MainConcept and Philips Bring Advanced HDR by Technicolor to Broadcast and Streaming Pipelines

Aachen, Germany and Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 16, 2026 – MainConcept, the global leader in professional video codec technology, today announced the launch of the MainConcept SL-HDR Conversion SDK, developed in collaboration with Philips, to enable Advanced HDR by Technicolor workflows for broadcasters and streamers. The SDK is currently being evaluated by major content providers.

The Industry Need for Single-Layer HDR

Broadcasters face growing pressure to deliver HDR-quality video while supporting legacy SDR displays and managing bandwidth across over-the-air and streaming distribution. Advanced HDR by Technicolor addresses this directly. The suite of AI-driven HDR technologies, managed and operated by Philips and InterDigital, delivers a single stream carrying both SDR and HDR in a low-overhead metadata layer. Devices that support HDR convert automatically. Those that do not simply render the SDR signal. No parallel infrastructure, no added bandwidth, no separate workflows.

The remaining challenge for most broadcasters and streamers is practical integration into existing encoding pipelines. Together, Philips and MainConcept identified how SL-HDR, the technical name for Advanced HDR by Technicolor, could be incorporated into existing HLS encoding infrastructure. The result is a solution purpose-built for that real-world use case and designed from the outset to serve the broader market.

The MainConcept SL-HDR Conversion SDK

The MainConcept SL-HDR Conversion SDK provides a high-level API for the creation of Advanced HDR by Technicolor content. It supports the complete suite of HDR solutions, from backward-compatible native HDR delivery to intelligent tone mapping across SDR input formats, enabling up-conversion to HDR while preserving the ability to convert HDR content to high-quality SDR. Built in close collaboration with the Advanced HDR by Technicolor team to ensure full specification compliance and interoperability, the SDK delivers consistent premium viewing experiences regardless of the input format of the original content.

Key technical capabilities include:

• Featuring SL-ITM for SDR to HDR upconverion from SDR BT.709 8-bit or 10-bit sources

• SL-HDR1 and SL-HDR2 metadata generation from HDR BT.2100 PQ or BT.2100 HLG content

• Support for the most widely used color spaces in broadcast and streaming production

• Real-time operation with a low CPU footprint

• Resolutions up to 8K (7680x4320)

• Compatibility with AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265, and VVC/H.266 encoders

The SL-HDR Conversion SDK is a powerful addition to MainConcept’s expansive codec library, including the HDR Conversion and Converter & Scaler SDKs.

"When we saw how many broadcasters and streamers were struggling to find a practical path to Advanced HDR by Technicolor, the opportunity to build something the entire industry could use was clear," said Deacon Johnson, President and CEO, MainConcept. "The MainConcept SL-HDR Conversion SDK gives broadcasters a high-performance implementation path without disrupting the workflows they depend on. HDR delivery is where the broadcast industry is heading, and we are committed to getting our customers there with uncompromised quality and full compatibility on both the creation and receiving side."

“Teaming up with MainConcept greatly expands the reach of Advanced HDR by Technicolor technology, providing the same benefits for streaming that make it so unique for the rollout of NextGenTV, including backward compatible HDR delivery and low bandwidth usage,” said Rick Dumont, Head of Business Development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “The transition from SDR to HDR has never been more accessible, and with HDR now delivering a meaningfully improved viewing experience, at any resolution, the case for upgrading is clear.”

Availability

The MainConcept SL-HDR Conversion SDK will be available with the upcoming release of SDK 16.2.

MainConcept will exhibit at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Visit them at booth W1343 to speak with engineers and product specialists and explore the full portfolio of professional codec and workflow solutions. You can also find Advanced HDR by Technicolor at booth C1655.

For more information, visit www.mainconcept.com/sl-hdr or www.advancedhdrbytechnicolor.com.