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Fairphone video color space metadata mismatch

  • /e/OS version: 3.2 official
  • Device model(s): FP3, FP4, FP6
  • Impacted Application: /e/OS Camera FPCamera

The problem

I am writing to report a consistent technical issue with video files produced by Fairphone 3, 4, and 6 models (probably 5 too, but I don’t have one). There is a metadata mismatch between the video container and the video stream, specifically concerning the color space information.

This mismatch causes video players and editing software to interpret colors incorrectly, leading to washed-out visuals, inaccurate brightness, and general color shifts. The user experience is inconsistent because some software prioritizes the container metadata, while other software reads the stream metadata.

Technical Details of the Mismatch

  • Color Range: The container is tagged as 'Limited', but the stream is 'Full'.
  • Transfer Characteristics: The container is tagged as 'BT.709', but the stream is 'BT.601'.
  • Matrix Coefficients: The container is tagged as 'BT.601', but the stream is 'BT.470 System B/G'.

Steps to reproduce

This issue can be verified by analyzing a video file from an affected phone with a tool like MediaInfo.

  1. Record a short video with a Fairphone 3, 4, or 6 (probably 5 too, but I don’t have one).
  2. Run the following command in a terminal: mediainfo --Full YOUR_VIDEO_FILE.mp4 | grep "colour_description_present" -A 19

Technical details

colour_description_present               : Yes
colour_description_present_Source        : Container / Stream
Color range                              : Limited
colour_range_Source                      : Container
colour_range_Original                    : Full
colour_range_Original_Source             : Stream
Color primaries                          : BT.601 PAL
colour_primaries_Source                  : Container / Stream
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
transfer_characteristics_Source          : Container
transfer_characteristics_Original        : BT.601
transfer_characteristics_Original_Source : Stream
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.601
matrix_coefficients_Source               : Container
matrix_coefficients_Original             : BT.470 System B/G
matrix_coefficients_Original_Source      : Stream

Thank you for your attention to this matter.