SDR to HDR Contrast Control via Highlight Region Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack an effective method to display Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) content on High Dynamic Range (HDR)-supporting devices without altering the content's intention or quality, due to the absence of standardized techniques for backwards compatibility and metadata issues in inverse tone mapping processes.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that identify highlight regions in content frames, set thresholds, generate masks, and apply boosting factors to control the contrast ratio, enhancing SDR content for HDR-supported devices while maintaining the original intent and color integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If inverse tone mapping process is used to convert SDR content to HDR content, then the luminance range of the content is expanded, but the computational complexity increases and color integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the content processing by separating highlight region detection from the overall tone mapping process. It identifies and processes only the highlight regions (overexposed areas) separately from the rest of the image, applying targeted contrast enhancement only where needed rather than performing computationally intensive global inverse tone mapping on the entire content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by detecting highlight regions and applying contrast ratio control specifically to those regions using masks. This localized approach enhances the luminance range in critical areas without requiring complex global processing, thereby reducing computational complexity while maintaining color integrity in non-highlight areas.
2Ease of manufacture
If simple linear tone mapping is used to increase dynamic range, then the implementation is simplified, but the contrast ratio enhancement is insufficient for HDR devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by detecting highlight regions and generating masks before applying the final contrast enhancement. This pre-processing step identifies areas that need enhancement, allowing the system to apply targeted processing that achieves better dynamic range expansion than simple linear tone mapping while maintaining implementation simplicity through a straightforward two-step process.
3Reliability
If SDR content is displayed directly on HDR devices without processing, then the original content integrity is maintained, but the full luminance capabilities of HDR devices are not utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing step that detects highlight regions and generates contrast enhancement masks. This intermediary approach selectively enhances specific regions of SDR content to utilize HDR device luminance capabilities while preserving the integrity of non-highlight areas, effectively bridging the gap between SDR source material and HDR display capabilities without requiring full inverse tone mapping.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and a method for controlling a contrast ratio of content in an electronic device are disclosed. The method for controlling a contrast ratio of content in an electronic device, presented in one embodiment of the present disclosure, comprises the steps of: identifying one or more highlight regions on the basis of brightness information of a frame forming the content; determining thresholds for detecting the one or more highlight regions from the frame; generating one or more masks corresponding to the one or more highlight regions on the basis of the thresholds; and generating a contrast ratio-controlled frame on the basis of the one or more masks and one or more boosting factors for the content.