The companies behind the HDR10+ standard have made a significant step to taking on the likes of Dolby Vision by allowing manufacturers to meet specific criteria and qualify as ‘HDR10+ capable.’
The fruits of the HDR collaboration between tech powerhouses including Samsung, Panasonic, 20th Century Fox and Amazon is closer to coming to our TVs with a newly introduced programme meaning TV manufacturers can prove their ability to handle the display format.
Billed as an “upgraded HDR standard,” the Alliance first started spreading word about HDR10+ – introduced to adjust brightness levels on a frame-by-frame basis – in April 2017. All involved have since been hard at work developing a platform which they hope will encourage companies to get involved and proudly display a HDR10+ logo on their hardware.
The key point of difference between HDR10, Dolby Vision and the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) formats comes down to Dynamic Tone Mapping. Word from Samsung and Amazon is that the key difference they're pushing is that HDR10+ can adjust brightness levels on a scene-by-scene basis or frame-by-frame basis (whereas the HDR10 standard’s static metadata that does not change based on scene-specific brightness levels necessary to maximise image quality). One limitation of HDR10+, however, is its 10-bit colour palette, versus the 12-bit offered by Dolby.
Of course, companies have to pay to quality for Dolby Vision, whereas qualifying as HDR10+-ready will be free. We’re yet to see who will be the first to ramp up its HDR10+ marketing on its TVs, but it’s a safe bet that it will be either Samsung or Panasonic.