As smartphone cameras became the primary go-to camera for many, the technology powering them has become an integral part of the way we share our lives with each other. Samsung has been at the forefront of this change, building a strong heritage of camera technology that has evolved the way people use the camera — from clear night photography, to professional-grade portraits, smooth video stabilization, and selfies.

Samsung Newsroom talked with Joshua Sungdae Cho, VP and Head of Visual SW R&D at Samsung Mobile, to discuss Samsung’s camera philosophy and legacy of imaging technology.

Joshua Sungdae Cho, VP and Head of Visual SW R&D at Samsung Electronics

What is the driving philosophy behind the features and specs for cameras on Galaxy devices?

Our goal is to satisfy two very different needs. First, we help general users by democratizing the experience of professional photography, making it easy for them to create high-quality photos and videos with nothing but their smartphone. Secondly, we aim to bring a more customized shooting experience for pros who want to use their Galaxy smartphone as a professional tool. To do that, we focus on three key areas: the best shooting and viewing experience, ease of use, and controllability.

Our aim with the shooting and viewing experience is to ensure that users get crisp, vivid results every time they capture images and videos. This is why we have focused on high-resolution images, best-in-class image sensors, and other features like High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). For ease of use, we focus on creating features that make getting the best results as simple as possible. Single Take, for example, makes it easy to take multiple pictures and videos all at the same time, then recommends the best shots of the series. Finally, controllability is emphasized in our Pro Photo and Pro Video modes, giving users more control over their final results. Underpinning all of these features is AI, which ensures users get the most optimal results.

(Left) Super steady OFF l (Right) Super steady ON

Can you expand on these three pillars? How do you ensure users get the best shooting and viewing experience?

We take a lot of things into consideration for delivering the best shooting and viewing experience for both photos and video. First, we consider portraits our top priority. With warm tones, but a natural brightness and color, our cameras capture your emotions and expressions in vivid detail. We are continuing to make this a key focus area with upgrades that improve details such as skin texture and hair. Improving the resolution of the images from our cameras is one way we accomplish this.

Higher resolution images contain more pixels, and therefore, more information.  We try to find ways to get more pixels into our sensors, as well as improved optics, so that users produce sharp images and videos even when they crop or zoom. Ensuring users get great results no matter the lighting condition is also a key focus for the shooting experience on Galaxy devices.

Our advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR), for example, makes it possible to shoot in mixed lighting and still get great results. This is possible thanks to the AI in our camera, which takes three images at different exposure levels simultaneously and then combines them into one final image. This same approach is used for low-light photography. To deliver more bright, crisp images in low-light conditions, we use nona-binning technology, which uses AI to merge nine pixels into one larger pixel so it absorbs more light and creates clear, vivid images.

Last but not least, we also adopt best-in-class hardware to deliver superior viewing and sharing experiences and improve image quality. Samsung’s cutting-edge sensor technology, such as our 108MP sensors and 50x Space Zoom on the Note20 Ultra, make it possible to capture ultra-high-resolution images and even 8K video. We combine this sensor technology with other strengths of Galaxy devices, such as world-class displays to view the results and fast Wi-Fi connectivity and 5G that make sharing large files easy, to create the best all-around smartphone camera experience.

That sounds like a lot of features to pack into a smartphone camera. How do you make sure they are intuitive and easy to use?

Ease of use is particularly important for our camera philosophy. We aim to create an optimal auto-shooting mode that delivers professional looking images and video. The only thing our users need when shooting with a Galaxy device is a good subject and a memorable moment. We also pack our cameras with features that enable greater creativity while still making it easy to get great results.

Scene optimizer is a great example of how we make it easy to get professional level results. Users just have to point and shoot, and the camera delivers an image optimized for color and brightness based on the scene. We use AI to help deliver these optimizations, ensuring that every cloud, sunset, and smile is captured just as you remember.

Ease of use is also at the heart of features like Single Take. With just a single click, the camera takes multiple pictures and videos with dynamic effects simultaneously, allowing users to capture the moment in a variety of ways and choose their favorite. Features like My Filter also make it easy for users to customize their images. With My Filter, users can create a custom filter, save it, then apply it to all of the photos they shoot.

On the opposite end of this ease of use and auto-shooting, you mentioned that customization and control are an important part of the Galaxy camera experience. How do you implement those control features?

