HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Technicolor
(Euronext Paris: TCH; OTCQX: TCLRY) today announced it will
further support content creators in the transition to next
generation video technology by expanding its color grading service
offering to include high dynamic range (HDR) grading for movies, TV
shows and commercials. Additionally, the company is licensing an
Intelligent Tone Management plugin that will enable broadcasters to
create HDR content in their own facilities, empowering an
additional segment of the entertainment ecosystem with next
generation video capabilities.
These tools and services are part of Technicolor's ongoing
commitment to enabling HDR across all aspects of content creation
and distribution. The demand for studios and broadcasters to
provide HDR content is increasingly important as new HDR-enabled
devices come to market. HDR is a standard feature of UltraHD
Blu-ray, part of the Ultra HD specifications to be determined by
the UHD Alliance and under consideration for the next generation
broadcasting standard ATSC 3.0.
"Moving the industry forward in production and display
technology has been part of Technicolor's mandate since the
invention of color in film," said Vince
Pizzica, Technicolor SEVP corporate development &
technology. "We understand the massive changes new technologies
drive across the ecosystem and are committed to leading these
industry developments by empowering every segment, from production
and creative services, to delivery, through device technologies and
set-top boxes. As the only company in the world that spans the
entire workflow of video content, only Technicolor can truly offer
an end-to-end solution for High Dynamic Range video."
HDR grading for legacy and new content
Technicolor's HDR grading services expand the dynamic range for
an increase in video quality that more closely matches what the
human eye actually sees. The result is a more realistic, immersive
cinematic experience with greater depth, richer colors and more
details in both the shadows and highlights. HDR color grading
services will launch at Technicolor facilities in 2015, beginning
in Los Angeles, and will include a
range of solutions and budgets for both existing libraries and new
content creation from camera captured RAW content.
Projects will be graded to the HDR specifications set forth by
the UHD Alliance, a global coalition of leading film studios,
consumer electronics manufacturers, content distributors and
technology companies that have aligned to define the next
generation premium UHD experiences including high dynamic range,
wide color gamut, high frame rates and advanced audio. Technicolor
is a founder and board member of the UHD Alliance.
Intelligent Tone Management plugin licensing for major color
grading systems
The new Technicolor Intelligent Tone Management plugin will give
broadcasters and content owners new options for efficiently
producing HDR content by analyzing video content in real-time and
providing colorists with direct control of luminance in the
shadows, mid-tones and highlights for an unparalleled level of
control for grading both HDR and Standard Dynamic Range (SDR)
legacy content. The plugin will be licensed by Technicolor across
multiple popular color grading platforms including Autodesk's
Lustre and Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve. An OpenFX version of the
plugin will also be available, enabling use across all platforms
that support the interoperable plugin format.
"Autodesk's Lustre has a long history with Technicolor, so we're
thrilled to see the company's new Intelligent Tone Management
plugin launch on our system," said Marc Stevens, Autodesk's
vice president of film & television solutions. "The plugin does
a fantastic job of helping colorists control whole sections of an
image simultaneously, creating a rapid HDR grade that colorists can
then trim or fine tune using Lustre's advanced tools."
"We're excited that Technicolor is offering its many years of
color science and grading experience to our DaVinci
Resolve customers via its Intelligent Tone Management plugin," said
Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic
Design. "Demand for HDR content is growing and we're
seeing the community embrace it's power so this is a perfect time
for the launch of a Resolve plugin to fully explore the new
medium."
The plugin will be on display at the Autodesk (Booth #SL3317)
and Blackmagic (Booth #SL219) booths during the National
Association of Broadcasters' Show in Las
Vegas April 11-16.
World's first UHD and HDR free over-the-air broadcast
In addition to support for content creators, Technicolor
continues to iterate new technologies for the delivery of HDR
content, most recently through the successful demonstration of the
world's first UHD with HDR live broadcast based on proposed ATSC
3.0 technologies.
The series of broadcasts, integrated into Sinclair's
experimental OFDM transmission system and transmitted under
real-world conditions outside of a laboratory, delivered high
quality HDR content broadcast at HD and 4K/UHD resolutions in a
single-layer with backwards compatible standard dynamic range. Both
HDR and legacy devices, including fixed position TVs and mobile
devices, were all able to receive and display the broadcast signal.
Based on open standards from MPEG (HEVC, SHVC, 3D Audio from
MPEG-H) plus HDR, with MMT and DASH transport streaming standards,
and Technicolor's Staggercast and Fast Channel Change technologies,
the broadcast met the most ATSC 3.0 requirements of any previously
demonstrated system.
This latest test follows the Technicolor and Sinclair's
deployment of Technicolor's ATSC 3.0 4K UltraHD test bed platform
and receipt of an over-the-air signal, an industry first completed
in October.
HDR set-top box for pay-TV operators
To ensure the creative vision behind every piece of content is
delivered to the consumer as intended, Technicolor is developing
the world's first UHD, High Frame Rate (p60), HDR set-top box.
Designed for pay-TV operators looking to leverage the benefits of
UHD, the box will decode both HDR and SDR versions of the same
content using Technicolor's backwards-compatible, single-stream
HEVC solution for HDR delivery. With this solution, operators will
be able to deploy a single set-top box to consumers that will
accommodate both current SDR signals and the transition to next
generation video technologies.
For additional information on Technicolor's innovations in HDR
content creation and delivery visit www.technicolor.com.
About Technicolor
Technicolor, a worldwide technology
leader in the media and entertainment sector, is at the forefront
of digital innovation. Our world class research and innovation
laboratories enable us to lead the market in delivering advanced
video services to content creators and distributors. We also
benefit from an extensive intellectual property portfolio focused
on imaging and sound technologies, based on a thriving licensing
business. Our commitment: supporting the delivery of exciting new
experiences for consumers in theaters, homes and on-the-go.
www.technicolor.com
Technicolor shares are on the NYSE Euronext Paris exchange
(TCH) and traded in the USA on the
OTCQX marketplace (TCLRY).
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SOURCE Technicolor