What is HDR TV?

Have you noticed that TV content
looks a bit different compared to
the way that you’ve seen it in the past?
Continue reading on to learn more
about HDR.

What does HDR mean?

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and refers to a technique that expresses details in content in both very bright and very dark scenes. It offers a more natural and realistic picture output even with a widened range of contrast. For example, in a very dark cave scene, HDR TVs show the appearance and color of the cave walls as well as its texture. And in a scene with a yacht on the ocean, individual sunbeams are clearly seen shining regardless of the bright sunlit background. You're probably reading this article from your computer screen or mobile phone right now and if your device doesn't support HDR, you're missing out on the full experience and understanding of what HDR can really do. So do yourself a favor and visit your nearest electronics store and experience HDR TV quality for yourself because seeing is believing.

A TV marked with "HDR" is displaying the beach sunset image with High Dynamic Range.

What's the difference?
HDR vs UHD

UHD (Ultra High Definition) resolution and HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology work together to improve picture quality—they simply accomplish this in different ways. UHD resolution (also referred to as 4K) is a measurement of pixel quantity (more pixels create higher resolutions). HDR is a technology that allows your TV to express a wider range of dark and light color tones. Together, UHD (4K) and HDR create a more accurate and realistic picture. When you see these terms as you look for your new TV, remember that they are not competing standards so you don’t need to choose one or the other.

Types of HDR

There are various kinds of HDR standards, but 'HDR10' is the most commonly used. Recently, a new technology called HDR10+ has been introduced, and the difference between that and HDR10 is whether dynamic metadata* or static metadata is used. Dynamic HDR technology means applying metadata to each scene, and then delivering a more optimized picture quality compared to that of static HDR technology.

* Metadata refers to the additional image information found within content. This includes the color and brightness information used in the HDR image mastering process.

* It shows differences between HDR10+ and HDR10. Both of them show 'look the same' in the first image.
The photos of Dynamic metadata (HDR10+) show 'Better color saturation' and 'Balanced brightness', but the other pictures with Static metadata (HDR10) display 'Slightly under-saturated' and 'Unbalanced brightness'.

Enjoy HDR Content

Content producers are now freer than ever to make top-notch content in 4K+ quality with HDR. With so many devices that let content producers express themselves in the way they want, overall content has become more abundant. Also with numerous types of services such as Streaming, IPTV and Set-top boxes available to enjoy all this new content, the only thing left for you to do is to get a HDR TV that will display this content to its full potential.

Where can I see
HDR10+ content?

You can stream HDR10+ through the Prime Video and YouTube apps.
A growing number of UHD Blu-ray discs are also available with HDR10+
from major studios Warner Bros, Universal, 20th Century Fox, and Lionsgate.
Look for the HDR10+ logo on UHD Blu-ray Discs.
You can even shoot HDR10+ video on your Galaxy Phone and then view it on your TV.

Remember 4 things when you choose HDR TV

In order to get one of the best HDR experiences, the following should be considered:
How well bright content can be expressed, how well dark black content can be expressed and how accurately different colors can be expressed.
These are the key factors that determine the quality of a TV set with HDR.

* Local dimming is a technology that locally controls the backlight behind parts of the screen in order to make real black.

* A checklist for buying the best HDR TV shows 4 things, It is paired with the text HDR Type with HDR10+ (Dynamic metadata),
Brightness with HDR 1000 nits or above, Black with Local Dimming*, and Color with and Color Volume 100%.

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