elaTCSF: A Temporal Contrast Sensitivity Function for Flicker Detection and Modeling Variable Refresh Rate Flicker
This work addresses flicker detection challenges in display and lighting design, particularly for variable refresh rate technologies, but is incremental as it builds on existing standards and models.
The paper tackles the problem of predicting flicker perception across varying conditions by extending the standard Temporal Contrast Sensitivity Function to incorporate luminance, eccentricity, and area effects, and demonstrates its application in predicting flicker in VR headsets and identifying flicker-free operational ranges.
The perception of flicker has been a prominent concern in illumination and electronic display fields for over a century. Traditional approaches often rely on Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF), primarily suited for high-contrast (full-on, full-off) flicker. To tackle varying contrast flicker, the International Committee for Display Metrology (ICDM) introduced a Temporal Contrast Sensitivity Function TCSF$_{IDMS}$ within the Information Display Measurements Standard (IDMS). Nevertheless, this standard overlooks crucial parameters: luminance, eccentricity, and area. Existing models incorporating these parameters are inadequate for flicker detection, especially at low spatial frequencies. To address these limitations, we extend the TCSF$_{IDMS}$ and combine it with a new spatial probability summation model to incorporate the effects of luminance, eccentricity, and area (elaTCSF). We train the elaTCSF on various flicker detection datasets and establish the first variable refresh rate flicker detection dataset for further verification. Additionally, we contribute to resolving a longstanding debate on whether the flicker is more visible in peripheral vision. We demonstrate how elaTCSF can be used to predict flicker due to low-persistence in VR headsets, identify flicker-free VRR operational ranges, and determine flicker sensitivity in lighting design.