New generation 2/3" CMOS imager with 9.5Mpix, combining charge-domain global shutter operation with exceptional high-speed capability

Speaker: Klaus Weber

• Until now, when developing 2/3" imagers with native 4K resolution, it was necessary to decide whether they should support global shutter operation or high-speed operation, as both requirements together could not be realized in one imager with the technologies available so far. Furthermore, the sensitivity and dynamic range of even the best native 4K imagers did not yet reach the level that typical 2/3" HD imagers with their larger pixels have been offering for several years. A new 2/3" CMOS imager based on a 65nm process now offers, for the first time, 9.5 million pixels as required for native 4K/UHD resolution, with charge-domain global shutter operation and an output data rate of up to 114 Gbit/s, enabling super slow-motion operation at full resolution. This paper details the solutions and technologies used in this new generation of imagers and the resulting improved image parameters.

Digital Print Stock Design: A Framework for the Post-Film Era

Speaker: Cullen Kelly

• For most of cinema history, the defining factor in the post-production "look" of captured imagery was the print stock. In addition to serving the technical function of transforming scene-referred imagery for display, print stocks were engineered by color scientists to impart preferential color characteristics, and selected by filmmakers based on these qualities. As the physical medium of the print stock has been retired from contemporary image mastering workflows, so too has the guiding principle of a global creative transform. This is neither necessary nor beneficial; in fact, modern colorists are more in need of this concept than ever. With the expanding color gamut and dynamic range capabilities of cameras and displays, unifying the imagery of a given piece of content has become increasingly challenging. This has led to the development of systems which address the technical aspects of the challenge, most notably ACES. Such initiatives and their broad adoption demonstrate an industry-wide recognition that world-class color grading demands world-class engineering. Yet in spite of this recognition, there exists no initiative aimed at supporting the creative aspects of unifying motion imagery at the macro level. As a result, colorists are left to either re-purpose traditional color correction tools, or to step into the role of image scientist to develop their own. This paper outlines a proposed framework for the design of digital print stocks, composed of a set of manipulations whose parameters can be intuitively modified by artists, resulting in a global look which can be deployed within any imaging pipeline.