xvYCC: The Future of Colorby Karen M CheungPublished on Jan 23, 2008 10:30 AM 
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January 22, 2008 – Roy G. Biv. He was our childhood mnemonic device that we recalled when we thought of color. We pictured a rainbow, a consistent spectrum of seven tones outlined by the acronym of his name. Today, the reproduction of color is bit more complicated. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this month, camcorder and television manufacturers continued to market xvYCC color as the new standard for high definition consumer electronics. The technology promises to capture a wider color gamut and therefore, a more faithful color rendering. But a number of obstacles stand in the way before it can become the de facto standard.
What is xvYCC?
xvYCC is an expanded version of the older YCC color gamut, with 1.8-times more reds, greens, and blues of sRGB color. xvYCC is often made synonymous with Deep Color, which is an increased bit depth. Consumers are actually benefiting from these two separate technologies that are typically paired in HDTVs. Many of the latest televisions have both a wider color gamut (xvYCC) and a better bit depth (Deep Color), making for more accurate color with less posterization.
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xvYCC Timeline
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Oct. 5, 2005 - The International Electrotechnical Commision (IEC) specifies xvYCC color space Jan. 2006 - IEC publishes xvYCC documentation Jan. 4, 2006, CES - Sony previews x.v.Color technology for television displays June 2006 - High Definition Multimedia Interface Jan. 7, 2007, CES - Sony launches x.v.Color on Bravia television sets and first HD camcorders with x.v.Color
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(HDMI), the compact audio-video connector interface, adds xvYCC color support with HDMI.3 specifications 
The third element, and the trickiest, is getting xvYCC video from outside the home and onto TVs. This will likely be the slowest to develop, as both content producers and the cable companies that transfer the data must make industry-wide infrastructure changes. In the meantime, xvYCC enthusiasts will have to be satisfied watching video that they produced in their own homes.
Camcorders: Shooting Your Own xvYCC
At last year’s CES in January 2007, Sony launched the HDR-HC7 and HDR-HC5, using the relatively new xvYCC color standard. Sony branded it with the more consumer-friendly term “x.v.Color.” Its claim: reds, greens, and blues would be more true to life.
At this year’s CES, Sony launched five new camcorders in the AVCHD video format that offered the option to record in x.v.Color: the HDR-UX10, HDR-UX20, HDR-SR10, HDR-SR11, and HDR-SR12.
“The benefit of having x.v.Color is allowing you to capture more colors in your video than previously possible using sRGB standards,” said Kevin Brinkman, Senior Content & Training Manager of the Digital Imaging and Audio Division, Digital Imaging at Sony. “That’s due to LCD technology becoming more prevalent… whether it’s Sony or industry,” he said.
Sony’s xvYCC color still uses sRGB but on a wider color spectrum. Current Sony LCD televisions can offer far more color and depth than older tube technology. LCD TVs can now handle a full 100 percent color, compared to only 54 percent of the color spectrum on tube TVs, according to Brinkman.
Panasonic also launched xvYCC-compatible high definition camcorders at CES 2008, the HDC-SD9 and the HDC-HS9, branding the feature as “Digital Cinema Color.” Panasonic’s previous color was based on the YCC standard. Its switch to xvYCC promises 120 percent more color for improved dynamic range, according to company representatives.
The TV Problem
The new color standard begs the question - what good is better color without better displays? Is xvYCC backwards compliant? When asked if xvYCC would playback on older generations of televisions, both manufacturers agreed that while it wouldn’t hurt the video file, it wouldn’t help it either. xvYCC color on video is limited by the age of the playback device; only xvYCC-compatible televisions can support the color gamut.
“Two years ago, we didn’t have x.v.Color for TVs. Even though it’s recorded on the camcorder, the [older] TV would essentially downsample it to the sRGB standard”
“It’s a limitation until you have that ability to reproduce xvColor,” said Sony representative Brinkman.
While some of Sony’s new spring line is compatible with the new format, all of Panasonic’s spring 2008 plasma televisions are compatible with xvYCC.
Proprietary Equipment
The new color standard also encounters another challenge – different brands of TVs. For example, what happens when a user shoots in xvYCC color with a Sony camcorder but owns a Panasonic television set?
Sony representatives couldn’t comment on x.v.Color display on Panasonic televisions. Panasonic, on the other hand, did note that viewers would be able to notice some improvement of Digital Cinema Color on Sony televisions, when compared to non-xvYCC displays. In general, though, both Sony and Panasonic each agree that even through television sets might be new, xvYCC video works best with the same branded television display: Sony camcorders with Bravia televisions, and Panasonic camcorders with Viera TVs.
“The benefit of xv[YCC] color is the best harmonization and combination between camcorder and TV,” said Yukio Hirose, General Manager, Optical Marketing Department, Overseas Marketing Group at Panasonic.
With the growth explosion in the display market, there is a vast assortment of HDTVs from which to choose. Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Sharp each use a form of xvYCC color for displays. Cross-system incompatibility, however, will likely slow xvYCC’s popularity. It’s a stifling situation that forces consumers to purchase from a within a single manufacturer’s product lines to ensure the full benefits of xvYCC. As the technology develops and grows, it can only be hoped that an open standard is adopted or enforced.