Perceptually Dithered HDR for 8-Bit Interfaces

In this study, we explore the performance of applying dither when quantizing high-dynamic range (HDR) achromatic images to lower bit depths and found that by applying “perceptual dither,” or dither in the International Telecommunication Union – Radiocommunication (ITU-R) BT.2100 ICTCP color representation, the bit depth necessary for visually consistent reproduction is reduced by 2 bits. We conclude that using perceptual dithering, the precision of a 10-bit source signal with only 8 bits, or the precision of a 12-bit source signal with only 10 bits, can be achieved .