Please Donate HDR Videos for Good Karma

Authors: Abhinau Kumar, Shreshth Saini, and Prof. Alan Bovik, from the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering

E-Mails: abhinaukumar@utexas.edu, saini.2@utexas.edu

Hello! My name is Abhinau and I am a Graduate Research Assistant at UT Austin. Shreshth Saini, another graduate student at UT Austin, and I are looking to bridge a large gap in the literature - the absence of publicly available High Dynamic Range videos! HDR is all around us, and you might have seen it advertised on TVs, phones, and cameras recently. At the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering, we conduct pioneering research to improve users’ experience with HDR videos (among others). But, because there is no data, we are at an impasse.

That is why we need your help! If you have an HDR-capable phone (list below!), please share a few videos that you’ve filmed! We intend to create a database of hundreds to thousands of videos, so every single one counts! Below is a more detailed explanation of our goals and how you can participate and support this research! We hope you’ll take a few minutes to contribute videos and share this survey with your friends to support our PhD research.

(We’re PhD students after all, so we like to write a lot! Don’t be alarmed by the length of this webpage! Feel free to skip the technical mumbo jumbo and use the paragraph headings to 🎶 skip to the good part(s) 🎶.)

Introduction and Context:

In the evolving realm of video technology, the emergence of High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos marks a significant advancement. Unlike the Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) videos, which are more commonly used, HDR videos represent a broader range of luminance. This not only ensures the depiction of brighter highlights but also retains details in shadows. Our research at the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE) at the University of Texas at Austin aims to delve deeper into studying HDR videos, especially for developing algorithms for HDR content. Shorts refer to brief video segments designed to capture specific moments in time. For the purpose of our research, these shorts are invaluable as they provide snapshots under diverse luminosity (brightness) conditions, emphasizing the richness of HDR.

Project Specifications:

Objective: Our primary goal is to compile a comprehensive database of pristine HDR shorts captured from a diverse set of contributors.

Data Type: Videos should be HDR and have a minimum duration of 4 seconds to ensure the consistent quality and relevance of data. To assist you in identifying and selecting appropriate HDR videos from your mobile phone’s camera gallery, please refer to the next section.

Uploading Process: Contributors should fill out this Qualtrics form to upload videos - HDR Video Upload Form.

Copyright and Privacy Considerations: To maintain academic integrity and ensure the unrestricted use of the videos for research and development, contributors will be prompted to agree to a set of general copyright and consent terms when filling in the Qualtrics form - Copyright and Consent Terms.

Technical Guidelines and Recommendations:

Device Compatibility: Ensuring that submissions stem from devices adept at capturing true HDR content is pivotal for the integrity of our research. The following is a list of mobile devices known for their capability to capture genuine HDR content: iPhone 12 and onwards, Samsung Galaxy S21 and onwards, Samsung Z Flip3/Fold3 and onwards, Oneplus 7 Pro and onwards, Google Pixel 6 Pro and Onwards, Xiaomi 12 Pro and Onwards, Xiaomi Mi 11i and Onwards, Huawei Mate 4 and Onwards, etc.

Note that the above list is not exhaustive, and we recommend you check if your device camera is HDR capable. Please feel free to contact Abhinau or Shreshth to help you.

Selecting HDR Shorts: We are interested only in HDR videos, not “regular” SDR videos. Most devices show a separate tag when you view the HDR video in the gallery, or you can check the video details. Eg: iPhone users can discern HDR videos by the specific tag located on the left corner of the video thumbnail or by checking the video’s detailed properties. Make sure to upload videos from the Files App if your gallery app processes the video before uploading/exporting.

NOTE: iPhone users, please first select all HDR videos from the gallery and save them in the Files App, and upload them from Files only. Uploading from the gallery renders the video in SDR (which is of no use to us).

If you are unsure, we recommend that you select all videos that you don’t mind sharing, and we’ll filter HDR videos from your uploaded corpus. Alternatively, you can contact either Abhinau Abhinau or Shreshth for help. .

Suggested Content: Given the visual richness of HDR, we recommend scenes that oscillate between bright and dark or those rich in colors. Urban landscapes at night, nature during the golden hours, or settings with vibrant color contrasts could exemplify HDR’s capabilities. Videos filmed indoors of objects and people (read the consent form!), and selfie-style videos will also be accepted!

If you are unsure, you can skip filtering for content type and simply upload all videos that you don’t mind sharing, and we’ll filter the ones that we think are most appropriate.

Purpose and Impact of the Research:

Why Your Contribution Matters: Each submitted video enriches our database, enabling us to refine our understanding and methodologies for HDR content. This could revolutionize how content is viewed in the future.

Research Focus: Using the collected shorts, our team will undertake extensive experiments, targeting quality evaluation and tone mapping to improve the delivery of HDR videos to a wide range of consumers without significant quality degradation.

Message from Authors:

As we said before, there is no large-scale open-source database of HDR videos available to researchers today. Your support and contributions serve as the backbone for this pioneering research. Tell your friends and colleagues about our study! A broader data set promises richer insights and better user experience on the internet!

Your contribution will play a vital role in molding the future of video processing tools, ensuring content is viewed at its very best!

Once again, for any clarifications or inquiries, please reach out to Abhinau or Shreshth. We will gladly hold a conversation with you to guide you through the process as you help us with our research!