Samsung and Panasonic already sell HDR10+ certified TVs and starting this month other companies can join the movement. HDR10+ is an open format created as an alternative to Dolby Vision.
HDR10+ certification
The HDR10+ format was created by Samsung but has since been transferred into a joint venture company called HDR10+ Technologies. Other members include 20th Century Fox and Panasonic. Amazon and Warner Bros have committed to offering HDR10+ content but are not part of the alliance. European Philips TVs will also support HDR10+.
HDR10+ employs dynamic tone mapping to “reflect frame to frame or scene to scene variations in brightness, color saturation, and contrast”. It builds on the base HDR10 format to ensure backwards compatibility. HDR10+ was created as an open format and an alternative to Dolby’s proprietary Dolby Vision format.
- “The new HDR10+ licensing and certification program represents a technological step forward for next generation displays,” said Danny Kaye, EVP, 20th Century Fox and Managing Director, Fox Innovation Lab. “HDR10+ improves the viewing experience for all audiences by delivering higher picture quality to a wider range of affordable TVs and devices.”
Samsung and Panasonic have launched HDR10+ compatible TVs but playback devices are still missing. Starting this month, other companies can apply for a HDR10+ license. The alliance says that the format is “royalty-free” but makers of playback devices must pay an annual $2500 administration fee while display manufacturers must pay $10,000 annually. It is free for content providers and distributors. Look for the logo embedded above to confirm whether a product supports HDR10+.
- “The HDR10+ platform was also designed to allow for future development and innovation in order to deliver a more powerful technology in the years to come,” the alliance said without further comment.
LG, Loewe, Sony, TCL, Vizio, and others are currently behind Dolby Vision so it will be interesting to see if any of these companies jump on the HDR10+ bandwagon. There are no TVs on the market that support both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision but Panasonic intends to launch the first combo UHD Blu-ray players this year.
It was confirmed that over 40 companies are onboard but a full list was not announced. Now that licensing has started, we should soon start seeing more products hit the consumer market. The first UHD Blu-ray discs have yet to be announced. We expect to hear much more at the IFA 2018 show in Berlin in September.
- Source: HDR10+ Technologies (1, 2)