There’s a perception going around that higher MaxCLL statistics indicate ‘better’ HDR.
Many confuse the purpose [1] of MaxCLL and MaxFALL metadata—which is to inform display tone mapping—with actual HDR quality.
HDR’s superiority lies in preserving spatial contrast relationships, not in chasing extreme luminance levels.
This conflation of display capability (e.g., the 10,000-nit reference) with creative necessity is central to this misunderstanding.
Dolby’s study of viewer preferences, often cited to justify this ‘more is better’ mindset, answered a specific technical question about isolated display luminance in lab conditions – it doesn’t mandate peak brightness levels for narrative content.
Even their 2023 research linking higher peak luminance [2] to increased physiological ‘arousal’ in isolated narrative tests fails to address the core driver of HDR impact: spatial contrast relationships.
The Daly study’s 10,000-nit reference – formally documented in Perceptual Design for High Dynamic Range Systems (Kunkel et al., 2016) – answered a specific, technical question about isolated display luminance requirements under lab conditions stripped of real-world perceptual side effects. To isolate pure luminance preferences, Daly:
- Used atypical low contrast imagery (avoiding Stevens effect and simultaneous contrast)
- Desaturated color (averting the Hunt effect)
- Tested highlights in isolation (not in narrative imagery)
“Contrast was not tested explicitly, as contrast involves content rendering design issues, not display range capability.”
– Kunkel, Daly, Miller & Froehlich (2016)
They created a “worst-case” scenario asking: “What luminance makes an isolated highlight feel ‘real’ when stripped of all contextual visual cues?”
The study achieved its specific goal: defining the upper bounds of luminance preferences when perceptual tricks are stripped away.
It DOES NOT imply that “good HDR” requires 10,000 nits – e.g., it never tested narrative scenes mastered at 1,000 nits with high contrast versus 10,000 nits with low contrast. Daly was testing isolated display parameters, not prescribing grading practices.
In reality, narrative HDR thrives on contrast – both global and local. HDR’s core strength is about preserving spatial contrast relationships that SDR compresses—not chasing nits that are physiologically irrelevant for narrative content.
Hardware specifications ≠ creative mandates.
- The Histogram report is also used to QC deliverables.
- Dolby’s focus on peak luminance ignores McCann’s perceptual research proving spatial contrast relationships are the primary driver of human visual perception.
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