What’s so special about HDR?
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and has traditionally been a photographic technique that’s been in use for a number of years. The process involves a camera taking multiple shots of the same thing, but at differing exposure rates. These are then combined to make a single photograph with a richer contrast of light and dark areas, making the colours appear more vivid. Now this idea of an expanded light and colour range is appearing, albeit using different technologies, on TVs, smartphones, and consoles, all of which boast a generally improved viewing experience.
HDR on TVs
Many of the 4K TVs launched in 2017, certainly in the mid-to-upper tier, boast HDR as a significant feature. In fact, this is arguably more important than the 4K aspect itself, as the wider colour gamut and increased contrast ratios that HDR brings to the table will have a far greater impact on the viewer than the additional pixels on the screen. Just take a look at our Best TV 2017 chart and you’ll see that HDR enabled sets dominate the landscape.
Unlike on digital photography, the HDR feature on TVs doesn’t need to combine multiple images. Instead, thanks to advances in display and processing technology, the devices just have a wider pool to draw from and content created specifically with HDR in mind. The end results are versions of movies and TV shows where dark colours look darker, bright colours brighter, and everything is just that much more alive and realistic. In fact, some digital photographers bemoan the overly rich results of HDR on cameras, saying that everything looks too impressive and dramatic. But the HDR on TVs is almost universally accepted as a marked improvement to standard displays.
The Soap Opera Effect
One area of confusion that needs to be addressed here is that some people complain about the pictures on 4K HDR TVs making everything look weirdly flat and cheap, like a daytime soap. This has nothing to do with HDR, and is something called Motion Interpolation. This tries to make video smoother, but usually has the adverse effect of transforming big budget productions into something akin to home movies. Such is the widespread distaste for this approach, that it’s been coined the ‘soap-opera effect’. Thankfully it’s easy to remove, as you just need to go into your TV’s settings and turn off Auto Motion Plus or similarly named feature.
Where can I get HDR content to watch?
Take a look out our Best media player chart for a complete list of the current crop. Netflix also requires moving to its Premium tier to access UHD content, which costs £9.99 p/m.
Are there different types of HDR?
Unfortunately, there are multiple HDR formats at the moment. This is because the format is still in its infancy, but it can make things a bit confusing for those entering into the fray.
Can you get HDR on smartphones?
There are also a growing number of premium devices that are now capable of supporting the new Mobile HDR content. These include the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, LG G6 and V30, Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, Note 8, and the new iPhone X. Just remember that streaming 4K HDR video uses a lot of data, so watching it on the bus might destroy your monthly allowance before you get to work. HDR might not seem like it could make that much of a difference for TVs and smartphones, but once you’ve adjusted to the image quality it provides you’ll struggle to go back to older devices. It’s a little like going from SD to HD. Sure, you can live with SD, but why would you want to once you’ve seen what’s on offer in the field next door? The grass is not only greener, it’s got much better lighting. Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews for Macworld and its sister site Tech Advisor.
