New Netflix Feature Unlocks Better Picture Quality For Millions Of Tv Owners

Netflix has revealed that it’s conscionable added a caller characteristic to its movie and TV show streaming work that should instantly amended image value for millions of its subscribers astir nan world.

This caller characteristic is support for nan HDR10+ precocious move scope video format; a premium type of HDR that adds other segment by segment image information to nan video watercourse that compatible TVs tin usage to reproduce much accurate, much elaborate and, usually, much move looking HDR pictures.

Netflix has been providing HDR to premium tier subscribers pinch nan immense mostly of its caller in-productions for years. Until now, though, these HDR productions person only been disposable either successful nan halfway HDR10 format, which doesn’t supply circumstantial segment by segment image information, aliases successful Dolby Vision. Like HDR10+, Dolby Vision besides introduces other segment by segment information to nan video watercourse – but it’s not supported by each TVs.

An illustration from Netflix of really its caller HDR10+ support (bottom) tin clasp much item successful very ... More agleam HDR areas.

Samsung, successful particular, has ne'er supported Dolby Vision connected its TVs; indeed, Samsung was really nan main driving unit down processing HDR10+ arsenic an unfastened root replacement to Dolby Vision (which requires a licence to use), and almost each of its HDR-capable TVs person carried HDR10+ support for almost a decade now.

Given that Samsung has been nan world’s number 1 trading TV marque for 19 consecutive years, nan brand’s deficiency of Dolby Vision support must beryllium capable successful itself to mean location are galore millions of imaginable Netflix subscribers retired location astir nan world whose TVs person until now been restricted to nan basal HDR10 strategy for watching Netflix shows. And that’s earlier you besides return into relationship that location are/have been plentifulness of different different-brand TVs and, much recently, projectors successful nan world that besides support nan HDR10+ enhanced HDR strategy but not Dolby Vision.

With this successful mind it makes cleanable consciousness for Netflix to subordinate rivals including Apple TV+, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video successful adding HDR10+ support to its platform. In fact, arguably nan biggest astonishment present is why it’s taken nan usually innovative streaming level truthful long.

A speedy scan of HDR contented connected Netflix shows that nan HDR10+ support has rolled retired already crossed an extended scope of content. This doesn’t conscionable see Netflix’s ain caller productions, either; it’s already coming connected immoderate caller third-party films specified arsenic Universal’s Super Mario Bros Movie, and No Hard Feelings.

The Netflix header accusation for The Super Mario Bros Movie connected a caller Samsung Tv now intelligibly ... More says that nan movie is disposable successful HDR10+.

In a station astir nan caller HDR10+ support connected its Tech Blog, Netflix reveals that it’s been beavering distant for immoderate clip now astatine creating HDR10+ streams for “both caller releases and existing celebrated HDR titles.” In fact, it states that HDR10+ support now accounts for 50% of each “eligible viewing hours,” adding that it will “continue expanding [its] HDR10+ offerings pinch nan extremity of providing an HDR10+ acquisition for each HDR titles by nan extremity of this year.”

That’s a bold declare fixed really overmuch HDR contented Netflix has connected its platform, but fixed really overmuch HDR10+ contented it’s managed to make disposable astatine motorboat location seems nary logic to uncertainty that it will get location complete nan adjacent 8 months.

Netflix’s Tech Blog besides explains that its HDR10+ streams are being delivered utilizing nan ultra-efficient AV1 video codec which nan streamer first enabled for its SDR streams, adding that Netflix expects that utilizing AV1 for HDR10+ will soon make it nan astir streamed Netflix codec, overtaking nan H.264/AVC system.

As good arsenic needing an HDR10+ and AV1-capable TV (or different video streaming device), accessing HDR10+ streams will require a Netflix Premium scheme subscription.

If you’ve sewage a TV that supports Dolby Vision alternatively than HDR10+, don’t worry: The summation of HDR10+ to Netflix’s streaming options isn’t going to supplant nan streamer’s agelong moving Dolby Vision support. In fact, 1 of nan footnotes to nan Netflix Tech Blog station stresses that nan streamer “continues to judge only Dolby Vision masters connected nan ingest side, i.e. for each contented transportation to Netflix arsenic per our transportation specification,” adding that “our encoding pipeline is designed pinch elasticity and extensibility wherever each these HDR formats could beryllium derived from a azygous Dolby Vision deliverable efficiently astatine scale.”

Also, if you person a TV that’s tin of playing some nan HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats, it appears (from testing it pinch a European TCL P755K model) that Netflix will default to nan Dolby Vision watercourse alternatively than HDR10+.

—

Related Reading

Optoma Launches New Flagship 4K Home Cinema Laser Projector With Universal HDR Support

TCL Announces Mini LED TVs With New HVA Panels And Halo Control Technology

Disney Unveils First Star Wars And Marvel TV Show 4K Blu-rays With Dolby Vision