range video signal to the characteristics of the display. The revised specification was approved by the DVB Board of Directors in Geneva on July 3, 2019.

ETSI TS 101 154 It is one of the main DVB specifications. It sets out how video and audio coding should be used in satellite, cable and terrestrial broadcasting systems, as well as in the provision of broadband services. The addition of HDR Dynamic Mapping provides content creators and device manufacturers with a means to tailor video content to closely reproduce the desired look and feel as produced in a reference viewing environment.

Peter MacAvock, president of DVB, comments that the standard "has provided the industry with the necessary specifications to deploy UHD services with confidence. HDR dynamic mapping is an important element of the ecosystem, helping broadcasters and other content providers to ensure that their videos look the best possible on a given screen."

Tres sistemas HDR DM

The DVB audiovisual coding specification includes two means of providing HDR video content, namely the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG10) and the 10-bit variant of the Perceptual Quantizer (PQ-10). Dynamic mapping applies only to the latter.

There is significant potential benefit in being able to “map” HDR, rated by a reference monitor, against lower-performing TVs typical of the consumer environment. Dynamic mapping facilitates this functionality through dynamic mapping information (DMI) inserted into the HDR video bitstream.

In the new version of TS 101 154 three solutions have been included for dynamic HDR mapping:

SMPTE ST 2094-10 – Dynamic metadata for color volume transformation – Application #1
ETSI TS 103 433-2 (SL-HDR2) – High-performance, single-layer high dynamic range (HDR) system for use in consumer electronics devices; Part 2: Improvements in transfer systems based on the high dynamic range (HDR) perceptual quantization (PQ) function.
SMPTE ST 2094-40 – Dynamic metadata for color volume transformation – Application #4

The revised specification has been published as DVB BlueBook A001 and will be submitted to ETSI for publication as TS 101 154 V2.6.1. The DVB specifications for Service Information (DVB-SI) and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DVB-DASH) have also been revised to support HDR DM. The changes will be reflected in the respective ETSI standards in due course.

Following the approval of the specification, the DVB Technical Module on Audio and Video Coding (TM-AVC) working group will carry out verification and validation activities to support the implementation of the new solutions.