SMPTE ST 2084 defines the Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) electro-optical transfer function (EOTF), which maps encoded image values to specified display luminance. PQ is one of the two HDR television transfer-function choices in ITU-R BT.2100; the other is Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG). ST 2084 defines this luminance mapping—not a complete HDR format, codec, or color gamut.
What ST 2084 specifies
An EOTF describes how an encoded signal value corresponds to light emitted by a display. PQ uses a nonlinear, perceptually informed mapping tied to absolute luminance: a PQ value has a specified luminance meaning, rather than representing a relative gamma value that can be scaled arbitrarily.
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In the Rec.2100-PQ presentation documented in a 2026 W3C Working Draft, normalized channel values span 0 to 1 and the encoding represents luminance up to 10,000 cd/m² (nits). That is an encoding ceiling, not a claim that a typical television can reach or sustain that brightness. The same presentation gives 203 cd/m² as reference, or diffuse, white; content is typically mastered with a lower peak, and 10,000 cd/m² is described as a small-area, brief highlight.
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The W3C draft sets out forward and inverse equations for converting between normalized PQ values and linear-light values. It is a useful accessible explanation, but it is a Working Draft—not the normative ST 2084 publication. For standards conformance or production implementation, consult the current normative SMPTE ST 2084 text and the applicable BT.2100 edition rather than relying on a rough graph or the draft alone.
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How PQ fits into HDR television
ITU-R BT.2100 specifies image parameters for HDR television production and international programme exchange, including both PQ and HLG signal parameters. The current listed edition is BT.2100-3, in force as of February 2025; editions -2 (2018), -1 (2017), and -0 (2016) are superseded.
| Transfer function | What it means |
|---|---|
| PQ (ST 2084) | Display-referred mapping with specified absolute luminance values. |
| HLG | A separate BT.2100 transfer-function option with a different operating model. |
PQ and HLG are not interchangeable labels. Comparing systems that use them requires considering the transfer function alongside reference and viewing assumptions, target-display behavior, metadata, production workflow, and delivery constraints. Choosing PQ or HLG alone does not define the complete HDR signal or viewing experience.
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What ST 2084 does not define
ST 2084 is distinct from HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Those are broader HDR systems or formats that can use PQ as their transfer function; PQ itself is not a format name. Nor does ST 2084, by itself, specify the other components of a complete video signal.
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- Codec: the method used to compress and encode video, such as AVC or HEVC.
- Color gamut or primaries: the colors the system can represent.
- Bit depth and color sampling: how signal precision and color information are represented.
- Metadata: additional information that may guide rendering.
These components may be relevant to an HDR workflow, but they are separate from the transfer function. ITU processing guidance discusses PQ characteristics alongside matters such as color sampling, bit depth, and coding choices; that does not make them part of ST 2084.
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How to interpret PQ luminance figures
The maximum of 10,000 cd/m² describes what the PQ encoding can represent, not the peak brightness of a particular screen or the brightness at which all content is mastered. The 203 cd/m² reference-white figure applies to the cited Rec.2100-PQ presentation, not as a universal setting for every HDR format or device.
A separate historical figure should also be read in context: SMPTE-hosted Engineering Report ER0997-2015 reported that research concluded a system spanning 0.001 to 10,000 nits would satisfy about 84% of viewers across devices from tablets to large TVs and theatrical displays. That is a result reported in a 2015 engineering report, not a newly checked or independently validated survey finding.
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