in depth: HDR: welcome to the next big shift in home entertainment ~ lotfi

Introduction and the impact of HDR

UPDATE: Netflix won't be the only HDR in town anymore. Amazon has unveiled that it will bring HDR content to its Prime Instant Video service in later this year, starting with its own original content.

Talk of 4K TV has become pervasive, and if the hardware on display at CES 2015 was any indication, a plethora of companies are lined up to ride the momentum.

Several other home entertainment innovations became ubiquitous at the trade show, such as LG's Quantum Dot LED TVs, or Samsung's line of premium SUHD TVs that will supposedly upgrade the already-existing Ultra-HD standards.

But in the shadow of these improvements, conversations stir of another development – it's called high dynamic range, or HDR, and it could spark the next shift in TV hardware.

What is HDR?

High dynamic range isn't completely new, at least outside of TV hardware. High-end cameras and recent smartphone apps utilize HDR for higher quality photos. By combining several photos taken during a single burst, HDR leaves less room for error, and in most lighting conditions, garners striking results.

Separate photos are taken at different exposures during the process. These are called stops, and the amount of light is doubled from one to the next. So while the first stop produces an extremely dark image, the last result is exceptionally bright, lending better luminosity to the final portmanteau photo.

HDR video, though, is shot with an expanded range – it captures darker shadows and brighter whites during the shooting process. It doesn't really combine the lights and darks, but separates them even further, creating a wider array of possible colors – HDR TVs are the only foreseeable option for doing the image justice on the screen.

HIgh Dynamic Range

Different cameras have varying numbers of stops when using HDR imaging, but all in all, the process allows for images that regular digital photography wouldn't be able to capture. HDR is bringing media closer to what the human eye sees, and by doing so, is creating more realistic images, from scenes bleached with sunlight, to nighttime shots on city streets.

How will HDR affect the viewing experience?

4K is the biggest trend in viewing hardware today, and for good reason – it delivers four times the normal amount of pixels than 1080p, presenting finer detail and better textures. Companies such as Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG are busy moving their 4K TVs onto store shelves this year, and improvements in hardware will allow more viewers to see content with the increased resolution.

High Dynamic Range

But HDR is markedly different because of how it actually changes the picture. Colors are more vibrant, blacks are deeper, objects more pronounced. Hues are also more exaggerated, alternating between cool and warm in the same image.

The key here is brightness: the majority of TVs today have a typical brightness of 400 nits (the unit for luminance), while some made the leap to about 750 in 2014. HDR TVs, though, have a maximum nit count of about 1,000. That increase means the difference between normal outdoor scenes and more realistic ones.

So in movies shot with HDR-compatible cameras, desert scenes will be much clearer, with colors and brightness more akin to actual sunlight. Winter shots will present a higher disparity between buildings and surrounding snow. While 4K increases the resolution quality of the picture being shown, HDR increases the colors, contrast and all around realism.

Once HDR becomes a household viewing standard, more and more film and TV crews will likely begin shooting with HDR-compatible cameras.

What can I watch in HDR and when?

What content is (or will be) available to watch in HDR?

Because of the novelty of HDR at this stage, there isn't much content to prove its staying power. The technology is still in the experimental phase for movies, and only a few instances are on the horizon for TV. However, there are more on the way.

Dolby and Warner Bros. announced three movies on the way in HDR: "Edge of Tomorrow," "Into the Storm," and "Lego Movie." The partners plan to stream these movies on Dolby TVs, and while the current models won't fully demonstrate HDR's potential, it may encourage more entities to follow suit.

High Dynamic Range

Netflix in particular has been a vocal proponent for HDR. Marco Polo, a Netflix original about the explorer and his encounter with Kublai Khan during his younger years, is the first series to be presented with HDR, and Netflix said about 10 of its 60 original series this year may follow suit.

The streaming company has been looking past 4K for some time now, and recognizes HDR as the next development in viewing potential. Netflix's Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt said he doesn't think 4K will be enough for many viewers, and that resolution innovation will be in the rearview mirror by 2016. And as a company that prides itself on watching the road ahead, it may be safe to assume more of Netflix's series will be compatible with HDR.

When will HDR be available?

Companies such as Sony and Samsung are already in the process of rolling HDR into their "Ultra-HD" TVs, but have yet to announce when HDR will be fully finished at the lab – as with 4K, the hype took a while to catch on before numerous companies jumped onboard.

And with 2015 being the supposed year when 4K TVs will finally become an industry standard, it's not reaching to think HDR will be on par or even above 4K's level of attention by the end of the year.

Judging by the number of hardware and content companies trying to stay ahead of the HDR curve, though, it seems as if the viewing standard won't stay the same for much longer.

In that vein, it could be safe to expect widespread adoption of HDR by 2016. Like any trend in the wider world of technology, it might take a while to catch on. But with so many companies and creative entities betting on HDR, it may be only a matter of time.