Key Takeaways
- HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology improves the brightness, richness, and clarity of colors on a TV screen.
- HDR introduces a wider range of colors and brightness levels compared to SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) signals.
- HDR signals send metadata to the TV, providing instructions for displaying content properly.
- HDR is not the same as UHD (Ultra High Definition), as they improve viewing experiences in different ways.
- HDR allows TVs to express a wider range of dark and light tones, creating a more accurate and realistic image.
What is HDR in TV?
HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a technology that enhances the quality of the image displayed on a TV screen. It improves the brightness, richness, and clarity of colors, providing a more immersive viewing experience.
Improving Color and Brightness
HDR introduces a wider range of colors and brightness levels compared to SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) signals. This means that HDR-enabled TVs can display more vibrant and lifelike colors, as well as brighter highlights and deeper blacks.
When a movie or TV show is created, the director and cinematographer work with a colorist to ensure that the program has the right color and contrast. HDR content is the key to enjoying the benefits of HDR on a TV.
It provides the TV with specific instructions on what colors to display at which brightness levels, resulting in a more accurate representation of the original content.
Metadata and Display Instructions
HDR signals send metadata to the TV, which is a list of instructions for displaying content properly. This metadata tells the TV what exact color to display at which exact brightness level. In contrast, SDR is limited to a narrower range of brightness and colors.
The HDR label on a TV simply means that it is capable of displaying HDR movies and TV shows. However, it does not indicate how well the TV can show those images. The quality of the HDR experience depends on the content itself and the capabilities of the TV.
HDR versus UHD
It is important not to confuse HDR with UHD (Ultra High Definition), also known as 4K. While both HDR and UHD aim to improve the viewing experience, they do so in different ways.
UHD focuses on increasing the pixel count, resulting in a higher resolution image. On the other hand, HDR enhances the TV's contrast ratio and color palette to offer a more realistic and natural image.
It achieves this by capturing and processing more light information during the filming or production process.
This additional information provides more details and a wider range of brightness, resulting in better image quality.
Links and references
- Wikipedia: The page on High-dynamic-range television
- Samsung: Samsung's TV buying guide
- The New York Times: The article What Is an HDR TV? (And Why Some TVs Don't Measure Up)
- Apple Support: The article About 4K, HDR, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision on your Apple TV 4K
My article on the topic:
If you're considering a plasma TV but have some burning questions, this article has got you covered with all the frequently asked questions and their answers.
Frequently asked questions about plasma tvs
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