A reassessment of the simultaneous dynamic range of the human visual system

Kunkel Timo, Reinhard Erik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

80 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The dynamic range of the human visual system should be an important parameter in the design of high dynamic range (HDR) display devices. A good display should at least approximate this range. However, the literature reports a simultaneous dynamic range between 2 and 4 log units of luminance, leaving ambiguity as to what dynamic range HDR display devices should cater for. In this paper we present a sequence of psychophysical experiments, carried out with the aid of a high dynamic range display device, to determine the simultaneous dynamic range of the human visual system under full adaptation to a given background luminance. Our findings show that the human visual system is capable of distinguishing contrasts over a range of 3.7 log units under specific viewing conditions. Further, we show how the dynamic range is affected by stimulus duration, contrast of the stimulus as well as background illumination, thereby accounting for the differences reported in the literature and providing guidance for display design.
Translated title of the contributionA reassessment of the simultaneous dynamic range of the human visual system
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17-24
JournalProceedings of the 7th Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Bibliographical note

ISBN: 9781450302487
Publisher: ACM New York, NY, USA
Name and Venue of Conference: Proceedings of the 7th Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization
Other identifier: 2001238

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