Both Pro Photo and Pro Video mode offer users more control over their final results. In Pro Photo mode, users can tweak all aspects of the photo including the ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and exposure levels. It also gives them the power to save RAW images, which they can later edit on their own. With the enhanced Pro Video mode on the Galaxy Note20 series, we’ve given users more creative control over the fine details in their videos.

In addition to manual adjustment of exposure settings, Pro Video mode introduces features such as Zoom control, allowing users to adjust the speed of their zoom for more dramatic footage. In Pro Video mode, users can also adjust the direction of the microphone to get the best sound. To top it off, we’ve also given users the power to record 8K video at 24fps on the Galaxy Note20 for high-quality results with a cinematic feel.

Many of these features seem to be powered or enhanced by AI. Why is AI such an important component of Galaxy cameras?

AI is one of the core technologies in Samsung’s camera technology because it allows us to do a lot of the heavy lifting for the user. We use AI to improve image resolution, optimize new technology for mobile, and provide better experiences for our customers.

Auto Framing on the Galaxy Z Fold2, for example, automatically shifts the view to stay centered and in focus depending on how many people are in view.  When there is only one person, it can follow their motion and keep them centered – ideal for vloggers and creatives that are using their smartphone to create content.

In the future we will continue to implement these advancements to learn, adapt, and develop new technology that improves the overall camera experience.

In addition to improvements in AI, the trend in smartphone photography has been to add more cameras on flagship devices year over year. Is this a trend you believe will continue?

We keep trying to find a balance between the best AI technology and the optimal number of cameras on our devices. Our AI technology is continuously improving thanks to the image training technology we have developed at Samsung. At the same time, we are also working to deliver the best camera hardware for our devices. If we are able to achieve the same results from multiple cameras with just a single AI-powered camera, then we will merge the technologies. Although we are not at that point yet, we are able to deliver stunning results with features like the Ultra-Wide camera that capture landscapes from a whole different perspective, and 50x zoom on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra.

The Galaxy Note20 series is a prime example of how our philosophy is reflected in our devices. We know that video usage has been steadily increasing, and has led to greater demand for better video features. So, for the Galaxy Note20 series, we improved on Super Steady, delivered 8K recording, and added increased functionality with Pro Video mode to enhance the user experience.

Ultimately, whatever we do is in service of consumer needs, to ensure every feature, experience and design choice offers increased functionality and quality.

“We are proud to be one of the founding members of the 8K Association and to have our new lineup of QLED 8K TVs certified by the program,” said Hyogun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our goal is to provide consumers with the ability to easily identify premium 8K displays from other devices when making purchasing decisions. Home entertainment and TVs are important investments for many of our consumers, and we hope that the 8KA Certification Logo will help guide them.”

The 8KA Certification Program aims to distinguish televisions featuring four times as many pixels as the standard 4K televisions for clarity, contrast and color and high dynamic range (HDR) performance. Among the features tested include display resolution reaching 7680 x 4320, peak brightness greater than 600 nits, image transmission of HDMI2.1 and high efficiency video codec (HVEC).

Member companies like Samsung Electronics will be able to promote 8K certified TVs after they are validated by the 8KA. The 8KA also plans to increase educational programming efforts this year across many different industries in order to promote member participation, innovation and content development within the 8K ecosystem.

In addition to expansion across different industries, the 8KA plans to spread promotional activities for the 8K industry through demos, showcasing the advanced technological development of 8K-enabled products, production workflow, delivery options and display devices. The programs and initiatives will showcase how consumers can engage with 8K content, the ecosystem and its standards.

The 8KA anticipates further adoption of 8K content creation, distribution and home adoption, similar to the evolution of 4K standards adoption and consumer purchase cycle over the past several years. To-date, partner companies and organizations have all joined the 8K Association – further broadening the membership to more than 22 companies.

For more information on the 8K Association and Samsung QLED 8K TVs, please visit www.samsung.com.

About the 8K Association
The organization’s mission is to grow appreciation and awareness of 8K products which will provide an even higher level of entertainment which is paramount to large screen entertainment. Our activities include development performance and interface specifications, compliance logo programs, education and coordination with 8K ecosystem developers to help build the 8K market.

20^th Century Fox, Panasonic Corporation and Samsung Electronics announced today a new partnership to create an open, royalty-free dynamic metadata platform for High Dynamic Range (HDR) through an associated certification and logo program, tentatively called HDR10+. Together, the three companies will form a licensing entity that will begin licensing the HDR10+ platform in January 2018. The entity will license the metadata broadly to content companies, ultra-high definition TVs, Blu-ray disc players/recorders and set-top box manufacturers, as well as SoC vendors, royalty-free with only a nominal administrative fee.

