What is SDR Video?
Standard dynamic range (SDR) video targets conventional brightness, contrast, and color ranges rather than the expanded luminance or gamut associated with HDR. Its appearance depends on the declared transfer and color characteristics.
How SDR Video works
SDR video is encoded around display assumptions established before modern high-dynamic-range systems, using a transfer characteristic and color primaries signaled in the stream or container. It is a different concern from resolution, frame rate, codec, or bit depth; an SDR source can still be high resolution or use high-precision samples. Correct display requires consistent color metadata and level handling across decode, processing, and output. SDR renditions commonly serve compatibility ladders and derived outputs from SDR or tone-mapped HDR masters.
Key facts
- Common SDR video uses BT.709 colorimetry for HD workflows, but files can carry other primaries or transfer characteristics; “SDR” alone is not a complete color specification.
- Limited-range and full-range RGB or Y′CbCr values use different numeric mappings, and interpreting one as the other can raise blacks, crush shadows, or clip highlights.
- Converting HDR to SDR requires tone and gamut mapping in addition to changing metadata, because the target display model cannot directly reproduce all source intensities and colors.
When SDR Video matters
Produce SDR renditions for broad compatibility or when an HDR master must play on conventional displays. A simple metadata change is insufficient for HDR conversion; poor tone mapping can clip highlights or shift colors.