High dynamic range video distribution using existing video codecs

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a strong candidate for the next video format, closer to the human perception for an increased user experience. However, the HDR video compression field is still under much investigation. Most of the time, HDR video codecs are based on already existing distribution-dedicated LDR video codecs, for instance H.264/AVC or H.265/HEVC. Some coding methods use two instances of a LDR codec: one for the LDR layer and one for the HDR residual layer. Other methods encode HDR frames directly using a high profile professional codec with a bit-depth well beyond the standard 8 bits. In this paper, we present a technique that requires only one instance of an 8-bit distribution codec. Our technique transforms HDR frames into LDR-like ones and uses metadatas to help the decoder to achieve a good HDR reconstruction. Results show that our solution performs well for bit-rate targeted in broadcast video content.