Sigma Designs to offer HDR10+ in STV7803/4 UHD HDR chipsets

Thursday, July 13th, 2017
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Next-Gen Dynamic HDR (High Dynamic Range) Visual Engine For Real-Time Optimization of Picture Contrast and Color Now in Sigma Chipset

FREMONT, CA — Sigma Designs® (NASDAQ: SIGM), a leading provider of Smart TV platforms and IoT devices, announced today that universal HDR chipsets STV7803 and STV7804 will now support HDR10+. Samsung Electronics recently introduced this new open standard (ST.2094-40) for high dynamic range (HDR) video called HDR10+ that leverages dynamic metadata to produce enhanced contrast and colors, making television pictures more life-like.

HDR10+ is an open-standard, royalty-free protocol and part of SMPTE2094 technology standards, which adds scene-by-scene Dynamic Tone Mapping. This innovative feature adjusts brightness levels in real time during video playback, continually optimizing picture quality to the degree achievable by each individual display panel using it. HDR10+ is an evolution beyond the original HDR10 specification, adding dynamic metadata as opposed to static metadata. In practice, HDR10 compromises picture quality particularly for darker and brighter scenes as a single static setting is used for the entire duration of the content. In comparison, the metadata in HDR10+ Dynamic Tone Mapping continually adjusts the range of brightness, adapting in real time to specific scenes or even individual frames. With HDR 10+, dark scenes are darker, bright scenes are brighter, and visual content is dramatically more compelling than through the static single setting of HDR10.

According to a new report from Strategy Analytics’ Intelligent Home Group, annual worldwide sales of HDR-enabled TVs in 2020 will reach 58 million units, bringing the number of homes with at least one HDR-enabled TV to 107 million. The report further projects that HDR TVs will reach nearly 25% of homes in the US by that time frame.

“We are delighted to work with Samsung to bring this exciting advancement to our latest UHD chipsets,” stated Alfred Chan, Sigma Designs vice-president of marketing for smart TV products. “While most competitors are working on their first generation of HDR solutions, our STV7803 and STV7804 UHD TV SoC are designed with Sigma’s 3rd Generation of High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut designs. Sigma 3rd generation HDR engine is highly programmable. It allows fast implementation of the latest SMPTE 2094 standards including Samsung and others. By working with Samsung, Sigma has proven the completion and flexibility of Sigma’s HDR engine.”

“As an industry leader, Samsung is always innovating to develop the best technology. HDR10+, which is a new open standard (ST.2094-40), will bring to reality a more “life-like”picture than ever before, said Kyoungwon Lim, Vice President of Visual Display Division at Samsung Electronics. “We are delighted to expand our leadership in HDR technology by collaborating with Sigma Designs and we will bring support for HDR10+ to their range of powerful and feature-rich chipsets”.