HDR to SDR Tone Mapping via Media Fixed-Function Hardware
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Solution Overview
Problem
High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos cannot be properly displayed on Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) monitors without proper conversion, resulting in incorrect brightness, contrast, and color, making the content unsuitable for viewing.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a video processing system using Media Fixed-Function hardware in graphics processors for real-time tone mapping from HDR to SDR, involving inverse gamma correction, color correction matrix multiplication, and forward gamma correction, along with Piece-wise Linear Functions (PWLF) for optimal tone mapping and dynamic range expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If HDR videos are displayed directly on SDR monitors without conversion, then the display device can be simple and no processing is needed, but the brightness, contrast, and color will be incorrect making the content unsuitable for viewing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tone mapping as an intermediary process between HDR and SDR domains. The tone mapper acts as a mediator that transforms HDR content into SDR-compatible format while preserving visual quality. This resolves the contradiction by adding necessary processing complexity to achieve reliable viewing quality on SDR displays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the electro-optical transfer function (EOTF) and color space parameters during tone mapping. By adjusting luminance mapping parameters and color transformation matrices, the system adapts HDR content parameters to SDR display capabilities, ensuring correct brightness, contrast, and color representation.
2Reliability
If complex tone mapping algorithms are used to convert HDR to SDR, then the viewing quality can be improved, but the processing time and computational power increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating tone mapping curves and lookup tables during system initialization or content encoding. This allows the actual tone mapping during playback to use pre-computed data, significantly reducing real-time processing time while maintaining high viewing quality through accurate luminance and color transformations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tone mapping process into distinct stages: luminance transformation, color space conversion, and gamma correction. Each segment can be processed independently and optimized separately, reducing overall processing time while maintaining comprehensive quality improvement across all video parameters.
3Manufacturing precision
If proper tone mapping is applied to convert HDR to SDR, then the brightness and contrast can be accurately adjusted, but the processing complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex iterative mathematical optimization with direct formula-based transformations using established photometric relationships. By substituting mechanical computation with analytical solutions based on luminance mapping functions and color transformation matrices, the system achieves high brightness accuracy with reduced processing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatus, articles, and methods are described below including operations for video tone mapping to convert High Dynamic Range (HDR) content to Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) content.