Advanced Television

Advanced HDR by Technicolor joins Pearl ATSC 3.0 Converter Box Programme

June 2, 2026

Advanced HDR by Technicolor announced its participation today in the Pearl TV NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Programme, a new initiative unveiled at the 2026 CES Show to support the development of affordable, ATSC 3.0-enabled converter boxes for the US market.

With Pearl TV’s launch and deployment of this strategy, Advanced HDR by Technicolor is playing a leadership role in adjusting its intellectual property (IP) offering to ensure affordable viewing experiences can be delivered without compromising picture quality.

The economics of delivering video to mass-market audiences have historically forced a choice between picture fidelity and distribution cost. It is a tension that becomes acute in a programme like Pearl TV’s affordable converter box initiative, where price constraints are a design requirement.

In addition, Advanced HDR by Technicolor also addresses that tension directly through a single-stream transmission architecture that carries dynamic range metadata at standard definition bandwidth. It is a feature that has practical implications for all members of the TV value chain interested in meeting the cost and performance requirements of Pearl TVs affordability programme. Since the vast majority of TV viewers do not require UHD features to enhance their viewing experience, the capability to add high dynamic range (HDR) to Full HD video resolutions through Advanced HDR by Technicolor gives viewers the best possible video quality at the lowest possible converter box cost.

Broadcasters avoid the infrastructure investment required to transmit parallel SDR and HDR streams for different display capabilities, while device manufacturers (including TV, tablet and mobile phone makers) can meet HDR compliance at lower bill-of-materials cost. As a result, end users automatically receive picture quality scaled to the capability of any display, regardless of whether they own a standard definition (SD), high-definition (HD), or ultra-high definition (UHD) device. Advanced HDR by Technology therefore helps to deliver on NEXTGEN TVs promise of further improved viewing experiences while at the same time continuing to support legacy SDR video streams at the best possible quality.

“The unique combination of single stream distribution and dynamic management of HDR and SDR provided by the Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution creates an economically beneficial situation across the ecosystem,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “We optimise the NEXTGEN TV viewing experience for consumers with HDR or SDR displays, delivering premium video quality in full HD HDR. With Advanced HDR by Technicolor being designed for a low memory footprint implementation, it also relieves part of the tremendous pressure that consumer device makers are under with today’s memory device shortages that drive up memory pricing.

For a converter box programme targeting price-sensitive households, the combination of backward compatibility and transmission efficiency means HDR can be included as a baseline feature rather than an upgrade offered for those who can afford to pay for premium services.

“Getting NEXTGEN TV into every American home starts with making the converter box affordable, and that takes industry leaders willing to step up. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s commitment to special IP pricing does exactly that, lowering the barrier for manufacturers and accelerating the transition. We’re grateful that they’ve joined the growing coalition turning this device from a concept into a reality for store shelves and ultimately for consumers throughout the US,” said Pearl TV managing director Anne Schelle.

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