Last year, Amazon Video began offering some of its content in High Dynamic Range (HDR), beating many other services – including Netflix – to the punch. This was great for some users, but Amazon’s HDR offerings were only available to those with TVs supporting HDR10, while TVs using the other major HDR solution, Dolby Vision, were left out.
Fortunately, that is no longer a problem, as Amazon announced Monday the release of HDR streaming with Dolby Vision. Now users of any HDR TV — no matter which HDR technology it uses — will be able to view select movies and series with the improved contrast and wider color gamut of HDR.
“We’re thrilled that starting today customers have access to titles, including our binge-worthy Amazon Original Series, in Dolby Vision HDR,” vice president of Amazon Video Jim Freeman said in a statement. “Today is just the beginning. We will continue to expand our selection, adding more movies and TV series for our customers to watch and enjoy in the premium picture quality of HDR.”
Available titles are a subset of what is currently available in HDR 10, and aren’t exactly plentiful for the time being, but Amazon will continue to expand the catalog moving forward. By the end of the year, Amazon plans to offer more than 150 hours of HDR content across both formats.
A number of original titles from Amazon like Man in the High Castle, Transparent, and Mozart in the Jungle are available in HDR, but when it comes to Dolby Vision, the only specific title Amazon mentions is the second season of Bosch – based on Michael Connely’s best-selling Harry Bosch series of books. While Amazon has yet to reveal any other titles from its originals library, it has made available a few movies from Sony Home Entertainment: After Earth, Men in Black 3, Hancock, Salt, Pineapple Express, Fury, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Chappie, and Elysium are all available for rent or purchase in Dolby Vision HDR.
HDR content is available via the Amazon Video app, with HDR10 available on compatible smart TVs from Samsung, Sony, and LG, and Dolby Vision available on compatible smart TVs from LG.
