The manufacturing industry is developing at a high speed. Every year, manufacturers present the latest technology at trade shows to improve televisions and convince people that it is time for an update.
Evolution
The past few years have led us from models with cathode ray tube screens to thin TVs. There was a rise in plasma panels and their fall. Then came the era of high definition, full support for HD and Ultra HD. There were experiments with the popular three-dimensional format, as well as with the shape of the screen: it was made either flat or curved. And now a new round of this television evolution has come - HDR TVs. It was 2016 that became a new era in the television industry.
What is HDR on a TV?
This abbreviation stands for "extended dynamic range." The technology makes it possible to bring the created picture closer to what a person sees in real life with maximum accuracy. By itself, our eye perceives a relatively small number of details in the light and in the shadows at one moment in time. But after the pupils adapt to the current lighting conditions, their sensitivity is almost doubled.
Cameras and TVs with HDR: what are the differences?
In both types of technology, the task of this function is the same - to transmit the world around with maximum reliability.
Due to the limitations of camera matrices, several shots with different exposures are taken. One frame is very dark, the other is a bit lighter, two more are very light. All of them are then connected using special programs manually. The exception is cameras with a built-in function for bonding frames. The meaning of this manipulation is to pull out all the details from the shadows and light areas.
Manufacturers have made HDR-enabled TVs focused on brightness. So, ideally, the device should be capable of delivering a value of 4000 candelas per square meter at an arbitrary point. But at the same time, the detail in the shadows should not be overwhelmed.
What is HDR for?
The most important parameters for the quality of the displayed image are color accuracy and contrast. If you put a 4K TV with an HDR TV next to it, which has better color reproduction and an increased contrast range, then most people will opt for the second option. After all, on it the picture looks less flat and more realistic.
TVs with HDR have an increased gradation, which allows you to get a greater number of shades of various colors: red, blue, green, as well as their combinations. Thus, the meaning of models with HDR is to display a more contrasting and full-color picture than other TVs.
Possible problems
In order to fully enjoy all the advantages of technology, unfortunately, we need not only TVs with HDR, but also content that will correspond to the technology. In principle, TVs with an extended dynamic range of the image are already doing quite high quality. The brightness of the models was doubled, and the backlight became local and direct, that is, different fragments can be highlighted with different brightness in the same frame. The cheapest HDR TV is not entirely cheap. Its cost is about 160 thousand rubles. This model is a Sony TV. With HDR, there are 55-inch and 65-inch screens. Unfortunately, budget models have insufficient peak brightness, and the backlight in them does not regulate arbitrary areas of the matrix. They also have a very modest amount of transmitted shades of colors.
The difficulty of using old models is that the effect may be the opposite of what the director intended when shooting his creation. Indeed, together with the colorists, a color scheme was developed, and the frames were painted using an extensive palette of colors provided by a special standard in cinema. Previous models of TVs with this standard do not work, as they are not able to display some shades. That is why television versions of films look paler than they should.
New TVs with HDR support can change the color scheme in the way they want, using their own algorithms that the director does not know about the vision. For this reason, the creators came up with a technology in which special metadata containing information with algorithms for changing the picture for TVs with HDR function is transmitted together with the video signal. Now the device knows where it is necessary to lighten and where to darken, as well as at what moments you need to add some kind of shade. And if the TV model supports such features, then the picture will look exactly as the director wanted.
Content coming soon
Currently, HDR TVs have a negligible amount of content. So, only a few names are provided by online video services, as well as the last episode of the movie "Star Wars" filmed and edited in a format similar to HDR. Because of this, it may form the opinion that there is no point in buying TVs that support extended dynamic range.
However, it is not. There are companies that provide the ability to convert video content to pseudo-HDR. Of course, this is not done by pressing a single button, which instantly automatically improves the image without any outside help. But there is a set of utilities that will greatly facilitate the work associated with the restoration of the color scheme conceived by the director and colorists. This means that over time, the volume of high-quality content will increase.
HDR Options
As with previously released HD and Blu-ray technologies, there are several opinions on how everything should be implemented. Therefore, HDR is divided into formats. The most common is the HDR10 format. It is supported by all HDR TVs. In this format, metadata is entirely attached to the video file.
The next option is Dolby Vision. Here, each scene is processed separately. Because of this, the picture looks better. In Russia, this option is only supported by LG TVs. There are no players with its support yet, as modern models are weak, and their processors cannot pull such a load. Owners of models with HDR10 with the release of updates will receive video processing that is close to DV.
Requirements
In 2016, HDR-TVs began to appear on the mass market. Almost every 4K device can understand this format. But, unfortunately, to understand is one thing, and to correctly display is another.
The ideal option is a TV with an OLED matrix and 4K support, which can make any pixel as bright as possible or darken it. Models with carpeted LED lights are also suitable, which individually or in groups adjust the brightness of their areas of the matrix.
Update
If your TV supports HDMI 2.0 technology, then there is a very high probability that in the near future a software update will be received to the new standard, which is needed in order to transfer metadata. These two standards are fully compatible physically. The difference lies only in the methods of software processing the video stream.
How to receive this update if it did not come automatically? You need to go into the TV settings and select "Support". There should be the possibility of updating, if selected, it will be necessary to confirm the action and select the download over the network. Next, the system itself will find the new firmware and offer to install it.
Output
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, more people will choose a full-color picture, rather than a high-resolution image. This is quite logical. After all, a lot of pixels - this is undoubtedly good, but even better when the pixels are good. The list of TVs with HDR support is still small. Such models are in LG, Sony and Samsung.
The development of technology seems much more promising than the race for resolution. At the latest television shows, new models were announced that should not only support the highest resolution, but also give high brightness, as well as demonstrate certain levels of black color and cover a large number of shades. It should be noted that the HDR format is declared by default in many models that will be released in 2017. The problem can only be in standards. Manufacturers of content and TVs need to solve it, and this year, apparently, will be dedicated to this.
Thus, we found out what HDR is in the TV, what is this technology for, what are its advantages and disadvantages. Of course, today it is impossible to strongly recommend that television lovers switch to new models, since the technology is still under development. But, knowing the current pace of development, we can confidently say that in a year HDR will reach a qualitatively different level and more and more people will begin to purchase televisions that support an extended range. By this time, content producers will be able to produce a large number of films and TV shows in HDR format, and watching TV will bring even greater aesthetic pleasure to lovers of beautiful pictures.