What If We Were To Accept Yedlin’s Framing?

While our previous analyses rejected Yedlin’s non-standard terminology, we’ll now show that even if we were to accept Yedlin’s framing of BT.1886 as a complete color space comprising Rec.709 color primaries, D65 white point and transfer function, his claims are still untenable. 

As Yedlin’s presentation explicitly anchors its claims to the official ITU and SMPTE standards, we’ll evaluate those claims against the very specifications he cited.

CLAIM 1

“Rec.2020 is exactly the same as Rec.1886, but with a wider color gamut.”

FACT CHECK

The statement is categorically false. Rec.2020 isn’t a minor variant of Rec.709; it’s the comprehensive standard for UHDTV.

Rec.709 / BT.1886 (HDTV) Parameters:

• Color Gamut: Narrow
• Transfer Function: BT.1886 
• Resolution: HD (1920×1080, 1280×720)
• Scanning: Interlaced or Progressive
• Frame Rates: Up to 60p
• Bit Depth: 8-bit, 10-bit (optional)
• Dynamic Range: Standard (SDR) 

Rec.2020 (UHDTV) Parameters

• Color Gamut: Wide
• Transfer Function: SDR: Gamma 2.4 | HDR: BT.2100 (PQ & HLG)
• Increased Field of View, a primary goal of ITU-R BT.2020, was achieved by providing
• Increased Spatial Resolution: 4K and 8K 
• Scanning: Progressive Only
• Frame Rates: Up to 120p
• Bit Depth: 10-bit & 12-bit
• Dynamic Range: High (HDR/WCG per BT.2100)

By reducing Rec.2020 solely to its wider color gamut, he sidesteps two of the standard’s most transformative and foundational features: its increase in spatial resolution and its critical role as the color space for the entire HDR ecosystem.

CLAIM 2

“sRGB is also exactly the same as Rec.1886, but with a slightly different transfer function.”

FACT CHECK

The claim is misleading and ignores the engineering intent. While sRGB shares the same color primaries as Rec.709, their transfer functions aren’t a minor discrepancy but a critical design choice tailored to different viewing environments. 

sRGB (Office/High Ambient Light)

The transfer function (approx. gamma 2.2) was engineered to compensate for a typical, bright office environment. 

BT.1886 (Dim/Cinematic Viewing)

This transfer function (gamma ~2.4) was designed for a controlled, dark viewing environment. It aims to faithfully reproduce the artistic intent on a reference display without any compensation for ambient light. 

Sources:

• ITU-R BT.709-6: Defines the parameters for the Rec.709 (NCG) color space.

• ITU-R BT.1886: Defines the reference electro-optical transfer function (EOTF) for SDR displays.

• ITU-R BT.2020: Defines the comprehensive parameter set for the Rec.2020 (WCG) UHDTV system.

• ITU-T Series H Supplement 19 (04/2021): Officially categorizes Rec.709 as a Narrow Colour Gamut (NCG) and Rec.2020 as a Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) system.

• Stokes, et al., “The Standard Default Color Space for the Internet – sRGB” (1996): The original paper detailing the design intent and transfer function of the sRGB standard, authored by its creators at Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft.

• Steve Yedlin. “Debunking HDR” (2025)