Netflix now requires films to be made in HDR

Netflix now requires cinematographers to capture and finish new original films in HDR (High Dynamic Range), according to Variety. The new rule should help establish HDR as the new norm.

The HDR rule
It is certainly not unusual to find new TV series and films on Netflix in Dolby Vision HDR but it will be even more commonplace in the future. Netflix now requires that its new films are captured in HDR.

At the Camerimage 2019 show in Poland, some cinematographers expressed surprise, according to Variety, and said that Netflix should have communicated the change to filmmakers earlier as HDR must be planned from the start of a film production.

One filmmaker emphasized that the new rule "could benefit the viewing experience for TV viewers".



HDR is short for High Dynamic Range, an extended luminance range from deep black to bright white. In practical terms HDR also covers a wider color gamut (Rec.2020) that includes a larger percentage of the colors visible to the human eye (compared to non-HDR video in Rec.709 color gamut). With a high-end HDR-capable TV, HDR video can lift the viewing experience quite considerably.

By requiring both films and TV series to be made in HDR, Netflix is pushing a notoriously conservative sector forward in a bid to make HDR video the new norm.

Earlier this month, Apple and Disney both launched their new streaming services with lots of content available in 4K HDR.

Netflix will soon release Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, which is also expected to be available in Dolby Vision HDR.

- Source: Variety