
Cromorama Simplifies Color Management and Quality Control for Live Productions with the ORION-CONVERT Pipeline and AJA ColorBox
Brie Clayton December 10, 2024
0 Comments
Well-executed productions come off seamlessly to audiences, regardless of the delivery format, but their underpinning is complex. Today, crews often work with a host of high dynamic range (HDR) and standard dynamic range (SDR) cameras and equipment, each with its own color science. Achieving a consistent look often requires crews to be able to color match production cameras and easily convert between SDR and HDR standards. However, broadcasters can still encounter quality control (QC) issues, where the feed they output looks off and adjustments must be made. European HDR and color management consultancy firm and software developer Cromorama is streamlining this process with its ORION-CONVERT color pipeline, which is built into AJA's ColorBox and OG-ColorBox color management and conversion solutions. Cromorama's aim is to make color management more accessible for clients like the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) while also supporting QC demands.
ORION-CONVERT's backstory Cromorama CEO and CTO Pablo Garcia developed ORION-CONVERT with a vision to give professionals more creative and technical control over color management capabilities. He didn't want them to worry as much about the math, especially as lighting conditions change. To this end, his team designs all Cromorama software with the philosophy that clients should be able to easily adapt.
We're a company that's all about improving color iteration, and the ORION-CONVERT algorithm originated out of a need we saw amongst clients, Garcia explained. Before Cromorama, there wasn't an easy way to execute high quality conversions between HDR and SDR with the level of control we wanted. This gap in the toolset was especially noticeable when we were preparing for a major 2020 international sporting event on behalf of a client, so we envisioned a piece of code and started fine tuning it.
That effort, said Garcia, led to the development of ORION-CONVERT , an intuitive engine with a unique two-stage compression process for full color management from display to display, SDR to/from HLG and PQ. The Cromorama team regularly deploys the software to serve clients globally, as it provides film production, broadcast, and research and development (R&D) services; it's also a core technology behind NBCU LUTs. They see ORION-CONVERT , AJA ColorBox, and AJA OG-ColorBox breaking down color management barriers.
The color management learning curve used to be steep, especially in broadcast, but we've reached an inflection point. ORION-CONVERT in AJA ColorBox and OG-ColorBox, a platform that's well targeted to live production demands, provides more control over SDR and HDR transforms, so it's easier to adapt to various scenarios in the field, Garcia noted. Both hardware solutions are also so valuable for QC purposes because I know I can trust them. If a broadcaster encounters an issue with their feed, I can run it through a ColorBox or OG-ColorBox and quickly uncover the issue with the original signal so they can fix it.
A closer look at the technology behind a major live sports championship production Since its founding over four years ago, Cromorama has worked closely with sports organizations, providing HDR and color management consultancy services. When its team began preparations in 2022 to support the UEFA EURO 2024 championship production, they benchmark tested a wide range of HDR production gear to achieve the desired visual outcome. Tests included solutions like AJA ColorBox and FS-HDR, as well as camera and graphics kit from other manufacturers. By the end of the process, UEFA had certified ColorBox as an approved production device.
Cromorama extensively leveraged the solution throughout the tournament venues for color conversion, QC, and testing needs. As QC Supervisor, Garcia oversaw two QC operators and the whole tournament production. He was quickly notified if any broadcasters encountered signal issues, such as picture quality or artifacts, and troubleshooted to identify the issue. This entailed passing their signal through a ColorBox on his desk, identifying the approved conversion path, analyzing whether there were artifacts, and finding the source of the problem in the chain.
I know that with ColorBox, the LUT is technically correct, so if there's an issue, it's often with the signal itself or a problem the broadcaster's in-house gear has created, and ColorBox helps me figure that out. Coupled with ORION-CONVERT, it's THE standard for color conversion, Garcia explained.
He added, ColorBox was a natural fit for a project like this because it's such an intuitive device that makes color management and QC simpler and more accessible. With ColorBox, you can easily complete SDR and HDR transforms and make adjustments. When we're working with clients, ColorBox also has such a fast protocol, especially when combined with tools like our Ennio Desktop application, which is great. I can see it processing video in near-real time, and the dynamic LUT mode in ColorBox is bonkers fast! I'm also excited to test out the latest ColorBox ACES implementation.
Charting the journey ahead Since ORION-CONVERT's rollout, Cromorama has continued to advance its technology with ease-of-use top of mind so that users don't have to be color scientists or specialists to figure out how to use it. Some of its latest innovations include an ORION-CONVERT plugin for a popular creative application that's used for nonlinear editing in television production, as well as Ennio, a color management orchestration desktop application.
Looking ahead, the company plans to continue this tr
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
21/07/2026
With winners Spain having already paraded the World Cup trophy through Madrid in front of millions of fans and the dust now settling on an epic tournament of th...
