The Case for Further Advancing the Performance of Displays

Abstract

Timo Kunkel Robert Wanat If there is one word to describe the difference between displays today and at the turn of the last century, it’s ubiquity. Modern consumers are surrounded by displays in their everyday lives, from the mobile devices we use when on the move to the TVs we enjoy at home for entertainment to the cinema screens we watch while socializing. It has become difficult to spend a day without once looking at a display. At the same time, expectations regarding the performance of these screens have steadily increased. This motivates display manufacturers to improve the capabilities of their devices and increasingly accommodate the challenges that changing viewing environments impose. Despite those complex challenges, amazing progress has been made in the last few decades in understanding how human visual perception works and how to use that information to create displays with improved image rendering consistency, accuracy, and overall capability. Though there is still a ways to go, the viewer experience today is more compelling than it has ever been. In this edition of Information Display, we pay close attention to high-performance displays, particularly in the Frontline Technology section. The articles there are centered around high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, which is currently one of the most prominent technological subfields. We believe that the lessons about the development of HDR pipelines that are explored in this issue will also benefit other high-performance display trends, such as AR/;VR, folding displays, 8K (see page 17 for an in-depth look at this trend), and very high framerate displays. The articles also focus on cutting-edge display technologies for home entertainment and automotive applications. Both of these contexts present different and sometimes unique challenges that have to be approached with a focus on how the visual system performs within the framework of the specific environment. One example discussed in the pages ahead is the effect of screen reflections and surround light, which are major challenges for image display and therefore need to be addressed as such. We can be even more specific with this illustration: Rendering accurate colors at very low ambient luminance levels is not as important for a TV display that is observed at high peak ambient illuminance levels–for example, a living room during the daytime—as colors rendered at very low luminance levels are likely less perceivable under this condition. Rather, in this case, the benefit from ambient compensation approaches that retarget those colors to improve their visibility exceeds that of having chromatic accuracy in the low luminances. However, accurate color rendering in low luminance levels becomes crucial in dark ambient environments, such as a living room at night or in a cinema. For automotive displays, accurate low-luminance appearance becomes even more important as there is a safety factor: Information must be communicated to drivers without distracting them while they’re in traffic. Many more concepts and examples are discussed in further detail. Ultimately, each article tells a part of the story and showcases how our industry is actively working on not only improving the status quo but also seamlessly rendering more accurate image quality, regardless of how consumers want to view their content. Timo Kunkel is a senior color and imaging researcher in the CTO office of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. His main areas of interest are advanced display and imaging technologies and exploring how we can continue to bring them closer to human perception. Kunkel can be reached at Timo.Kunkel@dolby.com. Robert Wanat is a senior color scientist for Dolby Laboratories, Inc. His work revolves around creating models of the human visual system that simulate visual perception and how it is affected by changing viewing conditions. Wanat can be reached at Robert.Wanat@dolby.com.