Viewers’ Tolerance to Brightness Transitions in Cinema

Metadata

Publisher: SMPTE — White Plains, NY, USA
Doc Type: Journal Article
Content Type: Original Research
Abbreviated Title: SMPTE Mot. Imag. J
Volume: 130, No. 2, pp. 39–51
Abstract: Recent advances in display technologies enable home and cinema display systems to reach higher peak luminance and perceived full screen white (FSW) levels while also improving on black level capabilities. This next-generation imaging technology will help creators deliver content with higher visual quality, increasing the overall quality of experience (QoE) of viewers. However, there is a growing concern in the film industry that possible “mismanagement” or “misuse” of the new luminance capabilities may result in viewers’ visual discomfort. A typical example of potential “misuse” is abrupt temporal brightness transitions during a scene change or even within the same scene. Prior studies, which were conducted in home environments, reported that displaying a higher amount of light could potentially lead to viewers’ visual discomfort. However, no study has been conducted in a cinema environment. In this work, we quantify the human observer tolerance to temporal brightness transitions in a cinema environment by performing four subjective experiments. The different experiments evaluate the impact of various distributions of light on the screen, namely full screen, highlights, noise, and real images. Results of the experiments indicate that the light distribution, as well as the peak luminance values, has minimum impact on viewers’ tolerance to temporal brightness transitions. Indeed, observers reported visual discomfort only when the total amount of light on screen varied significantly. Specifically, for average on-screen luminance equal to both 0.1 or 1 cd/m², viewers rated as “slightly annoying” and “annoying” transitions to average on-screen luminance as low as 35 and 75 cd/m², respectively. It is to be noted that viewers reported visual discomfort at a similar transition intensity for both saturated colors and white. The results of our study could provide useful insights into content creators, for example, providing a warning that temporal transitions may cause visual discomfort.
Publication Date: 2021-03-01
DOI: 10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646
ISSN: Print: 1545-0279 | Electronic: 2160-2492
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646
Author(s): Stelios Ploumis
bio
Stelios Ploumis is a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada, while he is working for Barco\MTT Innovation, Vancouver. His research is mainly focused on high dynamic range (HDR) technology, including but not limited to light and color perception, range retargeting content algorithms and deep learning applications for video and image processing. He has been an active member of Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) and SMPTE.
Ronan Boitard
bio
Ronan Boitard earned an MEng degree in electrical engineering from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA), Bellignat, France, in 2009. In 2014, he was granted a PhD degree from the University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France, while working for Technicolor, Rennes, France and IRISA (Institut de Recherche en Informatique et Systèmes Aléatoires), Rennes, France, on high dynamic range (HDR) technology, more specifically, on video tone mapping and temporal coherency. He is presently staff scientist, imaging at Barco\MTT Innovation, Vancouver, BC, Canada, supporting the deployment of light steering technology and the associated workflow.
Gerwin Damberg
bio
Gerwin Damberg is chief technology officer (CTO), at Barco, Vancouver, BC, Canada. He joined Barco in 2016 via the acquisition of MTT’s light steering technology, where he was a cofounder and served as the CTO. He is an entrepreneur at heart and has advanced image technologies over the past decade both in startup and established technology companies in R&D, business development, and management roles. He holds a Mechatronics Engineering degree from the University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany, as well as a PhD degree in computer science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Anders Ballestad
bio
Anders Ballestad is the chief executive officer (CEO) and cofounder of MTT Innovation Inc., a Barco company, Vancouver, BC, Canada, which does research studies and develops high dynamic range (HDR) solutions for digital cinema and home theater entertainment markets. He has 20 years of experience in R&D focused on physical simulation and imaging and optics applications, color management, and tone-mapping solutions for HDR and SDR interoperability. As the CEO of MTT, he is following the dream of bringing HDR to the big screen with a team of committed engineers and scientists. He holds a PhD degree in physics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Panos Nasiopoulosa
bio
Panos Nasiopoulosa earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece, and bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the former director of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems and the master of software systems at UBC. Before joining UBC, he was the president of Daikin Comtec, Novato, CA (cofounder of DVD) and an executive vice president of Sonic Solutions, Novato, CA. His research interests are primarily in the area of digital video processing and coding. He is the author or the coauthor of more than 250 research publications and holds several patents. He is a registered member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC), Canada. He is a Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and has been an active member of the Standards Council of Canada, MPEG, JPEG, SMPTE, and IEEE.
Keyword(s): Brightness Perception, High Luminance Levels, Human Visual System
Copyright: © 2021 SMPTE

Bibliographic Reference(s)

A Brightness Measure for High Dynamic Range Television [Active]
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“SMPTE, ST 196:2003, “For Motion-Picture Film—Indoor Theater and Review Room Projection—Screen Luminance and Viewing Conditions,” pp. 1–4, Oct. 2003. EXTERNAL
Digital Cinema Initiatives, “Draft 0.9 High Dynamic Range D-cinema Addendum,” Technical Report, 2018. EXTERNAL
P. S. Guterman, L. M. Wilcox, R. S. Allison, and K. Fukuda, “75.3: Is Brighter Always Better? The Effects of Display and Ambient Luminance on Preferences for Digital Signage,” SID Symp. Digest Techn. Pap., 41(1):1116, 2010. EXTERNAL
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Stelios Ploumis, Ronan Boitard, Gerwin Damberg, Anders Ballestad, and Panos Nasiopoulosa; Viewers’ Tolerance to Brightness Transitions in Cinema, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 130, Issue: 2, March 2021); SMPTE, 2021. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646

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Stelios Ploumis, Ronan Boitard, Gerwin Damberg, Anders Ballestad, and Panos Nasiopoulosa; Viewers’ Tolerance to Brightness Transitions in Cinema, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 130, Issue: 2, March 2021); SMPTE, 2021. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646

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<span class="citation">Stelios Ploumis, Ronan Boitard, Gerwin Damberg, Anders Ballestad, and Panos Nasiopoulosa; <cite>Viewers’ Tolerance to Brightness Transitions in Cinema</cite>, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 130, Issue: 2, March 2021); SMPTE, 2021. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646</a></span>

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Stelios Ploumis, Ronan Boitard, Gerwin Damberg, Anders Ballestad, and Panos Nasiopoulosa; Viewers’ Tolerance to Brightness Transitions in Cinema, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 130, Issue: 2, March 2021); SMPTE, 2021
doi: 10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646

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Stelios Ploumis, Ronan Boitard, Gerwin Damberg, Anders Ballestad, and Panos Nasiopoulosa; <cite id="bib-10-5594-jmi-2021-3050646">Viewers’ Tolerance to Brightness Transitions in Cinema</cite>, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 130, Issue: 2, March 2021); SMPTE, 2021
<span class="doi">10.5594/JMI.2021.3050646</span>
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