The SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) video format is an outdated video
display gamma-curve gamut standard originally developed in the 1930s for
CRT-based (Cathode Ray Tube) television displays as part of the emerging NTSC
video standard. The standard intentionally limited the number of greys (from
white to black and eventually the number of colors) that could be carried in an
NTSC signal to accommodate the picture-rendering limitations of CRTs. With the
recent industry conversion from CRT to digital displays, the SDR gamut standard
is obsolete (many consumers just don’t know it yet).
The move toward the HDR (High Dynamic Range) video format was brought to
the consumer home video market with the introduction of 4K UHD (Ultra High-
Definition) Blu-ray Discs and players in 2016. HDR UHD is also available from
some streaming services. HDR video displayed on an SDR system will appear as a
very flat, almost greyish picture. The HDR format requires updated home video
equipment (HD monitor and UHD Blu-ray Disc player) to display as desired.
While still in use today, SDR will become technologically obsolete at some point
in the near future not unlike like the recent conversion from the NTSC broadcast
television standard to the HD broadcast television standard. Nearly all new HD
television monitors sold today support both the SDR and HDR color gamuts.
More details on the SDR standard video format may be found on Wikipedia.
•
|