“As leaders in home entertainment content and hardware, the three companies are ideal partners for bringing HDR10+ into the homes of consumers everywhere,” said Jongsuk Chu, Senior Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to making the latest technology available in our TVs and are confident that HDR10+ will deliver premium quality content and enhance the way you experience television programs and movies in the home.”

HDR10+ is a cutting-edge technology, building upon the benefits of HDR televisions, which offers the best possible viewing experience for next generation displays. HDR10+ provides unprecedented picture quality on all displays with brightness, color, and contrast automatically optimized for each scene. In previous iterations, static tone mapping applied a fixed enhancement across an entire piece of content. With HDR10+ dynamic tone mapping, every scene is individually enhanced to bring to life vibrant visuals and achieve unprecedented picture quality. This new enhanced visual experience will allow consumers to see pictures that match the intention of filmmakers.

“HDR10+ is a technological step forward that optimizes picture quality for next generation displays,” said Danny Kaye, Executive Vice President at 20th Century Fox and Managing Director of the Fox Innovation Lab. “HDR10+ provides dynamic metadata, which precisely describes every scene to deliver unprecedented picture quality. Working in partnership with Panasonic and Samsung through the Fox Innovation Lab, we are able to bring new platforms like HDR10+ to the market that more accurately realize the vision of our filmmakers beyond the theater.”

There are several key benefits for partners who wish to adopt the platform for their HDR10+ compliant products. HDR10+ offers system flexibility, allowing a variety of partners, including content creators, content distributors, TV manufacturers and device makers, to incorporate this platform and improve the viewing experience for audiences. The HDR10+ platform was designed to allow for future development and innovation in order to deliver a more powerful technology in the years to come.

“Panasonic has a long history of working with industry leaders to develop lasting technical formats. We are delighted to work together with 20th Century Fox and Samsung to develop a new HDR format, which will bring consumers so many benefits,” said Yuki Kusumi, Executive Officer at Panasonic. “By offering considerable HDR picture quality improvements across a wider range of TVs while accelerating the amount of premium HDR content available, we expect HDR10+ to quickly become the defacto HDR format.”

This year’s IFA attendees are encouraged to visit the Samsung Electronics and Panasonic booths to learn more about HDR10+ technology.

20^th Century Fox, Panasonic and Samsung will announce further details on the license program along with a demonstration of HDR10+ technology at CES 2018.

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film. TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions as well as all third party distribution partners on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, Digital HD, and VOD (video-on-demand). Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets and digital stores throughout the world.

About Panasonic

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2018, the company has expanded globally and now operates 495 subsidiaries and 91 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.343 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2017. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic: http://www.panasonic.com/global.

However, staging classical performances for television viewing has always required some changes to the production, even in UHD. Many theaters feature high-contrasts, with brightly lit singers and sets, while backgrounds can be quite dark. In the past, that forced production teams to turn up the lights for broadcasting or make other technical adjustments.

Now, Samsung is taking its classical streaming to the next level, thanks to High Dynamic Range (HDR). Together with the Vienna State Opera, Samsung is streaming some of the world’s best operas as they were intended to be viewed in theaters with their original production values.

“This technology is opening up a new dimension for us,” said Dominique Meyer, State Opera Director.

“HDR brings quite new, fantastic quality on multiple levels. HDR makes it possible for opera and ballet broadcasts to reproduce the original lighting of each production without compromises for the TV image.”

Samsung Austria has been offering streaming of the Vienna State Opera since 2013, adding UHD for selected content in 2014. But the quality made possible by HDR means viewers are now able to enjoy these broadcasts in unprecedented realism. In HDR mode, image content is brighter, the contrast is richer and the colors have more depth—closer to what the human eye can see.

Combined with industry-leading brightness and quality of quantum dot SUHD TV and UHD TV, Samsung TVs with HDR technology now provide more contrast and improves image areas which were once too dark or too light.

“With the new UHD livestream and HDR mode, we’ve laid another milestone in the development of streaming technology,” said Sunghan Kim, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics Austria. “The opera experience won’t just have higher audio quality, but will also broadcast in optimal visual quality to your TV screen.”

