en.Wedoany.com Reported - Apple, Google, and NBCUniversal, in collaboration with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), have jointly developed an HDR video standard called Eclipsa Video, officially designated as SMPTE ST 2094-50.

Google and Samsung previously launched the spatial audio standard Eclipsa Audio, which is seen as an open source alternative to Dolby Atmos. Eclipsa Video is widely regarded as a potential open source alternative to Dolby Vision.

Eclipsa Video will be managed by the HDR10+ Alliance. In terms of the standard system, SMPTE ST 2094-50 is the latest addition to the SMPTE dynamic HDR standard family. This series previously included specifications such as ST 2094-10 (Dolby Vision), ST 2094-20 and ST 2094-30 (Advanced HDR), and ST 2094-40 (HDR10+).

The first mention of ST 2094-50 dates back to last year. In May of this year, Google publicly confirmed for the first time its participation in the development of this standard alongside Apple and NBCUniversal. Google Product Manager Roshan Baliga stated that the standard aims to ensure that users can see video images consistent with the creator's original intent, regardless of the device or ambient lighting conditions.

According to Google, the standard introduces two new types of dynamic metadata. The first technology is called "Reference White Anchor," which establishes a unified brightness baseline for display devices, mapping highlights from standard dynamic range (SDR) content to a fixed reference point, thereby reserving additional brightness space for HDR content. Google says this allows SDR and HDR content to coexist on the same screen without affecting each other's display quality. The second technology is called "Headroom-Adaptive Gain Curves," allowing content creators to embed instructions in video files that adapt to different display devices. When a device has limited brightness capabilities, the video can guide the display to dynamically adjust shadow and mid-tone areas, preserving highlight details and reducing overexposure and detail loss.

Google noted that HDR content currently shows significant variation in display quality across different devices. Due to varying peak brightness capabilities of phones, tablets, laptops, monitors, and TVs, HDR videos often suffer from issues such as washed-out images and loss of detail in highlight areas. Additionally, ambient light sensors on devices dynamically adjusting screen brightness can also affect HDR display performance. ST 2094-50 is designed to address these issues.

Unlike Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which primarily focus on televisions, Eclipsa Video's initial deployment will prioritize mobile devices and computing platforms. The HDR10+ Alliance stated that the Eclipsa Video project will first cover smartphones, then gradually expand to other device categories. The first products to receive Eclipsa Video certification are expected to be released later this year.

Google's Roshan Baliga said the company is pleased to bring this upgraded HDR experience to the web, with support for the final SMPTE ST 2094-50 standard to be provided in subsequent Chrome releases. This collaboration further reflects the trend of cooperation between Apple and Google in recent years in the field of open media standards, as both parties have previously promoted the development of the AV1 video coding standard and projects like Eclipsa Audio through the Alliance for Open Media.

NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock announced in January that it would be one of the first streaming services to support Dolby Vision 2. As a co-promoter of the Eclipsa Video project, this background adds new variables to the future HDR ecosystem landscape. It remains unclear how this standard will compete or coexist with upcoming technologies such as Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+ Advanced.

This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com