The Joy of SDR

[tp4tissue]

So, UNLIKE HDR,    SDR is not an absolute fixed brightness system.

In HDR, if the pixel spec says 100nits, the TV is required to produce 100nits for that pixel.  This is precise and could be used to better confer creative intent, but it often also creates a deep mismatch between the color grading studio (5 nit room brightness spec), and user homes.

SDR is a relative system, where the brightness of the scene is scaled to the PEAK brightness at a user desired lvl.

There is a grading standard, but it's a floating system, and you could scale the brightness up and down while preserving a pleasant image which is not really possible with HDR's fixed system.



What does this mean,  This means, you can watch a movie in 25 nit peak white, even if the film was graded for 100nits.   The gamma curve scales for a 25 nit output, and it's completely watchable in a dark environment.

The other advantage of low nit scaling is soft stimulus, turning the visual into a Paper like experience. You still get the high contrast ratio (ips 1000:1, va 6000:1) of the monitor, which beats the best print media 200:1, 50:1 typical. The colors are still very saturated and punchy, but importantly the PEAK white can be in line with paper feel, which under non-sunlit conditions is only 3 - 50 nits.

Give it a try.  Lower your room lighting, turn monitor backlight (brightness) all the way down.

On some monitors the contrast setting is backlight, on others brightness is backlight, then others backlight is backlight,  Don't ask, they're stupid.