Hollywood's Filmmaker Mode, which was created to preserve filmmakers' intent in TVs, is entering phase two with the goal of maintaining creative intent in brighter viewing environments too.
Filmmaker Mode phase two
At CES 2022, the UHD Alliance has provided an update on its work on Filmmaker Mode that was announced in mid-2019 and made its way to the first TV models in 2020 as a new picture mode. Filmmaker Mode is currently optimized for dark room viewing.
Phase two development is now underway with a focus on ambient lighting recommendations to make Filmmaker Mode more adaptable to the different ways and environments in which consumers watch movies on TVs in living rooms around the world.
- "As much as we like people to watch movies in dim or dark environment (on which Filmmaker Mode is based), we know that’s not always possible," Michael Zink, UHDA president and chair, told the Hollywood Reporter.
The goal is to use the ambient sensors embedded in many moderns TVs to automatically switch to the optimal picture settings for Filmmaker Mode.
- "We’re hoping to work with filmmakers on those guidelines to have a better experience in bright environments but still maintain creative intent," Zink added.
Several TV makers already employ one or more sensors in their TVs to automatically change the picture's brightness level, sometimes also the color temperature and tone curve, to match the viewing environment.
However, these picture presets can have oversatured colors, motion smoothing, and other enhancements applied. This is where Filmmaker Mode comes in.
Dolby and HDR10+ take similar approaches with Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive.
Filmmaker Mode has found its way to TVs from LG, Samsung, Panasonic and others
Filmmaker Mode in airplanes
The UHD Alliance is also exploring ways to get Filmmaker Mode into airplanes. The Airline Passenger Entertainment Experience Association recently approved a new in-fight entertainment specification that includes 4K, HDR and Filmmaker Mode.
Also read: Filmmaker Mode now supports auto-switching on LG TVs
Filmmaker Mode is available in TVs from Hisense, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Philips (TP Vision, Europe) and Skyworth. Amazon Prime Video is the first streaming service to support auto-switching for Filmmaker Mode.
The UHD Alliance did not say when to expect phase two of Filmmaker Mode to reach TVs.
- Source: Hollywood Reporter