The HDR streaming began Nov. 29 with a performance of Verdi’s La Traviata, and further HDR livestreams are planned throughout the 2016/17 season. To sign up to watch a livestream, check out the Samsung Smart TV App or the Vienna State Opera’s streaming website.

In a recent report, DisplayMate Technologies, the leading evaluator of video screens, announced the results of a new series of comprehensive lab tests on the Galaxy Note7’s display. DisplayMate President Dr. Raymond M. Soneira noted, “The Galaxy Note7 provides many major and important state-of-the-art display enhancements.It is the most innovative and high performance Smartphone display that we have ever tested.”

Which factors earned the Galaxy Note7’s display its top marks? Find out below.

As the first smartphone to incorporate High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology for mobile video streaming, the Galaxy Note7 provides a cinema-like viewing experience. HDR, the newest performance enhancement feature developed for the latest 4K Ultra HDTVs, expands the color, contrast and brightness of video content through special image processing.

To display the latest high-end video content, the Galaxy Note7 was equipped with the newest standard Wide Color Gamut called DCI-P3 for Digital Cinema Initiative. The measured color gamut of the AMOLED Cinema screen mode is a very accurate 97 percent of the standard DCI-P3 color gamut. It also received a very accurate Absolute Color Accuracy measurement of 2.8 JNCD.

The Galaxy Note7 boasts a record high peak brightness (automatic brightness) of 1,048 nits in high ambient light conditions and a screen reflectance level of 4.6 percent. This means that the screen of the Galaxy Note7 can easily be viewed or read, even under relatively high ambient lighting, such as bright sunlight, which washes out the image color saturation and contrast, decreasing picture quality.

In line with its automatic brightness improvements, the Galaxy Note7 received praise from DisplayMate for being the first of its kind to incorporate a second, rear ambient light sensor. This sensor measures surrounding ambient light and then uses the measured value, along with that of the front ambient light sensor, to alter the display brightness accordingly. The additional sensor helps the device to obtain an accurate reading of the true ambient light level, even when the phone is held in the user’s shadow.

DisplayMate also made note of the Galaxy Note7’s new Blue Light Filter that allows the user to adjust and reduce the amount of blue light from the display for better night viewing, “which some recent research indicates can affect how well users sleep afterwards.”

Featuring curved screen OLED display, the Galaxy Note7 will be available for purchase starting August 19.

For filmmakers, the link between cameras and display technology is paramount. They want cameras that can capture the full vividness and richness of their scenes, and then they need to be able to replicate those images for the audience. And increasingly, Samsung’s SUHD TVs, which use Quantum Dot (QD) technology to produce unrivalled high dynamic range (HDR), are becoming the choice of cinematographers, directors and other creators.

The capabilities and richness of Samsung’s SUHD TVs were on display at the Korea International Broadcast, Audio, and Lighting Equipment Show 2016 (or KOBA 2016), held May 24-27 in Seoul.

How Samsung’s Displays Became the Choice of ARRI

The ARRI Group is a German manufacturer of motion picture film equipment, globally renowned for its reliable and high-quality products.

Roger Deakins, a famous cinematographer (left), working with an ARRI camera in the making of the James Bond thriller Skyfall. (Photo from the ARRI Group)

Carlos Chu (left), Regional Sales Manager, Northeast Asia, ARRI, said that he expects “with the increasing number of HDR video contents, consumer interest in HDR display will rise as well.”

Although ARRI produces all kinds of lighting and filming equipment, the company is most famous for its cameras. Most of the 2016 Academy Award winning movies were filmed with ARRI cameras. Notably, Emmanuel Lubezki, a famed cinematographer who works with ARRI camera in many of his films, won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for three consecutive years, for Gravity (2013), Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance in 2014), and The Revenant, 2015).

HDR-enabled Quantum Dot TVs are able to deliver life-like pictures, clearly displaying even the smallest details, like the wrinkles of a person’s skin.

And at the ARRI booth at KOBA 2016, what was the German company’s choice to best demonstrate the clarity and beauty of its cameras? They chose Samsung’s Quantum Dot Display SUHD TVs.

“The Only TV That Can Perfectly Display Our Content”

“HDR is an influential technology that may have a huge impact on our everyday lives by delivering a greatly advanced visual experience,” emphasized Kim Tae-Jung (right), Business Development Manager, ARRI Asia.

Until now, even the most skillful cinematographers often failed in their attempts to deliver life-like images due to limits in existing display technology.

