Charles Poynton, PhD

I am an independent contractor specializing in the physics, mathematics, engineering, and programming of digital colour (color!) imaging systems, including digital still cameras, digital video, HD/UHD/4K/8K (HDTV/UHDTV), VFX/CGI, and DI and digital cinema (D-cinema) systems. I am involved in engineering wide colour gamut (WCG, or wide gamut color) and high dynamic range (HDR) systems. I am an expert in colorspaces such as DCI P3 RGB, Adobe RGB 1998, ACES AP0/AP1, and BT.2020. I do technology forecasting, systems modelling, algorithm development, video signal processing architecture, colour characterization and calibration, image quality assessment, and expert witness work. (More...) It was about 20 years ago that I decided that HD should have 1080 image rows, and square pixels ...

I earned my PhD in July at Simon Fraser University; my supervisor was Brian Funt. My dissertation is available (PDF, 152 pages, 6.1 MiB).

Please forgive the handcrafted, artisinal, 1995-vintage html, generally horribly out of date. A hugo website is in the works.

Allow me to introduce myself, in video.

A CV, in pdf format, is available.

I live in Toronto with my wife Barbara Morris, CTP Dipl – a psychotherapist.

I'm travelling (& working!) in Europe until Dec 4. Send email if you wish; I’ll check daily. If you have an urgent matter, send a txt/sms message to my temporary German number +49 1523 825 2577.

home office: +1 416 535 7187
e-mail: prepend my first name and an “at” sign to the obvious domain.
Skype (intermittent user, txt/sms if I’m offline): cpoynton
Twitter: @momaku
Linkedin: ca.linkedin.com/in/poynton
Blog: blog.poynton.ca

On Tue. Sep. 25, at HFF in Munich, I presented a 1‑day in-person workshop, -->Colour Science for Digital Cinematography.

On Mon./Tue. Sep. 25/26, 2017, at DFFB at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, I presented two 1‑day in-person workshops, Colour Pipeline Recipes for Cinema & HD/UHD, in conjunction with German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) [UP.GRADE program].

On Thu Aug 11, 2016, at Mr X Gotham (in Manhattan), I presented HDR & ACES: a 1-day Technical Seminar.

On Tue July 12, 2016, at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire (90 min or so from London), my colleague John Watkinson presented a 5-hour seminar, Practical Aspects of HDR: Implementation and Deployment, as part of the SMPTE/HPA UK Tech Retreat. John covered the material that I presented at HPA Tech Retreat in Palm Springs in Feb., with an update concerning emerging developments. I had planned to be there; however, a very minor medical incident – now completely treated – prevented me from flying. In the next week or two, I’ll be offering a webinar to the attendees. I also plan to offer the material as a (paid) webinar. Stay tuned.

On Tue June 21, in Toronto, I gave a talk at the SMPTE Toronto Technical Seminar: PIXELS & PACKETS – Exploring UHD, HDR and Live IP. I discussed emergent technology in D-cinema and UHD/4K, including high dynamic range, wide colour gamut, and ACES 1.0.

On Tue Feb 23, in Vancouver, I presented Emergent Technology in D-cinema and UHD/4K: High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Colour Gamut (WCG), and ACES 1.0. Want it in your city? Write!

On Tue Feb 15, in Palm Springs, Calif., I presented Emergent Technology in D-cinema and UHD/4K: High Dynamic Range, Wide Colour Gamut, and ACES 1.0. Want it in your city? Write!

On Thu./Fri. Oct. 29/30, 2015, at DFFB at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, I presented a 2‑day in-person workshop, ACES from Theory to Making an IDT, in conjunction with German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) [UP.GRADE program].

My friends at fxphd have posted a “fast forward” course, Introduction to Digital Colour Theory. It’s roughly a one-day course (ten classes, 30~40 minutes each), available for immediate download at USD 199. You don’t have to be a math wizard. It was fun to make, I hope that you enjoy it.

In February 2014, John Watkinson and I presented a 6‑hour course at HPA Tech Retreat 2014 (Palm Springs, Calif.): Physics, Psychophysics, and Vision for Advanced Motion Imaging. We discussed bit depth, pixel count (e.g., HD, 4K, 8K), and frame rate.

Last year, I presented a webinar, Math and Colour Science for Colourists (ACES). It’s a more mathematical take than the ACES webinars listed above. If you’re interested in experiencing that, drop a line.

I’m hoping to do ACES seminars in Prague and/or Budapest. (I’ll do it anywhere else that I can find 15 or 20 interested people!) If you’re interested – and particularly if you can help me to locate a suitable sponsoring organization in your city – drop a line. Watch poynton.com/w for announcements of additional webinars.

Digital Video and HD Algorithms and Interfaces, Second Edition (Burlington, Mass.: Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann, 2012), is available at Elsevier, Amazon, and other book retailers.

I continue to be flummoxed concerning BT.709/BT.1886 EOCF …

Subject to my main gigs – colour and image science, and finishing my PhD – if you have an interesting math problem maybe I can help, by offering consulting in Mathematica.

 Personal stuff
& biographical data