HDR (high-dynamic-range) technology can provide an unprecedented improvement in terms of the contrast, colour and brightness of the images in the cinema, on television and other devices, producing a sense of immersive realism in the viewer that will transform the way people consume content. The audiovisual sector sees it as a unique and unrepeatable opportunity, comparable to the first public broadcast in colour, in 1951.

The possibilities that HDR format can offer, in terms of the growth of the market for businesses and enhancing the viewer’s experience, depend on the existence of a fully functional HDR ecosystem. Currently, we are a long way from having an ecosystem with these characteristics, as demonstrated by recent reports by several international organizations and standardization bodies. This is due to the still open challenges that occur in all stages of the production chain, from capturing the images to displaying them.

To find a solution to this, an international consortium led by Josep Blat, head of the Interactive Technologies research group (GTI), and Marcelo Bertalmío, head of the research group on Image Processing for Enhanced Cinematography (IP4EC), both researchers with the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC) at UPF, is launching the HDR4EU project. Its main aim is to help European companies linked to the audiovisual sector to become world leaders in the field of emerging HDR technology.

The team is seeking to create a set of tools, techniques and professional guidelines that provide a notably visible experience in terms of image quality and content customization, enabling the genesis of the necessary ecosystem.

The project, which is supported by the European Commission through the Horizon2020 programme, officially started this month of July, with the first meeting at UPF, and is expected to last three years. It will enjoy the participation of leading companies in the European film industry: ARRI (Germany), specializing in cameras; BARCO (Belgium), experts in digital projectors; BRAINSTORM MULTIMEDIA (Spain), a leader in Virtual Studio solutions; FILMLIGHT (United Kingdom), recognized worldwide for its colour post-production solutions, and Smoke and Mirrors, one of the UK’s leading post-production companies.

Among the participating institutions, some have received Oscars and technical Oscars for their involvement in various films.