“It was a chronic problem in the video industry since the available displays often failed to reveal what was filmed through high-end cameras,” said Kim Tae-Jung, Business Development Manager, ARRI Asia.

Now, however, HDR display technology is transforming the industry. With HDR, it is possible for a display to make the bright highlights brighter and the dark areas darker, maximizing visual effects by adjusting the contrasts in brightness.

“Thanks to HDR, you can now enjoy videos that look closer to what the director intended you to see,” said Kim. “The ultimate goal of HDR is to realize the same range of contrast as real life.”

“We expect to see much demand in the Korean market, which has won global recognition for its high-quality TV dramas and movies,” said Paul Ivan, Managing Director of ARRI Asia.

But to get the most out of HDR, a TV needs to have strong capabilities in color and light expression. This is where Samsung’s recently released Quantum dot SUHD TVs shine, as they are able to express a brightness of 1000 nits^[1] or higher using HDR. This is exactly why ARRI choose them.

“Since quality video content is our priority, we choose the Quantum Dot SUHD TV (for our displays at the exhibit),” said Paul Ivan, Managing Director of ARRI Asia. “I am confident that the KOBA 2016 visitors must have felt the unmatched performance of the ARRI cameras through the Quantum Dot SUHD TV.”

Accuracy Makes Quantum Dot SUHD TV a Good Reference Monitor

“Quantum Dot SUHD TV made calibration smooth and fun,” said Um Tae-Sik.

For the exhibition, Um Tae-Sik, a cinematographer and colorist, demonstrated how calibration^[2] works, using a Quantum Dot SUHD TV and a famous Korean TV drama, Descendants of the Sun.

“Regular and even breathing is evidence of good health. And the same applies to any video, since consistency in color and brightness is a prerequisite for high-quality video. In the past, after I finished the first draft of a calibration in a reference monitor, I had to check the results on a typical TV. However, it was different with the Quantum Dot SUHD TV I used for the demonstration: I didn’t have to use a reference monitor separately for calibration, and the result was quite satisfying.”

Um Tae-Sik performed a calibration using a scene from Descendants of the Sun. The left picture shows the “after,” while the right one shows the “before.”

All of the industry experts we talked to at KOBA 2016 agreed that Quantum Dot SUHD TV is a welcomed advancement for the video industry, providing better access to higher quality displays. It has long been a dream for filmmakers to be able to show their content in all the color and detail as real life.

Samsung’s Quantum Dot SUDH TVs are making this dream come true, offering truer to life HDR images than were ever possible before.

^[1] Nit: The nit is a unit of visible-light intensity commonly used to specify brightness. One nit is equivalent to one candela per 1m³.

^[2] Calibration: The task of mastering video content so that it reproduces the same results on all display devices.

Some of the improvements came through upgraded industry standards. For example, the entertainment industry has gradually increased screen resolution to make clearer images; from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) and now Ultra High Definition (UHD). Another recent advancement is High Dynamic Range (HDR), which allows production studios, content distributors, and TV manufacturers to offer brighter and more colorful video.

Some of the improvements come from innovations provided by each company. For example, when Samsung first introduced the LED TV, consumers were able to enjoy images several times brighter than conventional LCD TVs.

In 2015, Samsung started to apply quantum dot technology to its flagship SUHD TVs. Now with more and more industry partners gearing towards HDR, the marriage between Quantum Dot technology and HDR offers viewers a whole new era of home entertainment.

HDR1000: Jack It Up to 1,000 Nits

Although there are many devices that can show HDR content, not all HDRs are equal. Colors are perceived by light; and with the wider range of both luminance and colors for HDR, it is important that the TV can cover the brighter side of the spectrum. HDR1000 means the device is capable of showing at least 1,000 nits* at peak brightness. This intensity of luminance is considered an industry-top level.

Dealing with higher brightness levels poses challenges as it normally means the display device consumes more energy. Higher brightness levels can also cause the device to generate more heat and without proper measures, excessive heat could pose a threat on the product’s lifespan.

With SUHD TVs that feature Quantum dot technology, however, Samsung has an answer that allows TV sets to hit those brightness levels of up to 1,000 nits without the pain points. This is in part thanks to the photo-active property of quantum dots, which makes them very energy-efficient. Samsung was actually able to improve the overall energy efficiency of its 2016 SUHD TVs while enabling the set to hit 1,000 nits.

