Signal Range
Full range vs Video range
Overview
When integrating OmniScope with OpenFX, users can choose between two signal modes: Full Range and Video Range. The choice affects how pixel values leaving Resolve are mapped into OmniScope's internal code-value space — and, as a consequence, what the legal-range graticules actually mean.
What "video range" and "full range" mean
Both modes use the same 10-bit container (0–1023 code values), but they scale the signal differently.
Video Range (a.k.a. narrow / legal / SMPTE)
code 64
code 940
941–1019 ("super-whites")
1–63 ("blacker than black")
Full Range
code 0
code 1023
none
none
Video Range is the traditional broadcast convention inherited from analog composite video — the signal is delivered with deliberate headroom above and below the nominal 0–100 IRE window for analog over-/undershoots. Legal-range QC (EBU R103, SMPTE RP 2077) is defined on these ranges.
Full Range uses the entire code-value space. It's the native convention for computer-generated content, stills, and modern digital cameras recording in scene-linear or log formats. There is no footroom/headroom — code 0 is absolute black, code 1023 is absolute white.
When to use which
Video Range
Choose Video Range when your goal is to verify narrow-range legal delivery — i.e. you want to see the 64 / 940 guides on the waveform, catch super-whites that exceed 940, or fail pixels that punch below 64.
Use case: broadcast or streaming QC where the deliverable is Rec. 709 / Rec. 2020 narrow range and you need to match a spec like R103 or ARIB TR-B32.
Headroom and footroom are preserved and visible; you can observe the full 1–1023 excursion of the source.
Full Range
Choose Full Range in digital production pipelines where narrow-range legal checking is not the point — for example, grading ACES or DaVinci Wide Gamut timelines, working with stills or RAW, or checking CG renders.
Use case: scene-linear or wide-gamut grading where the signal has already been expanded to fill the full 0–1023 container.
The signal is clipped to 0–1023 in a 10-bit environment; anything outside that range in the source is lost at the transport boundary, so narrow-range over/undershoots are no longer recoverable once the signal crosses into OmniScope.
Legal-range graticules are meaningless in this mode because there is no deliberate headroom/footroom to check against.
Important: Video Range mode preserves the ability to detect super-whites; Full Range mode trades that ability for headroom-free signal fidelity. The choice should match the color-science stage you are measuring, not your personal preference.
Summary
Choose Video Range for rigorous adherence to broadcast narrow-range specs; choose Full Range for digital-native pipelines where every code value matters and there is no "legal range" to check against.
For additional support or to address any concerns, please contact OmniScope support.
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