A study on user preference of high dynamic range over low dynamic range video

Abstract

The increased interest in high dynamic range (HDR) video over existing low dynamic range (LDR) video during the past decade or so was primarily due to its inherent capability to capture, store and display the full range of real-world lighting visible to the human eye with increased precision. This has led to an inherent assumption that HDR video would be preferable by the end-user over LDR video due to the more immersive and realistic visual experience provided by HDR. This assumption has led to a considerable body of research into efficient capture, processing, storage and display of HDR video. Although this is beneficial for scientific research and industrial purposes, very little research has been conducted to test the veracity of this assumption. In this paper, we conduct two subjective studies by means of a ranking and a rating-based experiment where 60 participants in total, 30 in each experiment, were tasked to rank and rate several reference HDR video scenes along with three mapped LDR versions of each scene on an HDR display, in order of their viewing preference. Results suggest that given the option, end-users prefer the HDR representation of the scene over its LDR counterpart.

Displaying detail in bright environments: A 10,000 nit display and its evaluation

“…Akyüz et al [23] demonstrated that participants prefer a HDR image over tone-mapped or LDR image of a scene, Mukherjee et al [24] showed that this also holds true for HDR video. Melo et al [25] investigated tone-mapped HDR content on an LDR display to find that the ambient illumination, and especially reflections on the screen, significantly affected the viewing experience.…”

An experimental study on the perceived quality of natively graded versus inverse tone mapped high dynamic range video content on television

“…However, other studies have evaluated more specific variables such as the overall similarity, the similarity in bright and dark areas, and the color fidelity [2,4]. A more recent study was conducted to test the veracity of the assumption that HDR video would be preferable by the end-user over SDR video [34].…”

Efficacy of global dimming backlight and high‐contrast liquid crystal panel for high‐dynamic‐range displays

“…High‐dynamic‐range (HDR) content is now being produced that exercises large contrast within an image and dramatic temporal changes in which different scenes can have very different peak brightness . High brightness and deep contrast are widely accepted as being the key contributors to the dramatic improvements in visual quality associated with the emerging ultra‐high‐definition image format . The content in this new format has largely outpaced the ability of conventional display systems to fully render the extended dynamic range.…”

“…1 High brightness and deep contrast are widely accepted as being the key contributors to the dramatic improvements in visual quality associated with the emerging ultra-high-definition image format. 2,3 The content in this new format has largely outpaced the ability of conventional display systems to fully render the extended dynamic range. Several technological approaches have emerged to extend the dynamic range of liquid crystal (LC) display systems.…”