• Kenneth Chen, New York University & Meta


• Nathan Matsuda, Meta


• Jon McElvain, Meta


• Yang Zhao, Meta


• Thomas Wan, Meta


• Qi Sun^†, New York University


• Alexandre Chapiro^†, Meta

   

A model to predict perceptual impact (in Just-Objectionable-Differences, or JODs) is derived from HDR preference data for combinations of display contrast and peak luminance, with predictions visualized as a heatmap (left). In this plot, the baseline 0 JOD condition is set to values similar to commercially- available VR displays: 100 nits peak luminance and 64:1 contrast. In addition, we simulate 3 displays with different dynamic ranges. Our model allows us to examine the perceived improvement from increased peak luminance and contrast. For example, both display 2 and 3 provide a 1 JOD improvement over display 1. Note that HDR content cannot be displayed in a PDF format, so all images in this manuscript are tone-mapped for presentation. See our supplementary webpage for representative content.

Abstract

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The contrast and luminance capabilities of a display are central to the quality of the image. High dynamic range (HDR) displays have high luminance and contrast, but it can be difficult to ascertain whether a given set of characteris- tics qualifies for this label. This is especially unclear for new display modes, such as virtual reality (VR). This paper studies the perceptual impact of peak luminance and contrast of a display, including characteristics and use cases representative of VR. To achieve this goal, we first developed a haploscope testbed prototype display capable of achieving 1k nits peak luminance and 1M:1 contrast with high precision. We then collected a novel HDR video dataset targetting VR-relevant content types. We also implemented custom tone mapping operators to map between display parameter sets. Finally, we collected subjective preference data spanning 3 orders of mag- nitude in each dimension. Our data was used to fit a model, which was validated using a subjective study on an HDR VR prototype headmounted display (HMD). Our model helps provide guidance for future display design, and helps standardize the understanding of HDR.

Video

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Supplemental Webpage

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Our [supplementary webpage] is meant to accomodate the "What is HDR?" paper by showcasing still frames from HDR video stimuli used in our user study. HDR content was tested in Google Chrome on a Macbook Pro M3, and can only be viewed accurately on an HDR display.