HDR Explained: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG

Last updated: · By WatchlyGuide Team

HDR (High Dynamic Range) expands the gap between the darkest and brightest parts of a picture and widens the colour range, so streaming looks more lifelike than standard SDR — brighter highlights, deeper blacks and richer colour. The main formats are HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG, and they differ mainly in how they carry brightness information and which devices support them. This guide explains each, what you need to watch HDR, and why it sometimes looks wrong.

The same scene shown in dull SDR beside vivid HDR with brighter highlights and deeper shadows
HDR widens both brightness and colour, so highlights pop and shadows keep detail.
On this page

What HDR Is

Standard video (SDR) can only show a limited range of brightness and colour. HDR raises the ceiling on both:

  • Dynamic range — the distance between the darkest black and the brightest highlight. HDR makes highlights (the sun, a lamp, a reflection) genuinely bright while keeping detail in shadows.
  • Wider colour — HDR uses a larger colour space and more shades (10-bit or 12-bit vs SDR’s 8-bit), so gradients are smoother and colours more vivid.

HDR is usually paired with 4K resolution, but the two are separate: HDR is about brightness and colour, resolution is about pixel count. Efficient codecs like H.265 make HDR streaming practical.

The HDR Formats

The formats differ mainly in metadata — the instructions telling your TV how bright each scene should be.

  • HDR10 — the open, royalty-free baseline. Uses static metadata: one brightness profile for the entire title. Supported by essentially every HDR TV.
  • HDR10+ — an upgrade of HDR10 with dynamic metadata that adjusts scene by scene. Royalty-free, backed by Samsung and Amazon.
  • Dolby Vision — dynamic metadata plus up to 12-bit colour. Licensed by Dolby, widely used in premium TVs and cinema; often the best-looking on capable displays.
  • HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) — built for live broadcast by the BBC and NHK. Backward-compatible: one signal looks right on both HDR and SDR TVs, ideal for live TV and sport.

Static vs dynamic metadata: static (HDR10) sets one brightness map for the whole film; dynamic (HDR10+, Dolby Vision) re-optimises every scene, so a dark scene after a bright one is tuned correctly rather than compromised.

Format Comparison Table

FormatMetadataColour depthRoyalty-free?Best for
HDR10Static10-bitYesUniversal baseline, all HDR TVs
HDR10+Dynamic10-bitYesSamsung/Amazon devices
Dolby VisionDynamicUp to 12-bitNo (licensed)Premium TVs, best picture
HLGNone (built-in)10-bitYesLive broadcast and sport

There is no single winner: HDR10 guarantees compatibility, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ improve on it scene by scene where supported, and HLG solves live broadcast. Many titles ship in more than one format and your TV picks the best it can display.

What You Need to Watch HDR

HDR needs an unbroken chain — miss one link and you get SDR:

  1. An HDR TV that supports the format, with enough brightness to show it.
  2. A streaming device that outputs HDR — see our best streaming devices guide.
  3. An app and plan that include HDR (often the premium tier).
  4. HDR content — the specific title must be mastered in HDR.
  5. HDMI 2.0a or later cable and port, with the right settings enabled.

Tip: many TVs ship with HDR limited in "eco" or "standard" picture modes. If HDR looks dim, switch to a "Cinema," "Filmmaker" or "HDR" picture mode and enable any "HDMI enhanced/deep colour" setting for the input.

Fixing HDR Problems

Symptom Likely cause Fix
HDR looks washed out Wrong picture mode / dim display Use Cinema/Filmmaker mode; check brightness
No HDR badge on the stream App, plan or title isn’t HDR Confirm the title and tier support HDR
HDR too dark TV not bright enough / bad tone mapping Adjust HDR brightness; use a brighter picture mode
Colours look wrong HDMI colour setting off Enable enhanced/deep colour for that HDMI input
Stutter in HDR 4K Device or connection can’t keep up Use a capable device; check speed

The Bottom Line

HDR is the biggest visible upgrade in modern streaming — not more pixels, but better ones, with brighter highlights, deeper blacks and richer colour. HDR10 is the universal baseline, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision refine it scene by scene, and HLG serves live TV. To enjoy it you need every link in the chain: an HDR TV, a capable device, an HDR title and the right settings. Get those right and streaming genuinely looks more like real life.

Next, see how HDR fits with resolution and the codecs that make it streamable, or check the internet speed 4K HDR needs.

Not sure about a term on this page? Look it up in the streaming glossary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HDR?

HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a video technology that expands the range between the darkest and brightest parts of a picture and widens the colour range. Compared with standard SDR, HDR gives brighter highlights, deeper blacks and more lifelike colour, making scenes look closer to what the eye sees in real life.

What is the difference between HDR10 and Dolby Vision?

HDR10 is the open baseline standard using static metadata — one set of brightness values for the whole film. Dolby Vision uses dynamic metadata that adjusts scene by scene, and supports up to 12-bit colour, so it can look better on capable TVs. Dolby Vision requires licensing, while HDR10 is free and universal.

Is HDR10+ the same as Dolby Vision?

They are rivals that both use dynamic, scene-by-scene metadata, but they are not the same. HDR10+ is royalty-free and backed by Samsung and Amazon; Dolby Vision is licensed and backed by Dolby, and is more widely supported in cinema and premium TVs. A TV may support one, both or neither.

Do I need a special TV for HDR?

Yes. To see HDR you need a TV that supports the specific HDR format, enough brightness to show it, a streaming device and app that output HDR, an HDR title, and an HDMI 2.0a or later connection. If any link in that chain is missing, the stream falls back to standard SDR.

What is HLG?

HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) is an HDR format designed for live broadcast and developed by the BBC and NHK. Its advantage is backward compatibility: the same signal looks correct on both HDR and standard SDR TVs, which makes it practical for live TV and sport where a single feed serves every viewer.

Why does my HDR look washed out or too dark?

Washed-out or dim HDR usually means a mismatch: the TV's HDR settings are off, the content is being shown on a display too dim for HDR, or a device is sending HDR to a screen that handles it poorly. Checking the TV's picture mode, brightness and the app's output settings resolves most cases.