A New Hope for Smooth Motion? HDR10+ Advanced and Dolby Vision 2 Aim to Tame the Soap Opera Effect.
In a bid to improve the viewing experience of motion-smoothed content, two new HDR standards are being developed: HDR10+ Advanced and Dolby Vision 2. The aim is to give creators more control over how motion smoothing is applied to their scenes, reducing the dreaded soap opera effect – an unintended visual artifact that can make films and TV shows look unnatural.
HDR10+ Advanced's Intelligent FRC (frame rate conversion) technology analyzes each video frame and attempts to determine what additional frames would match the desired refresh rate. This allows for more precise motion smoothing, with creators able to set levels of interpolation per scene. Samsung has shown simulations of this feature, but it remains unclear whether it will be able to eliminate the soap opera effect.
Dolby Vision 2's Authentic Motion feature is similarly designed to give creators control over motion smoothing. With 10 levels of interpolation, it promises a more natural viewing experience. TechRadar reported that in a demo, the video transitioned smoothly between levels of motion smoothing during a tracking shot – a significant improvement over current systems.
However, both new standards have their work cut out. The visual artifacts associated with motion smoothing, such as halos, are still not addressed by either technology. Moreover, there is an issue of adoption and availability, with the exact impact on content creators yet to be seen. With many TVs featuring motion smoothing enabled by default, improvements to this technology could enhance the viewing experience for a large audience.
While it's early days yet, these new HDR standards offer hope that motion smoothing can be tamed, providing a more cinematic viewing experience for all.
In a bid to improve the viewing experience of motion-smoothed content, two new HDR standards are being developed: HDR10+ Advanced and Dolby Vision 2. The aim is to give creators more control over how motion smoothing is applied to their scenes, reducing the dreaded soap opera effect – an unintended visual artifact that can make films and TV shows look unnatural.
HDR10+ Advanced's Intelligent FRC (frame rate conversion) technology analyzes each video frame and attempts to determine what additional frames would match the desired refresh rate. This allows for more precise motion smoothing, with creators able to set levels of interpolation per scene. Samsung has shown simulations of this feature, but it remains unclear whether it will be able to eliminate the soap opera effect.
Dolby Vision 2's Authentic Motion feature is similarly designed to give creators control over motion smoothing. With 10 levels of interpolation, it promises a more natural viewing experience. TechRadar reported that in a demo, the video transitioned smoothly between levels of motion smoothing during a tracking shot – a significant improvement over current systems.
However, both new standards have their work cut out. The visual artifacts associated with motion smoothing, such as halos, are still not addressed by either technology. Moreover, there is an issue of adoption and availability, with the exact impact on content creators yet to be seen. With many TVs featuring motion smoothing enabled by default, improvements to this technology could enhance the viewing experience for a large audience.
While it's early days yet, these new HDR standards offer hope that motion smoothing can be tamed, providing a more cinematic viewing experience for all.