Skip to main content

Dolby Vision IQ uses a TV’s light sensors for more accurate picture quality

Dolby Labs is already at the forefront of HDR video tech with its Dolby Vision format, but that doesn’t mean the company is resting on its laurels. Launching today at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Dolby Vision IQ is an enhancement of the HDR standard that uses a TV’s built-in light sensors to automatically calibrate the on-screen image based on the lighting conditions in a room.

Lighting conditions can affect picture quality in myriad ways, from unwanted glare and reflections to overall brightness that can wash out the images we see on screen. So it makes sense that TV manufacturers and Dolby Labs would want to understand these lighting conditions in order to adjust the settings to compensate. Most smartphones already do something similar to enhance readability, but in the case of HDR content, it can make the difference between seeing all of the details in a scene and not.

Curiously, Dolby claims Dolby Vision IQ will also play a role in helping a TV understand the content being played so that when you switch channels or video sources, the TV can react by modifying its settings to be optimal for that new content.

Dolby Vision IQ | Dolby Vision | Dolby

Dolby Labs says Dolby Vision IQ will be supported at launch by LG and Panasonic.

Dolby Labs is also using CES 2020 as a platform to showcase its relatively new Dolby Atmos Music format. There are no new announcements, but Dolby is reminding everyone of the growing selection of tracks and artists that are releasing material in Atmos Music. So far, two major labels are involved — Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — representing artists such as Ariana Grande, The Beatles, Coldplay, Elton John, J Balvin, Lady Gaga, Marvin Gaye, Post Malone, Shawn Mendez, and The Weeknd. Tidal owner Jay-Z is also working on remastering his catalog in Atmos Music.

Unfortunately, the opportunities for listening to music to Dolby Atmos Music remain limited. For now, the Amazon Echo Studio is the only stand-alone speaker that supports the format (exclusively via Amazon Music HD). Tidal HiFi also works as a source for Atmos Music, but only via select Atmos-capable Android smartphones and tablets, and even these only deliver Atmos Music via the built-in speakers and not via connected headphones.

Still, we expect that 3D music formats like Doby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio will be among the big trends in audio this year at CES 2020.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
Best Buy has a 50-inch QLED 4K TV for $400, and it’s not a bad buy
TCL 5-Series 4K QLED Google TV sits on an entertainment center in a living room.

If you’re looking to expand, upgrade, or build your home theater entirely from scratch, there’s a price drop on a QLED TV at Best Buy right now. The 50-inch model of the TCL 5-Series 4K Smart TV is discounted $30 from down to $400. Its regular price of $430 is pretty impressive for a QLED TV, and this discount makes it even more so. Best Buy is including free shipping with your purchase, and the TV also comes with three free months of AppleTV+ and one month of free FuboTV.

Why you should buy the TCL 50-inch 4K QLED Smart TV
When it comest to ensuring you get a TV with superior picture quality, QLED and OLED picture technologies are pretty much the cream of the crop. OLED TVs use self-lit pixels to create impressive image contrast, but this 50-inch 4K TV by TCL utilizes QLED technology, which provides impressive picture quality using nanoparticles called quantum dots. These supercharge its brightness and color, and make the TCL 50-inch 4K Smart TV a great option for your home theater if you’re looking to create an immersive and lifelike viewing experience. It also supports Dolby Vision HDR, which adds another layer of depth to the experience.

Read more
Are TCL and Hisense the next LG and Samsung?
A village built into a seaside mountainside shown on a Hisense U6K.

If you had told me 20 years ago — or, heck, even 15 — that Samsung and LG were going to be the top TV brands in the U.S., I’d have laughed in your face. But I feel like I’ve learned to see the writing on the wall since then. And now I’m wondering: Are TCL and Hisense the next Samsung and LG?

If we take a look at TCL and Hisense's 2023 TV lineups, their recently inked partnerships with huge national sports organizations, and their progress over the last five years in terms of both technological advancement and sales, I think there's a strong argument in favor of TCL and Hisense becoming the top two TV brands in the U.S.
TCL in 2023
We’ll start with TCL’s 2023 TV lineup. You already know about the QM8 Mini-LED,  right? If not, you have got to check out that TV. But what else does TCL have in store? Well, there’s the Q7, which, while not a mini-LED TV, does have a full-array local dimming backlight system, quantum dots, high brightness with 1,000 nits peak, and a slate of other desirable features. Plus, the 65-inch model, for price reference, is $1,000. Now, in case you don’t recall, last year’s 6-Series, the R655, was a mini-LED TV, and the 65-inch version of that TV sold for $1,000.

Read more
Google ends support for the original Chromecast
Google's first-gen Chromecast dongle.

Ten years is not a bad run in the world of smart devices. That's how long it's been since Google released the very first Chromecast, a tiny $35 HDMI dongle that let you wirelessly stream audio and video to your TV, with your phone serving as the remote. We liked it so much when it debuted, we named it the best product of 2013.

Unfortunately, all good things must pass, and 9to5Google recently noticed that Google quietly ended support for the original Chromecast on April 27, 2023, which means it will no longer get any feature or security updates.

Read more