Quality of experience in UHD-1 phase 2 television: The contribution of UHD+HFR technology

Abstract

Abstract-A key factor to determine the quality of experience (QoE) of a video is its capability to convey the large spectrum of perceptual phenomena that our eyes can sense in real life. In order to meet this demand, the recent DVB UHD-1 Phase 2 specification employs new video features, such as higher spatial resolutions (4K/8K) and High Frame Rate (HFR). The first enables larger field of view and level of details, while the second offers sharper images of moving objects going well beyond the current frame rates. While the contribution of each of these technologies to QoE has been investigated individually, in this paper we are interested to study their interaction, and in quantifying the benefits to users from their combination. To this end, we conduct a subjective test on compressed UHD+HFR content on a recent display capable of reproducing 100 pictures per second at 2160p resolution, with the goal to assess the increase in QoE of UHD and HFR with respect to conventional video, both individually and in combination. The results indicate that for content with fast motion, at higher bitrates the combination of UHD and HFR significantly improves the QoE compared to that obtained when these features are used individually.

Quality-Driven Variable Frame-Rate for Green Video Coding in Broadcast Applications

“…For the purpose of the UHDTV signal definition, several studies further investigated the importance of HFR for television [9], [11], [25]. Emoto et al [25] showed that increasing the frame-rate from the traditional 60 fps to high frame-rate of 120 fps provides a significant visual quality improvement.…”

“…Salmon et al [11] have also studied HFR for television, showing that at least 100 fps is required for improvements over HDTV, especially for content with high motion such as sports. Recently, with one of the first 65 inches UHD HFR prototype displays, Hulusic et al [9] studied the joint and independent contributions of 4K resolution and HFR. The subjective tests carried out showed that the 2160p100Hz format enables a significant increase in visual quality over other configurations -1080p50Hz, 1080p100Hz and 2160p50Hz -but also that the improvements are strongly content dependent.…”

“…Several papers [5]- [11] have investigated the HFR 1 video signal and shown its impact to enhance the viewing experience by reducing temporal artifacts specifically motion blur and temporal aliasing [5]. Authors in [9] have conducted subjective evaluations and shown that the combination of HFR (100 fps) and high resolution (4K) significantly increases the QoE when the video is coded at high bit-rate. The subjective evaluations conducted in [10] have also demonstrated the impact of HFR (up to 120 fps) to increase the perceived video quality.…”