From a Home Theater/Media Room Perspective

What is Rec. 709 Color Gamut?

  • Rec. 709 is the Color Space for HDTV
    • 1920×1080 Pixels, for a Total Pixel Count of 2.07 Million Pixels
    • 8-Bit Color Depth

What is DCI-P3 Color Gamut?

  • DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives)-P3 is the Color Space for 4K Blu-ray Discs
    • DCI-P3 fits within the Rec. 2020 Container. Rec. 2020 is the color space for UHD (Ultra High Definition), however TV’s can’t reach Rec. 2020. Because of this, 4K Blu-rays are typically mastered in DCI-P3. (See Rec. 2020 Below).  
      • 4K Ultra HD is 3860×2160 Pixels, for a Total Pixel Count of 8.34 Million Pixels
      • 10-Bit Color Depth

What is Rec. 2020 Color Gamut?

  • Rec. 2020 is the Color Space for 4K UHD and 8K
    • However, there are currently no TV’s that can display Rec. 2020 Color Gamut. The closest I have seen was from watching Disney’s Pixar’s Inside Out at a Dolby Vision Theater that was using a Christie Digital Projector with dual RGB laser heads. But, we are getting close…
      • 4K Ultra HD is 3860×2160 Pixels, for a Total Pixel Count of 8.34 Million Pixels
      • 8K 7680 × 4320 Pixels, for a Total Pixel Count of 33.2 Million Pixels
      • 12-Bit Color Depth

Rec.709, DCI-P3, Rec.2020 Color Gamut:

 

Option for BT.2020 in my TV Settings?

I have a question regarding our test TV form Sony, the XBR-85X850F. Within the Display Settings, and in Advanced Picture Options, there is a setting for BT.2020 that can be selected… However, consumer panels can’t reach the color gamut of BT.2020… At not when this was written.

  • When talking to Sony, their response was, “BT.2020, is a set of specifications covering various aspects of video broadcasting which the broadcasters recommend as standards for Ultra HD projectors and televisions, along with any gear related to their broadcasting.”
  • In which I responded with, “And can I assume that when set to BT.2020, the TV goes higher then DCI-P3, however not all the way to BT.2020 because there are no TV’s that can do BT.2020 fully yet?”
  • Sony’s Response, “Basically BT.2020 include recommendations for resolution, frame rate, bit depth, color range, as well as other values.”

So not really a straight answer, however I can “assume” that what the TV is doing when watching 4K UHD, the TV is going as high as it can to get closer to BT.2020.