ISO IEC TR 23008-14-2018 PDF

Full title and description

Information technology — High efficiency coding and media delivery in heterogeneous environments — Part 14: Conversion and coding practices for HDR/WCG Y'CbCr 4:2:0 video with PQ transfer characteristics. This technical report provides recommended, publicly referenceable guidelines for converting linear‑light RGB HDR/WCG content into non‑constant‑luminance (NCL) Y'CbCr representations using the PQ (Perceptual Quantizer) transfer function and for coding those representations for consumer distribution (focus on 10‑bit, 4:2:0 narrow‑range signals).

Abstract

ISO/IEC TR 23008-14:2018 documents pre‑encoding, encoding, decoding and post‑decoding processing steps and best practices for HDR/WCG workflows that target PQ (SMPTE ST 2084 / Rec. ITU‑R BT.2100) non‑constant‑luminance Y'CbCr representations. It covers colour‑space and transfer‑function conversions (linear RGB → PQ R'G'B' → NCL Y'CbCr), chroma subsampling (4:4:4 → 4:2:0) and practical guidance for compressing these signals with AVC or HEVC for consumer delivery, while also noting applicability to higher bit depths and 4:4:4 formats.

General information

• Status: Published
• Publication date: 2018-08-07 (Edition 1, 2018).
• Publisher: ISO/IEC (published as an ISO/IEC Technical Report by ISO and IEC).
• ICS / categories: 35.040.40 — Coding of audio, video, multimedia and hypermedia information.
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2018), Technical Report (TR).
• Number of pages: 36 pages.

Key bibliographic details from the ISO/IEC catalogue and IEC/ISO webstores.

Scope

This TR provides recommended workflows and concrete processing steps for consumer HDR/WCG distribution chains. It assumes a 4:4:4 linear‑light RGB source (Rec. ITU‑R BT.2020 primaries) and explains conversion to PQ‑encoded, non‑constant‑luminance Y'CbCr (primarily 10‑bit narrow‑range 4:2:0) suitable for AVC/HEVC encoders, plus corresponding post‑decoding steps to recover linear RGB for display or further processing. The document describes a simple and an enhanced reference model for pre‑encoding/encoding and a single model for decoding/post‑decoding.

Key topics and requirements

• Colour and transfer‑function conversion: linear RGB → PQ inverse EOTF / R'G'B' → NCL Y'CbCr matrix conversions and coefficient guidance.
• Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) usage (SMPTE ST 2084 / Rec. ITU‑R BT.2100) and alignment with Rec. BT.2020 primaries.
• Chroma handling: recommended pre‑encoding chroma down‑conversion (4:4:4 → 4:2:0) and post‑decoding up‑sampling methods to preserve HDR/WCG fidelity.
• Bit‑depth management: guidance for floating‑point to fixed 10‑bit narrow‑range conversion and notes on higher bit‑depth/4:4:4 applicability.
• Encoding guidance: high‑level recommendations for AVC (H.264) and HEVC (H.265) configurations, perceptual luma quantization and chroma QP considerations for HDR/WCG content.
• Workflow and quality preservation: closed‑loop luma adjustment options, LUT recommendations, and post‑decode reconstruction to linear RGB.
• Auxiliary and signalling notes: optional metadata and SEI message considerations for pass‑through and display adaptation.

These topics reflect the document's role as a practical conversion/coding guide for PQ‑based HDR/WCG production and distribution.

Typical use and users

Primary users: video codec implementers, encoder and transcoder vendors, broadcast and streaming engineers, post‑production and colour‑grading facilities, system integrators and test laboratories. Typical uses: establishing a repeatable conversion and encoding workflow for HDR/WCG content, interoperable consumer distribution (file or streaming), encoder configuration and quality‑preserving pre/post processing.

Related standards

Commonly referenced documents and complementary standards include ISO/IEC 23008‑2 (HEVC / H.265), ISO/IEC 14496‑10 (AVC / H.264), Rec. ITU‑R BT.2100 (HDR formats including PQ and HLG), SMPTE ST 2084 (PQ EOTF), Rec. ITU‑R BT.2020 (wide colour primaries) and the companion TR ISO/IEC TR 23008‑15 (signalling, backward compatibility and display adaptation for HDR/WCG). These documents are referenced in the TR and are used together when implementing HDR/WCG conversion and distribution workflows.

Keywords

HDR, WCG, PQ, Perceptual Quantizer, SMPTE ST 2084, Rec. ITU‑R BT.2100, Rec. ITU‑R BT.2020, Y'CbCr, 4:2:0, 4:4:4, narrow range, 10‑bit, HEVC, AVC, chroma subsampling, transfer function, conversion, post‑decode reconstruction, SEI metadata.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC TR 23008-14:2018 is a technical report giving recommended conversion and coding practices for PQ‑based HDR/WCG video represented as NCL Y'CbCr (primarily 10‑bit 4:2:0) intended for consumer distribution and encoder use.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers pre‑encoding conversion (linear RGB → PQ R'G'B' → NCL Y'CbCr), chroma down/up sampling guidance, bit‑depth handling, high‑level encoder recommendations for AVC/HEVC, and post‑decoding reconstruction to linear RGB, plus metadata/SEI considerations for display adaptation.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Broadcast/streaming engineers, encoder/transcoder vendors, post‑production and colour science teams, and standards/test labs — anyone implementing HDR/WCG conversion and distribution chains.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document was published as Edition 1 in August 2018 and is listed as Published in the ISO/IEC catalogue; no public record of a superseding TR for part 14 was found as of the cited catalogue entries. Users should check the ISO/IEC catalogue or national bodies to confirm there has been no later revision since publication.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 14 of the ISO/IEC 23008 series ("High efficiency coding and media delivery in heterogeneous environments"), which includes other parts for HEVC, signalling, conformance and HDR/WCG guidance (for example Part 2 — HEVC and Part 15 — signalling/display adaptation).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: HDR, WCG, PQ, Y'CbCr, 4:2:0, 10‑bit, BT.2100, ST 2084, BT.2020, HEVC, AVC, chroma subsampling, conversion, metadata.