In recent years, TVs equipped with High Dynamic Range technology (or simply abbreviated as HDR) have ceased to be a gimmick and are conquering an ever larger segment of the market. However, many of our compatriots are not too aware of their benefits. So is it worth choosing a technique with this technology and what does it give?
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What is HDR on TV
We should start with the term HDR itself – what is it about TV, and what benefits does it bring to the user? This criterion directly affects the quality of the picture that we can see in front of us from the screen. It is translated by the phrase “high dynamic range” and means increased contrast. That is, not only will the brightness be higher, but the darkness will also be blacker where it should be.
Better color reproduction is attractive to the user in that it is always more realistic. However, do not confuse this term with the same sounding in smartphones or cameras. There, the same name means combining several images in order to achieve the most successful variant in terms of the ratio of light and shadow. However, in the case of video, the situation will be different.
HDR technology in TVs has brought with it new standards in terms of color gamut. The abundance of shades that appeared could not be conveyed on previously produced devices. The most intense colors from the display are even more realistic than before.
How it works
In order to touch the new technology, you must first turn on HDR on the TV, and you can do this in the settings. However, it is necessary for the TV to be equipped with this function, as well as to have content of the appropriate quality that could be played. In order for the function to work and be able to prove itself, manufacturers seek the most effective backlighting. Its brightness can be adjusted in certain areas of the screen.
How does it look on the screen in order to be ready to feel the difference in advance? In scenes where there is bright sunlight, it begins to seem to shine even brighter than ever before in images. Even within one frame, several light sources of different intensities can be broadcast. When broadcasting dark scenes, the problem of halftone pixelation disappears. More complex and multi-component paints become voluminous. In a word, the user can see the picture with his own eye, and not the way the equipment camera allows it to see.
HDR types
Now the presence of this mode is written by the manufacturers of all new television sets, regardless of whether they display 8 or 10 bits. However, it is not enough just to display HDR content at 8-bit, unnaturally increasing the contrast of individual colors. Most budget blue screens use 8-bit technology, which artificially expands the possibilities of colors using special algorithms.
Therefore, at this time, it is customary to distinguish 2 main standards that differ in the initial effect. One of them is called HDR10, while the other is called Dolby Vision. The first is distributed openly and supports 10 bits, but differs in less color reproduction. Another standard is more difficult to implement, although it expands even to 12 bits and retains color tints better.
The first, accordingly, is much more widespread and there is plenty of content for it. Today it is basic even for streaming services. The most famous game consoles Xbox and Playstation also support it. Dolby Vision is not yet able to count on such broad support, although NetFlix already has content for both formats. But many equipment manufacturers and film studios are not planning to switch to working with it yet. Although premium TVs are equipped with exactly this kind of HDR.
How to find out if your TV is HDR capable
If we figured out about the features of the technology, then it is logical to find out if HDR support is provided on the TV. To obtain this information, you can use one of the following methods:
- look at the instructions for the equipment;
- view information about the functionality on the official website of the manufacturer;
- talk to the consultants of the outlet where the TV of this model was purchased;
- study the technical characteristics of the equipment in a different way.
Usually, to denote this technology on Samsung equipment, they use the abbreviation HDR or write High Dynamic Range. To start watching the picture in a different quality, you just need to download the content and turn on its viewing. The show starts automatically and does not require any additional actions.
And what should the user do if his Sony must support this format, but the image is clearly of the wrong quality? To do this, you need to go to the settings. There, in the parameters of the picture, you can find out if this option is enabled. It may be in a specific TV model, but it is simply not activated. If necessary, you can reboot your television receiver.
What you can watch in HDR
Since 2015, most of the world’s popular film studios have been releasing their content in HDR in addition to the usual format. Users can only be glad that there are more realistic and high-contrast films every year. For those who enjoy this, it is worth paying attention to new items from services such as Ivi, Megogo. The same Netflix makes content in this quality and releases many new products every year.
You can see the hrd-picture on Sony game consoles. Using a small special equipment, the gamer can see some of his favorite shooters in a radically new quality. In any case, this applies to new products from leading manufacturers of games for consoles. You can evaluate the image of the future in blu ray players. The details are worked out much better, and the picture itself seems much more realistic than we had to see it before.
However, on a TV usually contemplating this format will not work, as well as enjoying the main advantages of the new picture. In order to reproduce HDR, it must support at least 4K resolution, and there are also certain requirements for color depth, brightness margin, and some other criteria. Accordingly, the content in the new quality should also be matched by the equipment that allows it to be broadcast and viewed.
How to connect HDR equipment
Sometimes users have difficulty turning on the technology on their TV model. Most often they are caused by the fact that this TV is simply not equipped with this option and cannot support it. It is automated, and you should go to the settings only in cases where it could be disabled in them.
By default, to activate this mode, you just need to launch the content that is recorded in HDR format, and it will start broadcasting in this picture quality. In the event that a specific TV model does not support this format, an error message will appear on the display. In other words, this TV cannot play files and clips recorded with this quality.
As you can see, the HDR option on a Sony TV or another brand gives the user undeniable advantages. It is enough to see a picture in a completely different, stunning contract and realistic colors once to want to have this technology at home. From now on, there is no need to manually adjust tones or brightness. The picture will become truly “alive”, as the user will be convinced from the first seconds of viewing. Likewise, you can have a completely new enjoyment of gaming on game consoles.