Technicolor HDR Coming to Philips TVs in 2019

Funai Electric, exclusive licensee for Philips televisions and video products in North America, announced at CES 2018 last week that Technicolor HDR will be integrated into Philips TVs in 2019 and demonstrated a prototype TV with the capability.

The announcement follows the official release last week of the next-generation ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard, and approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last November.

The Technicolor high dynamic range format is one of several optional HDR standards TV stations could choose to implement when they begin voluntarily implementing the ATSC 3.0 standard, which is expected to happen late this year or early next year.

Funai expects Technicolor HDR to appeal to broadcasters because it conserves bandwidth by simultaneously distributing HDR and SDR content through a single stream. The technology is also promoted as an end-to-end interoperable distribution solution that would help broadcasters manage the complexity of handling content in multiple HDR formats as well as handling a mix of HDR and SDR content.

Funai said work is underway to include HDR in the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.

“We believe that Technicolor HDR…will deliver an exceptional viewing experience when watching over-the-air TV or RF/cable,” said Funai’s Peter Swinkels. “Sports in particular, will benefit from the enhanced image quality, as will other live broadcasts.”

“The presence of Philips TVs in the US market that incorporate Technicolor HDR is further evidence of how rapidly this technology is evolving and being implemented,” said Frederic Guillanneuf, head of business development for HDR at Royal Philips. “It also reflects the importance of delivering high quality HDR or SDR to any screen regardless of specific formats.”

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