The High Dynamic Range classic HDR10, which is used on all HDR streaming services, downloads, and Ultra HD Blu-rays, is probably already familiar to you.
Therefore, all content providers and companies that support high dynamic range use HDR10. HDR10 uses static metadata, therefore even though it is required, it has some drawbacks. With regard to the black level and the peak brightness that characterize the gamma curve, HDR10 material has a single set of information (metadata) that relates to the entire movie.
Samsung, Panasonic, and 20th Century Fox worked together to develop HDR10+, an open source and royalty-free dynamic metadata platform. Unlike HDR10, which uses static metadata and can only apply one gamma curve for the entire movie, HDR10+ enables content creators to produce HDR video with the full benefits of dynamic metadata, allowing TVs to alter the tone mapping gamma curve on a scene-by-scene approach.
A superior HDR watching experience is delivered by dynamically adjusting the tone mapping curve scene by scene to optimize the appearance of the movie for the TV’s capabilities. The initial HDR10+ announcement by Samsung was made in cooperation with Amazon, however it was based on the dynamic metadata industry standard SMPTE 2094-40.
In order to appeal to studios and manufacturers, this new version of HDR10+, which is based on SMPTE 2094-40, has been enhanced and given additional flexibility.
How do Dynamic Metadata function?
For the black level and maximum brightness, HDR10+ uses dynamic metadata, which enables the technology to apply a variable tone mapping curve from scene to scene. The same contrast, gradation, brightness, and color enhancement are applied consistently throughout an entire piece of HDR10 content thanks to static metadata and tone mapping. However, with HDR10+, dynamic metadata combined with tone mapping enables each scene to be uniquely color optimized for a specific TV, resulting in a superior HDR experience that more closely resembles the original goals of the content creators.
Currently, Samsung, Panasonic, and 20th Century Fox are the main supporters of HDR10+. These companies have partnered to create and promote HDR10+ through a certification and logo program. To formalize and regulate the licensing process and entice new partners like content producers and consumer electronics companies, the three companies have established a licensing corporation.
Philips, Hisense, and TCL have also openly stated their desire to embrace HDR10+ in addition to Samsung and Panasonic. The only studios that presently support HDR10+ are 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., though we haven’t seen much stuff from either of them in terms of their content.
Do 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc standards include HDR10+?
Yes, at the start of 2018, HDR10+ was added to the requirements for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and the first 4K discs to use the format were two IMAX Enhanced releases. In early 2019, 20th Century Fox also intends to start producing 4K discs with HDR10+, despite the fact that no other studio has made any public declarations to that effect. Samsung, Panasonic, and Oppo all produce players that support HDR10+.
Dolby Vision definition
Another HDR with dynamic metadata is called Dolby Vision. It is based on the SMPTE 2094-10 industry standard and, in most ways, it is quite similar to HDR10+. The primary distinction is that Dolby Vision has a closed-source architecture and licensing costs because it is a technology that belongs exclusively to Dolby. Similar to HDR10+, Dolby Vision uses an HDR10 base layer and adds a second layer of dynamic metadata. However, Dolby Vision uses 12-bit video depth rather than HDR10+ 10-bit’s video depth and can be provided over HDMI 1.4 and above.
What are the main differences between Dolby Vision and HDR10+?
Considering that HDR10+ is open-source, manufacturers are able to create the technology on their own and integrate dynamic metadata according to their own knowledge. Others prefer the Dolby approach, which provides some consistency in the grading, distribution, and display of HDR video with dynamic metadata in the absence of any agreed-upon industry standardization.
Another major difference between HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is that the former does not require the payment of royalties, whilst the latter does. Dolby Vision does use 12-bit video depth as opposed to HDR10+ 10-bit video, but it’s important to note that 12-bit displays are neither now offered nor anticipated for release for some time.
As was already mentioned, both technologies use dynamic metadata in addition to the same HDR PQ curve, but the methods used to accomplish this are different. Since Dolby’s technology is a closed-source platform, all TVs must be centrally calibrated and approved by Dolby. Some TV manufacturers are unwilling to give Dolby such a large amount of control because they believe it stifles innovation.
While HDR10+ can be provided via HDMI 2.0, Dolby Vision can be delivered over HDMI 1.4 or above. There is enough space in HDMI 2.0 to handle both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, even though HDMI 2.1 enables dynamic metadata.
In terms of video streaming, Dolby Vision has more support than HDR10+, with Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes all supporting this technology. At the moment, only Amazon supports HDR10+. The same is true for studio support, with only 20th Century Fox presently supporting HDR10+, while Sony, Warners, Disney, Universal, Paramount, and Lionsgate all provide Dolby Vision material. With the exception of Samsung, who only supports HDR10+, all TV manufacturers currently support Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision gives visual creators the ability to enhance your favorite films, TV shows, and video games with deeper depth, better contrast, and more colors than you could ever imagine. By dynamically adjusting the image quality based on your service, device, and platform to produce stunning visuals every time, it unlocks the full potential of HDR technology. photo: Dolby Vision