One Billion Colors

Quantum dots also emit a very pure color, which helps quantum dot displays show much more accurate colors. And by using these accurate reds, greens, and blues, it is able to display broader range of colors. On the other hand, light from conventional fluorescents tend to get mixed with adjacent colors, dropping the range of colors conventional TVs can show. In fact, Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs with Quantum Dot technology are able to show up to one billion colors – 64 times more color than the average TV.

This broad range of colors, along with the level of brightness quantum dot allows SUHD TVs to show, allows Samsung to offer richer pictures – closer to the real world than ever. These videos show how SUHD TVs with Quantum Dot technology help show more colors in bright and dark situations:

Recent innovations in display technology offer us an exciting new era of home entertainment. Before you go looking for your next TV set, check where the industry is going and make sure your TV is best-suited for the upcoming wave of UHD and HDR content.

For more information about HDR, Quantum Dot technology, and SUHD, visit: www.samsung.com/global/tv/quantum-dot-display.

* A nit is a standard unit of luminance, frequently used in measuring the brightness of display devices. One nit is the luminous intensity of a candle lighting an area of one square meter.

This requires collaboration from across the industry. Cameras need to record more accurate video; post production studios need to control the brightness, contrast, color, and highlights to allow their intended image to be shown on the screen; distribution channels need to find a way to relay all that information in an agreed standard; set manufacturers need to make better panels and algorithms to recreate what the previously mentioned partners handed over.

The final image or video you see on your screen is usually only as good as the worst link in the aforementioned chain.

There are many ways to improve picture quality; one example is UHD (or 4K), where the industry came together to present more pixels in a given screen. Another one of the latest developments in this regard is High Dynamic Range (or HDR) which, in a nutshell, helps produce ‘better’ pixels.

HDR Allows for Improved Brightness and Color Accuracy

Many TV standards are stuck at an outdated 100 nits* – defined in the days of CRT TVs. In producing video for these standards, a lot of details in the dark and colors were lost. We’ve come a long ways since. Following numerous advances in technology, the collective industry has found ways to convey more of the original, or intended, video.

The range of luminance levels have been increased so that whites are whiter and blacks are blacker. The range of colors has also been increased so even colors can be more detailed. We call the previous range Standard Dynamic Range (or SDR), and the new broader range is called High Dynamic Range.

… And It’s A World of A Difference

For years, with each new TV, you’ve heard that colors are better than the previous set. But as HDR threads the efforts from across the industry, the difference is really self-evident. The details, previously lost in the shadows or glares, really stand out. Below is an example:

Look For the UHD Alliance Premium Certification

As previously mentioned, the industry needs to work together to bring about meaningful improvements in picture quality. In a joint effort to find ways to provide better picture quality, over 30 members from around the industry came together to form the UHD Alliance including production studios, content networks, tech companies, and TV manufacturers.

The UHDA has created Ultra HD Premium, a certification program that sets out the technical standards TV sets, contents, and distribution channels have to meet if they are to deliver the highest levels of picture quality. TVs bearing the Ultra HD Premium logo (such as Samsung’s SUHD TV) support HDR content. Meanwhile, compatible video material including streaming and Blu-ray releases likewise carry the label, certifying that their contents also meets the group’s standards.

In technical terms, this means that TVs needs to meet standards of the likes of HDR10 (color depth based on 10-bit signal), peak brightness/black level combination (at least 1000 nits peak brightness and less than 0.05 nits black level), etc. But all in all, the average consumer need only look for the UHD Premium logo.

Gaining Momentum

A range of content providers have been quick to climb aboard the HDR boat. Major providers have already started to provide premium streaming services with HDR.

And there is more to follow. The Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray Player was released this year, and is compatible with SUHD TV devices. Distributors also say they are planning to release more and more HDR10 Blue-ray disc titles in 2016.

Considering it has been only around a year and a half since Samsung unveiled its first HDR solution at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2015, the technology’s progress has been nothing short of extraordinary.

For users, the true difference comes with the viewing experience. HDR works in tandem with the human eye, concentrating on contrast in dark areas and creating distinguishing subtle color differences in brighter areas.

Breakthroughs come think and fast in the world of TV, but with HDR now seemingly taking the fore, the way we watch is about to change forever. Television viewers could be standing on the verge of a future brighter than anyone has ever foreseen.

* A nit is a standard unit of luminance, frequently used in measuring the brightness of display devices. One nit is the luminous intensity of a candle lighting an area of one square meter.