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Standard dynamic range (SDR) is a term for image and video reproduction with a constrained luminance range. It is the reference that high dynamic range (HDR) is measured against. SDR describes a range of brightness and contrast, not a screen resolution, and the exact figures depend on the reference the standard uses.
What SDR means
SDR refers to the brightness range a picture is designed to reproduce. In video, it is usually discussed through a reference display and a reference signal rather than as one universal brightness value that every television or monitor must reach. When someone says a TV, a clip, or a game is “SDR,” they mean its content was produced and mastered for that constrained range, which is the conventional range of television for many years.
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Two standards documents anchor the definition. ETSI TS 103 433 V1.1.1 (August 2016) defines an SDR system as one whose reference reproduction has a luminance range constrained by ITU-R BT.2035, section 3.2. The same specification adds a typical extent: “Typically no more than 10 stops.” That is a note about typical SDR systems in this specification, not a fixed limit that applies to every product.
The reference values readers see most often
SDR is often summarised with three numbers. Each comes from a different context, so they should not be read as one set of specifications.
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| Value | What it describes | Source and date | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 cd/m² peak luminance | Nominal SDR reference peak in the report’s reference viewing context | ITU-R Report BT.2446-0, 2019 | A reference point for content production and conversion, not a guarantee for every SDR screen |
| Black close to zero | Reference black level in the same reference description | ITU-R Report BT.2446-0, 2019 | Describes the reference, not the black level any particular display achieves |
| 8 or 10 bits | Bit depth described for SDR content | ITU-R Report BT.2446-0, 2019 | Bit depth is a signal property; it does not by itself set brightness |
| Typically no more than 10 stops | Typical luminance extent of an SDR reference reproduction | ETSI TS 103 433 V1.1.1, 2016 | “Typically” is part of the note; a stop is a doubling of luminance, so 10 stops is a ratio of 1,024 to 1 |
The 100 cd/m² figure is the one most often quoted, and it is the most likely to be misapplied. It belongs to the nominal reference in the 2019 ITU report. A television labelled SDR may measure higher or lower, depending on its settings and panel. Treat the figure as a yardstick for how SDR content is meant to be viewed, not as a promise about a product.
SDR is not a resolution class
The “S” in SDR is easy to confuse with “standard definition,” the older television category for picture resolution. The two are unrelated:
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- SDR (standard dynamic range) describes luminance and contrast. An SDR picture can be 720p, 1080p, or 4K.
- SD (standard definition) describes pixel resolution, typically 480 or 576 lines in broadcast television.
- HD and UHD describe resolution. HDR describes dynamic range. A single stream can carry any combination of these.
If a page or product listing uses “SDR” to mean low resolution, it is using the term incorrectly.
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The comparison is clearest across four points: the luminance range the content is intended for, how bright highlights are rendered, how much shadow detail survives, and how the content moves through the production and display chain.
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- Intended luminance range. SDR is built around the constrained reference described above. HDR-TV is intended for brighter displays.
- Highlights. According to the 2019 ITU report, HDR-TV allows much brighter highlights than SDR. Specular reflections, lamps, and sunlit surfaces are where the gap is most visible.
- Shadows. The same report links HDR to improved detail in dark areas. SDR can still show shadow detail, but within a narrower range.
- Workflow. Content mastered in one range usually has to be converted for the other. The result depends on the conversion method and the display, so two HDR screens showing the same file may not look identical.
ITU notes that a mismatch between content and display dynamic range can be significant, and that the reduction method strongly affects visual quality.
Converting between SDR and HDR
ITU-R Report BT.2446-0 uses precise terms for the two directions of conversion:
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- Tone mapping reduces content from a higher dynamic range to a lower one, such as HDR to SDR.
- Inverse tone mapping expands content from a lower range toward a higher one, such as SDR toward HDR.
Tone mapping (HDR to SDR)
The report states the basic case directly: “High dynamic range (HDR) content may be converted to a significantly lower dynamic range so that it may be displayed on a standard dynamic range (SDR) display device.” The goal is to keep the picture’s appearance within the limits of the target display. Tone mapping has trade-offs, including computational complexity, visual artifacts such as over-exposed areas, and the way luminance is handled. The quality of the result depends on the method and its settings.
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Expanding SDR toward HDR can make a picture look brighter or more dynamic, but it cannot recover highlight detail that the original SDR content never captured. Results vary by method, so an expanded image should be judged on the screen where it will be shown.
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Avoid repeated round trips
The report advises limiting repeated round-trip conversions, because each conversion is likely to degrade the signal. A workflow that converts SDR to HDR and back again should be avoided where possible.
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SDR is still part of production practice, not only a historical term. The March 2026 revision of ITU-R BT.2408 (contents for the -9 revision) includes sections on mapping SDR content into PQ and HLG signal formats, and on down-mapping HDR content to SDR. That confirms that mixed SDR and HDR workflows are a standard consideration in current guidance, and that conversion decisions are part of the workflow rather than an afterthought.
In practice, the SDR definition sets the reference a production aims for, and the conversion guidance explains how material moves between that reference and HDR. Both are needed for a correct picture.
The clearest way to use the term is to name the range explicitly: say “SDR” when you mean the constrained luminance range, say “SD” when you mean 480 or 576 lines, and name the reference (for example, the 2019 ITU report) when quoting the 100 cd/m² value.
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