Canon adds support for rec.2020 capture, brings next gen video a step closer to mainstream

Oct 1, 2014
Author: Jeff Yurek

In a previous post I showed how Nanosys Quantum Dot technology is making it practical for displays to cover the rec.2020 standard. 

One of the first questions that consumers have about next generation Ultra HD (UHD) video features like wide color gamut and high dynamic range is the availability of optimized content. Emerging display technologies like Quantum Dot LCD are making it possible to display a much wider, more lifelike range of color. But, without making optimized content available to watch, will these new display features add any real value?

Canon just made it a little easier to produce wide color gamut content with the announcement that two of it's popular cameras, the EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL, have been upgraded to support the rec.2020 color gamut. 

There is already a tremendous amount of high resolution, wide color gamut material in Hollywood's vaults–everything shot on color film– that can be readily remastered to take advantage of next generation video. We also have an agreed upon broadcast specification in the form of ITU rec.2020 and great new delivery mechanisms like DolbyVision that will help get the content to consumers. These solutions have been well covered but there has been a lot less focus on making it easy to create new, optimized content.

Improving the tools and workflows that we use to make next generation content today is going to play an important role in bringing wide gamut content to consumers. Canon's support for rec.2020 marks another small but important step towards bringing UHD and wide color gamut into everyone's living room.