Reference White Tone Mapping for Consistent HDR Display Brightness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Consumer media viewing devices exhibit inconsistent image processing techniques, leading to varying display of SDR and HDR imagery across different devices, resulting in unpredictable viewing experiences and loss of creative control for content providers.

Innovation Solution

A perceptual point tone mapping system that utilizes defined anchor points and adjustable parameters to normalize HDR and SDR imagery content, ensuring consistent luminance and gamut compression across devices, allowing for dynamic control over image processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional tone mapping techniques are used to adapt HDR imagery content for display on consumer media viewing devices, then the imagery can be displayed on devices with limited luminance range, but the entire luminance range is compressed causing all content to appear significantly darker than intended

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to device luminance rangeVSAvoidoverall brightness of imagery

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the luminance range into distinct regions (highlight region above reference white, midtone region at reference white, and shadow region below reference white) and applies different processing strategies to each segment. The highlight region undergoes compression to fit device capabilities, while the midtone region anchored at reference white maintains its intended luminance, preventing overall darkening of the image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different quality treatments are applied to different luminance regions. The highlight region receives compression processing adapted to device capabilities, while the reference white anchored midtone region receives preservation processing to maintain intended appearance. This local differentiation allows simultaneous adaptation to device constraints and preservation of intended brightness characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If different consumer media viewing devices use their own image processing logic, then each device can optimize display for its specific capabilities, but image display becomes inconsistent across devices and creative control is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoptimization for device capabilitiesVSAvoidconsistency of image display

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The content provider performs preliminary processing of HDR imagery content by encoding it with reference white anchored tone mapping before distribution. This pre-processing establishes a consistent baseline that preserves creative intent while accommodating device variations. Downstream devices can then make capability-based adjustments without compromising the anchored reference white, ensuring consistency across the display chain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Reference white serves as an intermediary anchor point between content creation and device display. By establishing reference white as a fixed luminance benchmark in the encoded content, the system creates a stable reference that mediates between the content provider's creative intent and the varying capabilities of different display devices, ensuring consistent interpretation across the distribution chain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If HDR imagery content is delivered with high luminance range to preserve creative intent, then the intended appearance is maintained, but devices with limited luminance range cannot display the content properly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepreservation of intended appearanceVSAvoidcompatibility with device luminance range

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic processing where the degree of luminance compression is adjusted based on the specific device's luminance capabilities while maintaining the reference white anchor. HDR content is delivered with full dynamic range for devices that can display it, while devices with limited range receive appropriately compressed versions that preserve the anchored reference white, enabling both preservation of creative intent and adaptation to device constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12608781B2Dynamic tone-mapping system normalized around reference white

Publication Date: 2026.04.21 NBCUNIVERSAL MEDIA LLC

AI summary

A dynamic and selective tone mapping system that receives digital imagery content and adjusts the digital imagery content using defined perceptual point parameters that correspond to particular luminance points or regions of the digital imagery content. The defined perceptual point parameters include a first white reference value, wherein the tone mapping system adjusts the digital imagery content by compressing luminance values above the first white reference value at different compression rates to produce digital imagery content that is compatible with various media viewing devices with varying display brightness capabilities while preserving influence over the intended look of the displayed image resulting from the digital imagery content.