Nearly all new TVs and projectors have the ability to decode HDR, or high dynamic range, video. In most cases, HDR content looks better than non-HDR material, though an individual display’s ability to deal with the extra data can vary greatly. There are multiple HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision 2, HDR10, HDR10 Plus and HLG. Most displays can only decode one or two of these. Likewise, streaming services and 4K Blu-rays typically offer only one or two.
Fortunately, all HDR displays can play HDR content — just not always in the best format available. Here’s what to keep in mind when shopping for a new TV or deciding which streaming service to use for a movie or show.
The basics
The dynamic range of what’s captured by the camera (left) and what’s possible on SDR and HDR displays.
Just having an HDR TV isn’t enough; you also need HDR content. Without it, the TV doesn’t have much to work with. It may still look good and can artificially expand SDR content for a slight improvement, but to get the most out of HDR you need content designed for it. Thankfully, there’s now plenty available, including movies, TV shows and even video games. Chances are your favorite new programs already support HDR.
HDR10
- Supported by everything.
- Better image quality potential than SDR, but perhaps not as good as HDR10 Plus or Dolby Vision.
- Static metadata.
HDR10 is about as close to a universal standard as we’ve got. Because it’s free for manufacturers to use, it’s supported almost everywhere. Every HDR TV can decode it and every HDR streaming device supports it. Nearly all HDR content includes an HDR10 version, sometimes alongside more advanced formats such as Dolby Vision, which we’ll discuss shortly.
HDR10’s main limitation is its “static” metadata, meaning a single HDR “look” is applied to an entire movie or show. That’s still better than SDR, but it doesn’t allow very bright or very dark scenes to look their absolute best within the same film. This one-size-fits-all approach works, but it prevents both the content and the TV from reaching their full potential. Dynamic metadata, which most other HDR formats use, addresses this limitation.
Static metadata is like forcing an entire football team to wear the same size shirt. It might fit the quarterback and look OK on the big linebacker and tiny kicker, but everyone would look better in shirts sized for them.
HDR10 isn’t backward-compatible with SDR TVs, so it’s no good for broadcast. You’ll find it available with streaming content and on 4K Blu-ray.
HDR10 Plus
- Championed by Samsung.
- Dynamic metadata.
- Potentially better image than vanilla HDR10.
As you may have guessed from the name, HDR10 Plus is similar to HDR10, but with a little plus. The “plus” in this case is dynamic metadata, which improves on HDR10’s static version. This means that on a per-scene — or even per-image — basis, the content can provide the TV with all the information it needs to look its absolute best.
While there are certain fees for manufacturers to use HDR10 Plus, they’re much less than what Dolby charges for Dolby Vision. Because it’s from Samsung, it’s highly unlikely there will ever be an LG TV with HDR10 Plus. Sony is another holdout, likely for similar reasons. However, Epson, TCL, Hisense, Roku and others offer HDR10 Plus compatibility.
This is an approximation, using two SDR images, of what you’d see if you placed an SDR and HDR TV side-by-side.
The downside of Dolby Vision is that manufacturers have to pay Dolby to use it. In return, Dolby helps them optimize their TVs to look their best with DV content. For some companies, that’s an easy way to improve picture quality. Larger manufacturers — like a certain Korean brand that begins with the letter S — prefer to invest in their own HDR formats instead, thank you very much.
After HDR10, this is the most popular HDR format, but that doesn’t mean it’s universal. Samsung is the biggest holdout, for reasons mentioned above. Generally speaking, if a company doesn’t support Dolby Vision, it likely supports HDR10 Plus, though some companies support both. There is less Dolby Vision content than there is vanilla HDR10 content, but big-budget movies and TV shows almost always include it.
Announced at CES 2026, Dolby Vision 2 introduces several new features. The most controversial, in my opinion, is optional motion smoothing, which would allow directors or showrunners to smooth scenes they consider too juddery, such as fast pans. The format also includes “content intelligence” features that adjust a TV’s performance based on ambient light and the content being shown. Midpriced and lower-end TVs will support the base version of Dolby Vision 2, while higher-end models will offer Dolby Vision 2 Max, which includes the motion-smoothing feature. We’ll have to see how it’s implemented once TVs and compatible content arrive, possibly later this year.
The good news is DV2 is compatible with all current Dolby Vision TVs. Older DV TVs won’t have access to the new features, of course, but the HDR and dynamic metadata will still work.
HLG
- From BBC and NHK.
- Free to use.
- Broadcast-friendly.
Hybrid Log Gamma was created by Britain’s BBC and Japan’s NHK. Unlike the formats we’ve discussed so far, it’s actually backward-compatible with SDR TVs. One signal that works on both older TVs and newer ones is a huge deal for broadcasters. As you can imagine, it’s not without drawbacks — mainly when it comes to picture quality. Like HDR10, HLG is likely better than SDR, but it may not match the picture quality of some other HDR formats. It’s the format used for over-the-air HDR broadcasts.
The path to SDR and HDR in one SL-HDR1 signal. The top is the content creation, the bottom is what your TV will do with it. The SDR content is automatically created from the HDR signal.
Content is limited to some NextGenTV broadcasts. It’s unlikely it will get wide acceptance among streaming companies.
Read more: What is Advanced HDR by Technicolor?
There can be only one. Or three. Or maybe five
Here’s the tl;dr: HDR10 is the main HDR format. Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus are the step-up options that offer potentially better image quality. All HDR should look better than older SDR content (or the non-HDR version of modern content). NextGenTV continues its slow rollout. The potential of free over-the-air HDR is still there, but at this point it’s in the hands of the individual channels and channel owners as to how much HDR they want to broadcast.
Generally speaking, it’s worth making sure any new TV you’re considering supports either Dolby Vision or HDR10 Plus since the dynamic metadata can make a noticeable difference, especially on the best TVs. The good news is that the majority of new shows, movies and even many games, all support HDR in one way or another. Most TVs and projectors do as well, though of course, some better than others.
Note: This story was first published in 2018 but is updated regularly to reflect new HDR formats and info.
In addition to covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.
Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
