Eclipsa Video is a new HDR format aimed at reducing one of the biggest frustrations with high-dynamic-range playback: the same video can look very different depending on the screen, app or room lighting. According to the report, Google says the format is meant to keep HDR content looking consistent, balanced and comfortable across devices.
The standard is Google’s branded version of SMPTE ST 2094-50, an open format developed with Apple and NBCUniversal. Its goal is to improve how displays handle brightness, contrast and highlights as a video changes, while also taking into account device capabilities and, on compatible hardware, ambient light in the room. The report says this is intended to prevent common HDR issues such as crushed shadows, clipped highlights, washed-out tones and sudden jumps in brightness.
How it works
According to the report, Eclipsa uses two kinds of metadata. One sets a white reference anchor to help map the brightest parts of SDR content while leaving room for HDR playback. The other uses headroom-adaptive gain curves, which let creators embed instructions that help the display adjust the image when it cannot fully match the source’s brightness demands.
In comparison with other formats, Eclipsa works more like Dolby Vision because both rely on dynamic metadata that changes as the video plays. HDR10, by contrast, uses static instructions for the entire video, although HDR10+ also supports dynamic metadata. Another difference is that Eclipsa and HDR10 are based on open standards, while Dolby Vision is proprietary. The report says platform support for Eclipsa Video, including playback and capture, is coming to Android 17 and will later extend to phones, tablets and TVs, though broader adoption will depend on support from device makers, streaming services and content providers.
Source: engadget.com