21/07/2026
In a time of disarray in regional sports broadcasting, the league will provide c...
21/07/2026
When NEP designed one of its largest recurring mobile production unit fleets for PGA TOUR
coverage, the leading media services provider faced a familiar challe...
21/07/2026
High-end analogue channel strip boasts plug-in recall
Originally revealed as a prototype back at NAMM 2024, the Channex Studio channel strip represented a b...
21/07/2026
Relies on same DSP as plug-in range
Musik Hack's line-up has been influenced heavily by founder Stan Greene's work as a mixing engineer, and their M...
21/07/2026
Official collaboration with boutique builder Dirty Boy Pedals
Warm Audio have just announced the launch of a new guitar pedal range created in collaboration...
21/07/2026
SBS scores biggest ever FIFA World Cup Reach as Spain triumph in the final
21 July, 2026
Media releases
Spain v Argentina attracted a Total TV reach of al...
21/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases broad range of EMC test solutions at EMC SIPI 2026 in ...
21/07/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery's unbroken lead is interrupted as sports and live mus...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Across the TV and streaming ecosystem, industry players face mounting pressure to do more with less. They must simplify operations, protect premium content and ...
21/07/2026
Tuxera, a leading prover of quality-assured file systems and networking technologies, is bringing its latest advances in connectivity performance to the media w...
21/07/2026
COW Jobs: Apple Motion Expert for Custom FCP Rigged Graphics Package
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
HIRING: Apple Motion Expert for Custom FCP ...
21/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, will use its presence at IBC2026 (stand 7.A01, Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September) to...
21/07/2026
Calrec will be located in Hall 8, on Stand C47
Beyond bigger
For years, broadcast facilities were built around one assumption: provision for the biggest pro...
21/07/2026
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, will discuss its future-facing developments for the new generation of medi...
21/07/2026
nxtedition returns to IBC2026 with its consolidated production platform, showing how scripting, editing, graphics, AI-assisted tools and automation can work wit...
21/07/2026
C2PA content signing helps broadcasters, public institutions, and publishers give audiences a verifiable record of where their video content came from and how i...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
New capability centralizes collaboration, feedback, security and status tracking within VIDA, providing a structured, auditable approach to master quality contr...
21/07/2026
Lightcraft Launches Exclusive Spark Story Beta for Filmmakers and Creators at SI...
21/07/2026
Indie Road Movie Where in the Hell Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Brie Clayton July 20, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist blends vintage film looks to shape...
21/07/2026
Which USS Defiant Pulse Phaser effect is better?
Graham Quince July 20, 2026
0 Comments
Aargh, ever since @DarkRavenProductions posted a comment ask...
21/07/2026
Harmonics cOS Virtualized Broadband Platform and Pearl Remote OLTs Enable Flexible PON Migration, While SeaStar Optical Node Powers Cost-Effective Multi-Gigabit...
21/07/2026
Every live event starts with a defining moment. A camera captures the game-winni...
21/07/2026
AI has entered the gigascale era.
The world's most advanced AI factories are bringing together hundreds of thousands of GPUs and CPUs to train frontier mod...
21/07/2026
NVIDIA Vera Rubin is here, and it's going gigascale.
Vera Rubin NVL72 produ...
21/07/2026
160 hours of Irish storytelling for 2026
KIN and The Walsh Sisters return
RT has today unveiled its most ambitious drama slate ever, with a record-breakin...
20/07/2026
The former Northwestern broadcast-operations leader is helping train the next generation of live-sports-production talent across the Big Ten
The sports-product...
20/07/2026
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. Whi...
20/07/2026
Product range now readily available in the UK
Graph Tech Guitar Labs have just announced the launch of a new UK Online Store that makes it quicker and easie...
20/07/2026
Popular headset gains active noise cancellation
The Maxwell headet was Audeze's first foray into the gaming world, and thanks to its Dolby Atmos compati...
20/07/2026
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has released t...
20/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/07/2026
Starfish Technologies will use IBC2026 to showcase the flexibility of its transport stream processing software, including the latest versions of TS Splicer (Win...
20/07/2026
Bitfocus, the specialist in media control and monitoring, will show at IBC2026 (Elgato stand 8.D31, Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September) how its Buttons control la...
20/07/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced new AI capabilities that e...
20/07/2026
Big Blue Marble's Cloud DRM has been nominated in the DRM/Content Protection category of the 2026 Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards.
Only four pro...
20/07/2026
Monday 20 July 2026
Sky brings free global roaming to millions of loyal custome...
20/07/2026
Red Seat Ventures Announces Introduction of Premium Creator and Podcast Communit...
20/07/2026
FIFA World Cup Final sets new RT Player record as the most-streamed single event in the platform's history
Over 1 million viewers watched live on RT 2 as ...
20/07/2026
At this year's SIGGRAPH conference, running through Thursday, July 23, in Lo...