If you are on this post, it means you are here to ask, What Is Dolby Vision TV? We have its definition and uses. Dolby Vision TV is supposed to be a revolution in televisions. It sounds too good to be true, but companies like LG and Sony have already released their Dolby Vision TVs.
How do I get started in watching HDR programming?
At the moment, there are three Hollywood studios that have released movies with Dolby Vision: Disney, Lionsgate, and Universal. These titles are available to purchase on UHD/4K Blu-ray discs.
Because these discs also meet Ultra HD Premium standards, they will play just fine through your current 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player connected to your 2016 TV or projector when you get it home.
What Is Dolby Vision TV? Explained
Dolby Vision is a high dynamic range (HDR) technology that delivers greater brightness and contrast than any other HDR format. With up to 4000 nits of peak brightness, it is designed to deliver the highest-quality source material possible. This also comes with higher contrast ratios and wider color gamuts for an engaging viewing experience.
What’s the difference between Dolby Vision, HDR10 & HLG?
The differences between these three differ in several aspects, but we’ll keep it simple – Dolby vision is a TV format that consists of both mastering and playback standards, while HDR10 & HLG are just standards for content mastered in HDR.
As you probably know, there are currently no means of getting HDR content besides buying an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc. However, it’s not possible to watch this on non-UHDTVs since there is no way to deliver the information due to scaling issues (no HDTV can display more than 8 bits).
Once HDR gets broadcasted on TV, it will be using HLG format, which is backward compatible with SDR TVs, while Dolby vision will most likely use a different delivery method entirely.
That said, if your current TV supports any of these formats, then future HDR TVs should be able to decode the signals that they receive.
At this moment in time, it’s safe to assume that most upcoming TVs with support for one of these formats will also support others, but we’ll have to wait and see. Since Dolby Vision is a TV standard, what do you need to watch?
You’ll need a compatible TV and device capable of sending out the signal (e.g Xbox One S). Also, you should be able to switch between modes in your TV’s settings menu – when enabled it will automatically switch when playing content that is mastered with Dolby Vision. It looks like this:
- HDR mode on Sony X800D 4k Smart LED TV As for devices, the only one currently available in the USA is Xbox One S due to licensing issues mentioned earlier. We’re not sure yet about other regions though since Microsoft has partnered up with several studios to bring out HDR titles.
In the EU for example, Philips and Technicolor have partnered up to make a device called ‘4K Blu-ray disc player with High Dynamic Range, which is capable of decoding Dolby Vision on discs as well as streaming it from your PC via HDMI 2.0a connection. When will I be able to watch content in this format?
Watch this video: What Is Dolby Vision TV? (Definitions and Uses)
What makes Dolby Vision so great?
To start, it uses dynamic metadata that adjusts brightness levels frame by frame, just like how the human eye sees. This means scenes are significantly more lifelike with brighter highlights, deeper blacks, richer colors, and improved contrast across the board for truly brilliant picture quality unlike anything else available today.
The difference between average HDR and true home theater-quality Dolby Vision is far greater than even 4K vs HD. But what does this mean if you’re not a display technology expert?
Simply put: Dolby Vision, like HDR10 and most other advanced TV technologies, is meant to provide a better viewing experience, something that will make you want to sit closer to the screen for an immersive experience.
Dolby Vision TVs have already been on the market for over a year now. In fact, there are more than 500 models available from leading brands around the world with many more on the way.
There’s also tons of new content being created in Dolby Vision too, movies from major studios, and some 4K streaming services. So no matter what type of content you watch, Hollywood films, live sports events, or new hit shows, it’ll look even more amazing on your TV with superior image quality.
How do you get Dolby Vision?
Simply look for one of these logos in our TV Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) Certification Database before purchasing any new 4K UHD TV! If it doesn’t have one of these logos, you won’t be able to watch the latest content in true home theater-quality Dolby Vision.
