HUDSON, Mass.—BitFire has launched the capability to transport live video programming in High Dynamic Range (HDR) over the BitFire Video Transport Network.
This latest update allows broadcasters, streaming providers, sports leagues, production companies, and event promoters to deliver visual content with maximum contrast, making images appear richer and more brilliant. With this advancement in video transmission, BitFire has met the challenge of delivering HDR across long-haul IP networks.
“HDR is on the rise as more broadcasters embrace high dynamic range in their live productions,” said Ben Grafchik, vice president of business development at BitFire Networks. “At BitFire, we’re proud to provide the ability to deliver HDR through our global IP network.”
HDR provides an increase in the available range of luminance within an image, meaning the overall difference between the darkest shadows and brightest highlights is much greater than that of traditional SDR television. The human eye cannot take in the entire HDR range at once, causing the viewer’s visual system to react as though they were in the scene, allowing HDR to display astonishingly rich images that are perceived more intensely.
BitFire noted that its new support of HDR has a number of implications:
- For broadcasters, HDR means live productions will display with greater luminance, headroom, and color depth. Subjects and backgrounds will appear richer and more detailed, allowing programs to more faithfully convey the experience of being there.
- For production teams, HDR provides an enriched ability to manage visual details, giving V1s and colorists the control to create a more appealing cinematic impact. The advanced capabilities of your cameras, studio equipment, and control room technology can now be transmitted to networks and other distribution and broadcast partners with ease.
- For audiences, HDR delivers images that appear more vibrant and immersive, with deeper shadows and clearer highlights, optimizing the emotional impact of cinematic scenes and thrilling action alike.
- For businesses, HDR brings the capability to exceed viewers’ expectations with the highest quality images available. For remote production, in-studio services, post-production, or network distribution, the ability to deliver HDR throughout the workflow offers a competitive edge.
- Most importantly, this update leverages BitFire’s software-defined platform to increase broadcast capabilities using the BitFire hardware already deployed, further improving workflow, impressing audiences, and expanding opportunities for producers and broadcasters.
More information about BitFire’s globally-scalable Video Transport Network, its multiple cloud and physical data centers, and the capabilities of its BitFire Engines to encode and decode SDI video, in full 10-bit HDR, for IP transmission is available at bitfire.tv.
