Types of hdr in televisions: complete guide

If you are thinking of buying a TV, chances are you've thought about opting for one with 4K UHD and HDR. The quality of 4K UHD screens is about 4 times higher than Full HD, so you are entering an image quality in which the human eye is already struggling or cannot distinguish pixels. However, we can still further improve image quality depending on the HDR (High Dynamic Range) standard you have. Do you have doubts, right? Ok, well, we are going to explain what types of HDR televisions have so you can easily decide.

Types of HDR in televisions

Televisions have evolved a lot over time and it is no longer as easy as before to choose a specific model. For many years we were guided by the brands of each TV to predict the quality it would offer us, but now many important factors come into play, such as HDR. If you have doubts about what HDR is, you can check it in this article before going to the guide.

Depending on the television you buy, you will have a different type of HDR standard, so it is important to review it calmly before deciding on one. If you are a perfectionist when it comes to image quality, this comprehensive guide with all the details will surely help you a little. And before moving on to the guide, if you can take a look at these tips to buy a good television.

Currently, there are two great HDR standards on the market, and some name variations that will depend on the TV manufacturer. But basically, we will find these two types of HDR: HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

HDR10, the most popular HDR standard

Despite the fact that HDR10 is the most popular standard, as far as HDR types in televisions are concerned, there are still many consumers who do not know how to distinguish them correctly, since it hardly ever appears among the television specifications, much less in the summaries of web pages or information sheets of physical stores.

And how to distinguish which television meets the HDR10 standard? Well, you will only have to look for the Ultra HD Premium certification. It has this logo:

The HDR 10 standard is the most popular among manufacturers and distributors, and one of the most widely supported as it is an open standard that can be used without paying licenses. Compliance with this standard guarantees the use of a 10-bit panel on television, which allows us to obtain a greater color depth, a brightness similar to that of the Dolby Vision standard.

Dolby Vision, Dolby's HDR standard

Dolby Vision is the HDR standard of the Dolby Laboratories brand. It is currently the most complex and advanced HDR standard, but it also requires a higher cost for dealers and manufacturers.

The problem, or advantage, of Dolby Vision is that you need a dedicated chip, that the media player is certified, and that the display is also certified. There are three essential requirements. This is precisely why Dolby Vision is present in high-end televisions, as they are the last to pay Dolby Laboratories royalties for their use.

Regarding the specifications, Dolby Vision requires a brightness of 0 to 10, 000 nits, with a color depth of no more and no less than 12 bits. It is, so to speak, a highly powered HDR.

But we have not yet reached the best. Each picture frame that is part of the TV panel receives individualized information of what is its dynamic range in which it must work, while HDR 10 uses the same dynamic range for the entire panel.

What televisions have these types of HDR?

It is the most important question if we are looking for a television with a truly exceptional quality. There are several types of HDR in televisions, but we must distinguish them following the distinctive ones that we have seen previously. However, in some cases we may not have the box on hand, or we may not find the certifications. Be careful not to be fooled!

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Only high-end OLED and LED TVs are up to the Dolby Vision standard, as it requires high processing capacity, and as we discussed earlier, a dedicated chip to individually select the dynamic range of each picture frame.

On the other hand, the HDR10 is much more common and we can find it in high-end televisions without too many problems.

But we must take into account two important factors:

A television with HDR10 cannot play Dolby Vision. A television with Dolby Vision can play Dolby Vision and HDR10.

So if you find the UltraHD Premium certification on a television, with great security you will not have Dolby Vision because it is redundant. Neither does UltraHD Premium on TVs with Dolby Vision.

Other HDR standards that we can find in televisions

HDR10 has the support of a large majority of manufacturers and distributors, as it is free to use as we have discussed. Dolby Vision on the other hand takes the favors of high-end television manufacturers.

However, there are other types of HDR that are becoming popular and that we find in more and more products:

HLG: This type of HDR, which stands for Hybrid Log-Gamma , has behind the British giants BBC and NHK, a Japanese public broadcasting company. This standard in particular could have a great future, since it is completely free of use. Technicolor HDR: Technicolor SA has the rights on this type of HDR. At the moment it does not have much support, but it will surely emerge in a few years, since it is a firm that deals with large film producers, so it has great support from these creators.

Now that we know what types of HDR we can find on televisions, we just have to look for those same badges in the content that we reproduce on our television. Amazon, Netflix or HBO already publish content in HDR, so take advantage of it and enjoy your content in the best possible quality.

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