The bottom line is that when you’re buying a brand-new high-quality TV, it should also have the best viewing experience technology has to offer. And if that’s not the case, then go with something else.
You deserve better, and that means only enjoying great entertainment when you choose a television with superior picture quality–which includes access to the full range of color and luminance where your eyes are most sensitive, the entire visible spectrum.
Dolby Vision has been available for quite some time now. If your TV doesn’t have an official Dolby Vision logo on it, then you probably purchased one that wasn’t certified to support this technology.
We’ve been sure to update our TV ISF Certification Database with all brands and models that are Dolby Vision compatible, so you’ll know whether your TV can display its content in true home theater quality.
Is Dolby Vision content designed only for 4K Ultra HD TVs?
No, Dolby Vision content can be created in different aspect ratios at different resolutions. As more content is produced in 4K Ultra HD resolution, the majority of movies will also be released in 4K UHD through physical media such as Ultra HD Blu-ray discs or streaming services like Netflix.
A small number of titles will be available in 2K or HD resolution at lower prices. All 4K Ultra HD TVs support the playback of Dolby Vision content, however, only HDR TVs (4K Ultra HD TVs with built-in high dynamic range technology) offers all three color enhancement technologies (HDR, WCG and DV).
Dolby has also developed a new home entertainment format called “Dolby Vision™ Pulsar”, which adds an additional layer of data to the video signal enabling more efficient streaming over HDMI.
This can benefit 4K UHD TV owners who may not have access to fast Internet speeds needed for 4K UHD video streaming. However there are no plans for this new format to replace the current pipeline of 4K Ultra HD physical media.
Dolby Vision content can be played on any 4K UHD TV, regardless of the manufacturer or model. However, to take advantage of DV technology, you must also own a DV-compatible A/V receiver and Dolby Atmos speaker system. Content mastered in Dolby Vision is optimized for playback on these devices together with HDR TVs.
Dolby has also developed a new home entertainment format called “Dolby Vision Pulsar”, which adds an additional layer of data to the video signal enabling more efficient streaming over HDMI.
This can benefit 4K UHD TV owners who may not have access to the fast Internet speeds needed for 4K UHD video streaming. However, there are no plans for this new format to replace the current 4K Ultra HD physical media pipeline.
Dolby Vision content can be played on any 4K UHD TV, regardless of the manufacturer or model. However, to take advantage of DV technology, you must also own a DV-compatible A/V receiver and Dolby Atmos speaker system. Content mastered in Dolby Vision is optimized for playback on these devices together with HDR TVs.
Is there any programming currently available in Dolby Vision?
Dolby Vision has been supported in three premium Hollywood movies that have been released so far: Disney’s “Tomorrowland,” Lionsgate’s “The Divergent Series: Insurgent,” and Universal Pictures’ “Unbroken.”
The first Dolby Vision certified television sets are expected in 2015. UHDTVs, with the new Dolby Vision technology, will be able to play these titles when they become available. Other Hollywood studios are working on adding their content to this list. Stay tuned for announcements coming soon.
Where does Dolby Vision fit into all of this?
Dolby has developed and is promoting its own standard for High Dynamic Range, which the company calls “Dolby Vision.”
It’s a proprietary version of HDR that specifies luminance levels up to 4,000 nits. Also, it uses 12-bit color depth (compared with 10-bit color depth supported by other standards such as Ultra HD Premium).
Is there any programming currently available in HDR?
Much of the current UHD/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray library features High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology developed through the companies’ joint efforts in shaping an open standard intended to maintain compatibility among all vendors’ implementations of HDR and specifications of Ultra HD Premium.
Conclusion- What Is Dolby Vision TV
Dolby Vision will be great, but there seems to be a conflict in Dolby’s philosophy. They want to “apply once and content everywhere,” yet at the same time, they require that their hardware developers make very specific components.
If mandatory specific hardware gets locked out of the market by (in this case) Sony/Amazon, then it will limit how quickly DV takes off in 4K.
