RGB Systems

The optimal additive primaries are red, green, and blue or RGB. Unfortunately, there is no single set of RGB primaries that has achieved universal acceptance. Rather, RGB primaries have evolved over time in response to consumer demand and technological advancement. Three important sets of primaries, however, are known as SMPTE-C, ITU-R BT.601, and ITU-R BT.709-3. Many display systems currently use SMPTE-C and ITU-R BT.601, and as high-definition television develops, ITU-R BT.709-3 is becoming more prevalent. Two important issues for RGB color-reproduction system are the color gamut and device dependency. These topics are briefly described, and some recent developments are introduced.