Today’s televisions are saturated with various technologies, and manufacturers are more than ever trying to use more such technologies to better compete with other companies. Amidst such a deluge of information, one can easily get lost and fall for marketing slogans.
In the article below, you will find out which technologies currently used in TVs make a difference and what you should pay attention to when buying new equipment.
The HDR is probably the most widely advertised standard at the moment, enhancing the look of the picture, but that is no coincidence. The high tonal range is now a key technology; without it, viewing movies or TV series (and even playing games) begins to lose meaning. Content creators are optimizing their works for HDR-enabled TVs because every new TV boasts support for this standard.
A key issue when choosing a TV is to find out what version of HDR the receiver you are interested in has. The most common standards on the market are HLG, HDR 10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
Instead, HLG is now a relic of the past, enabling both HDR and SDR TVs to play the signal. However, with the former, viewers get a much better contrast and a more significant number of colors. The solution is still used by most TV stations broadcasting in HDR.
The HDR10 and HDR 10+ guarantee that there will be much more detail in the frame, the colors will be more vivid, and with “demanding” scenes, the bright image will not blend into the background. Simply put, we get a huge difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the picture. HDR10+ is an enhanced version of basic HDR10 (the difference is mainly the use of dynamic tone mapping), & if you have the opportunity, go for devices with HDR10+.
Dolby Vision is an HDR standard developed entirely by and licensed exclusively to Dolby (HDR10 and HDR10+ are open sources, no licensing fees required). It offers several times more hues and higher maximum brightness than HDR 10.
If you are looking for the best image quality, look to Dolby Vision. Not all picture sources can support this standard. Still, higher-end TVs support several different HDR technologies, which is the optimal solution.