Champaign, Ill. – Dec. 6, 2018 – Cobalt Digital will demonstrate its high dynamic range (HDR) conversion solutions for live sports and other broadcast content at the 2018 SVG Summit, which runs Dec. 10-11 at the New York Hilton Midtown. Using Cobalt’s flagship 9904-UDX-4K up/down/cross converter and image processor for the openGear® platform with Technicolor® HDR Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) technology, broadcasters can monetize HD and 4K standard dynamic range (SDR) content for HDR distribution, as well as provide an HDR experience to viewers through an SDR feed.
For HD and 4K live sports, the 9904-UDX-4K allows production truck operators to seamlessly create HDR signals from existing SDR sources, including cameras, servers, and legacy graphics systems. It also eliminates the need for sports productions to use separate SDR and HDR cameras and processing paths, and performs SDR-to-HDR conversion on previously recorded content.
Available as a software license upgrade for existing 9904-UDX-4K cards, Technicolor HDR ITM technology manages brighter lights and darker shadows to deliver sharper, more realistic images. While analyzing video content in real time, the technology has been fine tuned by Technicolor’s colorists to adjust luminance in the shadows, midtones, and highlights. As a result, broadcasters can expand content to a wider space and higher dynamic range while remaining as true as possible to the creative intent behind the original content.
Technicolor can also generate a single layer video stream to distribute SDR and HDR content with dynamic metadata through its SL-HDR process. As a result, when a network service provider transmits an SDR feed that was generated from HDR content, it will automatically deliver a full HDR experience if the viewer’s TV or set-top box is compatible.
“It’s easy to see the efficiency of delivering HDR content using existing HD and 4K equipment. That’s why Cobalt’s HDR conversion solutions have already been deployed by leading broadcast truck operators, major networks, and OTT providers,” said Chris Shaw, Cobalt executive vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s an ideal solution because broadcasters can keep capital and operating expenses low while delivering visually superior HDR results and future-proofing their equipment investment.”
About Cobalt Digital
Cobalt Digital Inc. designs and manufactures award-winning edge devices that help live video production and master control clients transition to IP, 4K, HDR, the cloud, and beyond. As a founding partner in the openGear® initiative and proud member of SMPTE, Cobalt also offers a best-of-breed interoperability platform that simplifies technological adoption. Distributed through a worldwide network of dealers, system integrators, and other partners, Cobalt Digital products are backed with a five-year warranty. Learn more at www.cobaltdigital.com.
