HDR to Power Next Evolution of Mobile Video

Over the last several years, mobile phone video consumption has surged—especially among younger generations. With the overwhelming majority of mobile data traffic now consisting of video, ensuring that professionally produced and user-generated content can be delivered at consistently high levels of quality has become an urgent industry priority.

Recent consumer research from Omdia and IDC shows that smartphones now account for a rapidly expanding share of total video viewing time, as audiences increasingly expect “big-screen” experiences on handheld devices. Futuresource Consulting’s Living With Digital and Video Insights programs similarly document strong growth in both subscription- and ad-supported streaming, much of it accessed on mobile screens. Independent network studies reinforce this trend, estimating that 70–80% of global mobile data traffic is already video—and rising steadily.

Taken together, these findings reveal a clear market reality: premium, bandwidth-intensive video is no longer a niche scenario for mobile networks. It is now the primary driver of user engagement and data consumption.

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At Content Americas 2025, Omdia’s Maria Rua Aguete emphasized the scale of this shift: “There is no doubt about the enormous impact platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Meta have on media consumption in the USA.” Omdia’s survey insights also confirm that viewing across these platforms remains overwhelmingly mobile.

The opportunity for video on mobile rests on the recognition that camera and display capabilities have vastly improved over the last decade—and that HDR can elevate the overall viewing experience.”

— Rick Dumont, Advanced HDR by Technicolor

The broader streaming ecosystem is evolving as well. According to Omdia, 365 million subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) subscriptions will be distributed through operator TV, broadband, and mobile bundles—representing 20% of the global streaming market. By 2029, bundling is expected to account for 540 million online video subscriptions, or roughly one quarter of the worldwide total.

Against this backdrop, the media and entertainment technology industry is accelerating efforts to deliver better video experiences on mobile devices. Increasingly, this involves the integration of high dynamic range (HDR) technology—long associated with premium broadcast productions—across mobile capture, distribution, and display workflows.

HDR Moves from the Living Room to the Smartphone

HDR is typically associated with the high-end cameras and displays used for major live sports broadcasts and cinematic productions. But the rapid evolution of smartphone camera sensors and displays has created new opportunities to bring HDR benefits directly to mobile users.

“Devices can capture images and video using HDR standards that support up to 10,000-nit mastering,” explained Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor, in a recent vidcast interview. “And the displays on phones are engineered with high peak brightness and contrast to ensure consumers can see the screen even in full sunlight. Most HDR-capable TVs do not exceed the 1,000-nit range because they are designed for living-room viewing.”

For consumers, these experiences have reinforced a simple expectation: HDR delivers visibly better video.

“The opportunity for video on mobile rests on the recognition that camera and display capabilities have vastly improved over the last decade—and that HDR can elevate the overall viewing experience,” Dumont said.

The Creator Boom Raises the Quality Bar

This value proposition is gaining momentum as the line between amateur and professional content creators continues to blur. The global creator ecosystem now exceeds 200 million individuals, including more than 160 million amateurs and millions of full-time professionals. Short-form video remains the preferred format for the majority of social media users, and brands continue increasing their investment in influencer-driven campaigns.

The result: creators rely more than ever on high-quality, visually compelling video to differentiate their content and expand their reach.

“As a result, many elements that would traditionally be considered high-end in the professional production world are now packed into the compact mobile phone—particularly advanced HDR capabilities,” said Dumont.

These capabilities are helping fuel the surge in user-generated content across platforms. Vloggers offer a vivid example. “Only a few years ago, a vlogger would record content on their phone and then return home to download everything onto their laptop for editing,” Dumont recalled. “For many amateur vloggers, that process has evolved.”

Today’s mobile devices enable advanced editing, color adjustments, and immediate posting or streaming—an essential advantage in the fast-moving world of social media. Higher expectations for image quality, combined with HDR-originated source material, are reshaping what creators can accomplish directly on their phones.

Optimal Quality from Capture to Display

From a professional standpoint, broadcasters, streaming providers, and creators all face the same challenge: ensuring that audiences can enjoy content at the best possible quality, regardless of the receiving device.

“Additional information—or metadata—allows creators to always record at the best capabilities of their device while enabling playback at the best capabilities of any receiving phone, TV, or display,” Dumont explained. “This is becoming mandatory to ensure high-quality experiences for both creators and viewers.”

As part of the ATSC 3.0 standard, Advanced HDR by Technicolor addresses this challenge for broadcasters by offering dynamic HDR-to-SDR and SDR-to-HDR conversion within a single stream. The same principles apply to mobile and OTT streaming.

“Whether it’s a professional streaming service or content streamed from one phone to another, metadata allows the content to be transported efficiently,” said Dumont. “Depending on the capabilities of the receiving device, the video is displayed in the best possible quality—without compromising compatibility.”

Lowering the barrier to entry for amateur creators is another advantage. “The system can make shading adjustments automatically,” Dumont said. “Phones today have it all—capabilities that rival professional cameras and exceed most TV displays—in a pocket-sized device.”

Integrating HDR Across the Ecosystem

Whether consumers watch video on a phone or a TV, image quality and overall quality of experience (QoE) remain paramount. And advertisers, broadcasters, and streaming providers all share a stake in ensuring consistency.

“Advertisers always want the best quality possible, regardless of device,” said Dumont. “When it comes to brands and logos, colors shouldn’t shift between a high-end device and a low-end device. During a live sporting event, it would be a pity if quality is lost somewhere between the camera capturing the action and the transmission reaching audiences.”

That perspective reinforces the need for HDR integration across the entire ecosystem—from camera lens to end-user screen.

Bandwidth considerations add another layer of complexity. “Consumers may be in resource-constrained environments and still want to enjoy their video. When connectivity is limited, metadata enables low-bitrate transmission while maintaining quality,” Dumont explained.

Looking Ahead: A Dynamic HDR Future

Across the ecosystem—and on any device—delivering high-quality video in today’s marketplace requires flexibility. Metadata-driven workflows allow content to be captured at the highest quality and then downscaled or adapted for various displays and distributions. The bandwidth savings associated with these techniques will be increasingly critical as mobile video traffic continues to accelerate.

“Advanced HDR by Technicolor is rolling out across the U.S. for both ATSC 3.0 broadcast and streaming, and adoption is growing,” Dumont said. “We are also implementing the solution for live sports. The next step is to ensure that this technology is available for user-generated content on mobile phones. That requires laying the foundation for mobile’s transition to HDR on all fronts.”

As capture devices, networks, streaming platforms, and displays continue to improve, HDR is poised to become the unifying quality layer across the entire video value chain—a true glass-to-glass evolution from production to consumption.

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