The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced an industry definition for an HDR-compatible display device. HDR is one element of new and upcoming 4K Ultra HD display devices that allows for an increased range of brightness and contrast. The CEA worked with manufacturers, content providers, and distributors to develop the list of voluntary guidelines in an effort to make it easier for retailers and consumers to properly identify HDR-compatible displays. Although no offical HDR logo was announced, we expect to see one in the near future.

From the CEA
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced the industry definition for high dynamic range (HDR) compatible video displays. HDR is a new capability that promises to deliver an expansive range of brightness and shadow detail, further enhancing the viewing experience.

Paving the way for the introduction of HDR-Compatible Displays, the new CEA designation is designed to assist retailers and consumers in identifying display products that incorporate the interface and processing technology needed to display the new content properly. CEA and its display manufacturer members collaborated with leading content providers and distributors, as well as other technology companies, to establish the new display characteristics for HDR interoperability.

"HDR provides a significant step up in delivering an incredible viewing experience for the consumer," said Brian Markwalter, senior vice president, research and standards, CEA. "We encourage manufacturers and our industry partners to use this voluntary compatibility guideline to provide greater consistency and clarity while ensuring compatibility and interoperability across the full content development to display ecosystem."

Many 4K Ultra High-Definition televisions (4K Ultra HD) will include early implementations of various next-gen technologies, including HDR, wider color gamut and higher frame rates, which provide a more realistic and immersive viewing experience.

CEA's Video Division Board approved the following definition:
A TV, monitor or projector may be referred to as an HDR-Compatible Display if it meets the following minimum attributes:
• Includes at least one interface that supports HDR signaling as defined in CEA-861-F, as extended by CEA-861.3.
• Receives and processes static HDR metadata compliant with CEA-861.3 for uncompressed video.
• Receives and processes HDR10 Media Profile* (see below) from IP, HDMI or other video delivery sources. Additionally, other media profiles may be supported.
• Applies an appropriate Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF), before rendering the image.

"CEA's leading role in defining HDR-compatible displays complements the work of other organizations, such as the UHD Alliance, that are reportedly developing HDR-related performance parameters and guidance for the video content, distribution and hardware ecosystem," Markwalter explained.

The new HDR interoperability guidelines build upon CEA's extensive work in supporting and promoting 4K UHD technology. Previously, CEA collaborated with its member companies to develop characteristics and accompanying logos to designate 4K UHD TVs, monitors and projectors, as well as 4K UHD cameras and camcorders. CEA also has implemented a variety of promotional efforts to help educate consumers and retailers about the new display technology.

4K Ultra HDTV is the closest thing to bringing the 4K Digital Cinema experience from movie theaters to the home, offering consumers an incredibly immersive viewing experience with superior picture quality compared to current HD displays. The new 4K Ultra HDTVs, projectors and monitors provide the ultimate viewing experience with more than eight million pixels of resolution, four times the resolution of today's high-definition televisions, and now other technical improvements such as HDR designed to deliver an overall unparalleled home entertainment experience for consumers.

* Note: The HDR10 Media Profile is defined as:
EOTF: SMPTE ST 2084
Color Sub-sampling: 4:2:0 (for compressed video sources)
Bit Depth: 10 bit
Color Primaries: ITU-R BT.2020
Metadata: SMPTE ST 2086, MaxFALL, MaxCLL

Additional Resources
• What 4K Content Can You Enjoy Right Now? at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• UHD Alliance Forms to Set UHD Content Standards at HomeTheaterReview.com.