Characterization of Processing Artifacts in High Dynamic Range, Wide Color Gamut Video

With higher resolution, wider color gamut, and extended dynamic range, the new ultrahigh-definition (UHD) TV standards promise a more immersive television experience. Although very little content exploiting the full range of the technology is currently available, artifacts associated with the compression of high dynamic range content have already been identified and reported by engineers working in this area. They note that the chroma subsampling process has been shown to cause disturbing artifacts for regions of the image possessing a certain color and luminance. This paper quantifies the distortion and identifies regions of the extended color volume where artifacts associated with standard image processing techniques are more likely to occur. In doing so, it argues that these problems will become greater as more content exploiting the full potential of UHD becomes available, requiring additional care and processing in content production and delivery. This paper suggests ways of addressing these issues.