In the world of televisions and monitors recently, the term “high dynamic range” (HDR) has attracted a lot of interest. It is an example of how technology has advanced and transformed how we view visual information, including TV shows, video games, and movies.
What is HDR?
High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is a technology that improves an image’s brightness and contrast for a more realism-focused and aesthetically arresting viewing experience. The brightest whites to the deepest blacks can now be displayed on screens together with a broader variety of colors and brightness levels. The “dynamic range” of an image is essentially increased via HDR, bringing it closer to what our eyes actually see.
Objectives of HDR:
The purpose of HDR is to close the gap between what is realistically achievable and what can be seen on screens. Traditional displays, such outdated LCDs or CRT monitors, have a limited range of color gamuts and contrast ratios, which can cause images to look flat and lifeless. HDR alters this by accurately recreating a wider range of brightness and color, giving scenes a more vibrant, lifelike appearance.
Types of HDR:
- HDR 10: The majority of HDR content and monitors support the HDR10 standard, which has been adopted most broadly. A 10-bit color depth and static metadata are used.
- Dolby Vision: Using dynamic information, Dolby Vision is a cutting-edge HDR standard that enables scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame modifications. In order to offer a greater spectrum of colors, it now supports 12-bit color depth.
- Hybrid Log-Gamma, or HLG: It is the perfect format for live broadcasts and streaming because it was created for broadcast TV and is compatible with both HDR and SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) monitors.
- Advanced HDR from Technicolor: This standard gives content producers flexibility by supporting both static and dynamic metadata.
Dynamic Range on TVs:
The contrast of a television image refers to how black and bright the image may become. The term “dynamic range” refers to the extremes of that disparity and the amount of detail that may be displayed in between. HDR essentially broadens the contrast that makes up dynamic range in displays. However, increasing the contrast between bright and dark areas alone won’t help a picture’s detail. Regardless of a panel’s brightness, which can range from 200 nits (very dim) to 2,000 nits (extremely brilliant), or its black levels, which can be either 0.1 cd/m2 (washed-out, almost gray), or 0 (totally dark), it can only display a certain amount of information based on the signal it is receiving.
Broadcast television and Blu-ray discs are two popular video formats that are constrained by standards created to work with the physical limitations of earlier technologies. Because it might become “none more black,” as Christopher Guest so poignantly put it, “Black is set to only so black.” The brightness of white was also limited by the capabilities of display technology. With the advent of organic LED (OLED) and local dimming LED backlighting solutions on more recent LCD panels, that spectrum is also expanding. Even more extremes can be reached by both blacks and whites, but video formats are unable to make use of this. A TV with a range that extends beyond those restrictions can only function with the information that is supplied in the signal, which has a finite amount of data.
Dynamic Range on Monitors:
High Dynamic Range (HDR) has increasingly become widespread in TVs; now it’s time for monitors. More colors can be displayed on HDR monitors than on standard screens. If you wish to watch HDR videos, you need an HDR monitor. HDR displays are now genuinely being offered in a wide range of variations, as we have already seen with greater resolutions and curved versions.
- DisplayHDR 400
- At least 400cd/m² peak brightness
- At least 320cd/m² brightness
- At least 95% coverage of BT.709 color space
- DisplayHDR 600
- 600cd/m² peak brightness
- At least 350cd/m² brightness
- At least 99% coverage of BT.709 color space
- At least 90% coverage of DCI-P3 color space
- DisplayHDR 1,000
- 1,000cd/m² peak brightness
- At least 600cd/m² brightness
- At least 99% coverage of BT.709 color space
- At least 90% coverage of DCI-P3 color space
- DisplayHDR True Black
Video Editing with HDR Monitor:
Professionals that work in the video industry value color fidelity highly. Your horror film’s contrast will be displayed as you meant it on an HDR monitor, which will provide more realistic colors. You require an HDR monitor to create that material because it must also support HDR. These monitors frequently feature HDR and have a broad color gamut (like DCI-P3). An HDR monitor creates colors and black levels that are considerably more similar to what we perceive in reality. HDR content can only be viewed on an HDR display, hence it is unfortunately impossible to demonstrate its effect through a photograph. You must see HDR for yourself to fully understand it.
Gaming with HDR:
Since a few years ago, we’ve noticed a trend where game images are becoming increasingly more photorealistic. Examples of notable releases that already support HDR are Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077 HDR. The colors from Valhalla’s lush English countryside will explode off your screen if you’re playing them on an HDR monitor. As they let you see more detail in low-light conditions, the deep black depths are crucial in video games as well. Most games today support HDR, however make sure to double-check this.
4k and HDR:
Three key benefits of a 4K HDR monitor are available. A large color range, high brightness, and high resolution are advantageous. So long as your video card is capable, you can view vibrant, crystal-clear movies on your screen. Even more colors can be displayed on a screen with a wide color gamut than on a monitor with various color profiles. This means that HDR video looks its best on a wide color gamut display. You have four times as much workspace thanks to the high resolution as you would with a Full HD screen.
