A Practical Method for Multi-Primary Color Systems and Display

SMPTE SF Section Meeting of March 18, 2025.

The idea of a multi-primary display is nothing new. Over the last several decades, prototypes and demonstrations of displays with more than RGB primaries have been made. However, the benefits have been negligible, given that either content must be authored for a proprietary display or lighting of the extra primaries was an artificial process. On the flip side, RGB display gamuts now touch the locus edge of the standard observer. While they show more color, they are expensive to make, use more power, and exhibit issues with color perception.

A multi-primary display can offer a larger gamut at lower manufacturing costs and power consumption. A multi-primary transmission system can distribute one file type to multiple displays using the same input format, alleviating the need for various content versions when distributed to different display technologies.

The presentation describes research performed at Baylor University on the display and signal distribution of colors beyond RGB. It includes HDMI, SDI, and ethernet transmission methods, issues in managing different OOTFs, and ways to distribute a three-element data word to an RGB or multi-primary display pixel.

Видео A Practical Method for Multi-Primary Color Systems and Display канала SFSMPTE