Projectors
What is HDR?
HDR stands for high dynamic range. It is a way of recording and showing video that keeps detail in very bright and very dark areas at the same time, with more shades of color. Seeing it takes three things: HDR content, a device that can read it and a display able to show it.
The formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG
HDR10 is the basic, open format: almost all HDR content uses it, and it sets a single brightness mapping for the whole film. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision add information scene by scene, so the device adapts the picture moment to moment. HLG is the format designed for live television.
The formats are not interchangeable: a device only shows the ones it supports. If content arrives in one it does not support, it normally plays it in HDR10 or in standard picture.
"HDR compatible" does not guarantee the effect
A device accepting an HDR signal means it can read it, not that it has the brightness and contrast to do it justice. On projectors and low brightness displays the difference from standard picture can be small.
On security cameras, HDR (sometimes called WDR) has a different job: it combines several exposures so that a backlit area and a shaded one are both visible at once, for example a doorway with the sun behind it.
What to check before you buy
- Check which formats it supports: HDR10 is the minimum; HDR10+ and Dolby Vision are extras.
- On a projector, HDR depends on real brightness: check the ANSI lumens.
- To stream in HDR, the app and your plan with the service must offer it too.
Guides to help you choose
Frequently asked questions
No. 4K is resolution: how many dots the picture has. HDR is dynamic range: how much difference there is between the brightest and the darkest parts. They often come together, but they are different things.