UHD HDR Productions

General Information

The following describes the technical framework conditions for UHD SDR productions with regard to the minimum requirements for source material and grading. The goal of UHD is to create an appealing and high-quality audiovisual overall experience for the viewer, which can be delivered equally across as many end devices and distribution channels as possible. These guidelines are not intended to influence the creative process or the look of a production, but merely to provide the necessary framework and guidance.

Upscaling SD or HD material to UHD resolution, as well as (cross) conversion of HDR formats, should be avoided and is only permitted in exceptional cases (e.g. when using archival material) with suitable professional software, and must be agreed upon in advance.

In general, grading should result in a high-quality overall impression and visually support the dramaturgy. The approved delivery formats must be clarified with the responsible License Content Coordinator. 

 

Requirements

UHD HDR productions must meet the following basic requirements:

 

  • Use of at least native UHD material (3840 × 2160)
  • Recording with as little compression as possible and at least 10-bit quantization
  • For grading, the highest-quality source material must be used (e.g. RAW, R3D, S-Log, C-Log, Log C, etc.)
  • Grading must be carried out on a display capable of 1000 nits [cd/m²], PQ (BT.2100 / BT.2084), and BT.2020. The display should be able to fully reproduce the P3 D65 color space.
  • The final master must not contain signal values that result in luminance levels outside the valid range of 0 to 1000 nits.
  • Color signal values are stored as BT.2020, but should be graded within the P3 D65 gamut, as there are currently no widely available display technologies capable of covering the full BT.2020 color space.
  • Credits, end titles, and other comparable text or graphic elements should be graded at approximately 58% (approx. 205 nits). Texts and graphics that reach luminance levels well above 400 nits without a dramaturgical reason will not be accepted. It is recommended to observe ITU-R BT.2408.
  • High luminance values should generally be reserved for specular highlights, such as reflections, lights / spotlights, special effects, etc.
  • If the delivery file originates from a Dolby Vision master, it must be ensured that the 1000-nit trim provides a color impression as close as possible to the original.