Netflix Adds HDR10+ Support, Here's How It Compares To Dolby Vision

Nearly ten years ago, Netflix moved in to become one of the early adopters of content featuring High Dynamic Range (HDR) with the HDR10 format. Now, the company will finally be including the improved HDR10+ format on both existing and new titles, so long as a device supports the AV1 codec. This will especially be music to the ears of Samsung TV owners, as the electronics giant has stubbornly refused to support Dolby Vision.

HDR10+ is able to deliver a more accurate picture because it makes use of dynamic metadata, as opposed to HDR10, which works by using static metadata. This allows HDR10+ to make adjustments to the content on a per-frame basis (similar to Dolby Vision), which is a big advantage, as video content can often have minute or even large changes in color from frame to frame. Netflix provides an excellent sample image where the flashlight in a scene retains finer details using HDR10+.


Meanwhile, Dolby Vision works much the same as HDR10+, with its ability to handle dynamic metadata. However, it usually delivers a more accurate image, making it the gold standard for delivering content that makes use of HDR. Although it’s worth noting that for most viewers, the difference between HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is negligible, with only truly discerning viewers in the videophile camp likely able to notice.

Additionally, Netflix shared some interesting statistics regarding how much HDR content is being viewed on the service. The number of users who are streaming HDR shows and movies has grown by 300% in the last five years. Meanwhile, the company’s catalog now includes over 11,000 hours of titles available in HDR.

The company says that it hopes to have every piece of content currently available get the upgrade to HDR10+ by the end of the year, bringing it closer to its mission of delivering a scenes that match a film creator’s intent to viewers.