Google Play sides with team Samsung in the HDR format war

By Josh Levenson Published April 25, 2023

Designed to rival Dolby Vision, HDR10+ is the brainchild of Samsung, which teamed up with Panasonic and 20th Century Fox to bring it to life. Together, these brands make up an initiative known as HDR10+ Technologies, and it’s this initiative that has announced that HDR10+ will soon expand to Google Play Movies and TV. This means customers will have the option to both download and stream 4K Ultra HD content in HDR10+ through the service.

lg-55-inch-4k-ultra-hd-smart-led-hdr-tv — Image used with permission by copyright holder

What’s interesting, though, is that Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are equal in the real-world. Both utilize dynamic metadata to optimize content on a scene-by-scene, or even frame-by-frame basis. So, why was it created? Well, it’s an advancement on HDR10 — one of the first and most basic forms of HDR, which uses static metadata to set the viewing standard for the entire movie instead of optimizing each frame. Alas, it couldn’t rival Dolby Vision.

Recommended Videos

However, Dolby Vision is the more advanced out of the two. It supports up to 68.7 billion colors (12-bit), versus the 1.07 billion (10-bit) that HDR10+ can tap into, and has a peak brightness of 10,000 cd/m². HDR10+, on the other hand, doesn’t exceed 4000 cd/m². Here’s the kicker: There aren’t a whole lot of 4K TVs or even 8K TVs on the market that can stretch above 1000 cd/m², and there certainly isn’t a single one that can render 12-bit color. Sigh.

As it stands, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are pretty evenly matched — for now, at least. But this isn’t something Google Play Movies & TV viewers need to worry about, seeing as it doesn’t support Dolby Vision (though it’s said to be working on adding it in the not-too-distant future). So the fact of the matter is, HDR10+ is going to mark a massive improvement in viewing when it arrives on the service in the coming months, if not weeks.

This news comes after Vizio announced that it will be arming its 4K TVs with HDR10+ out of the box moving forward, starting with the new Vizio P-Series Quantum X, Vizio P-Series Quantum, Vizio M-Series Quantum, and Vizio V-Series.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Josh served as Director of Commerce and SEO for Digital Trends Media Group, helping our Editorial teams put their quality…

Topics

Audio / Video

What is Dolby Vision? The dynamic HDR format fully explained

A split-screen example of Dolby Vision vs. SDR.

Of all the new TV technologies to emerge over the last few years, it's arguable that none has had as big an impact on overall picture quality as High Dynamic Range, or HDR. When properly implemented, HDR makes everything pop, while enhancing details and improving color. We think it has been more impactful than the move from Full HD (1080p) to 4K Ultra HD or even 8K resolution.

But not all HDR is created equal; in fact, HDR is a catch-all term that refers to several distinct and competing technologies. The one with the biggest brand recognition is Dolby Vision. Dolby Labs has done such a good job of marketing Dolby Vision as its own platform, many consumers aren't even aware that it's an HDR format. That shouldn't be a surprise: TVs that have Dolby Vision technology are often labeled as "4K HDR TV with Dolby Vision," making it seem as though HDR and Dolby Vision are different things.

Mobile

Google ditches Play Movies app in favor of Google TV

aftermaster pro fixes tv movie audio issues man on couch watches a mobile phone

The Google TV app is taking over for Play Movies & TV across all Android devices. When Google TV was introduced in late 2020, its mission to replace Play Movies & TV seemed like a good idea as the preinstalled app wasn't doing a lot to take users' attention away from other streaming apps. Google TV's addition to the Android ecosystem has been pretty gradual up to this point, but now it's set to be an essential part of the Android experience.

Play Movies & TV will be officially retired as the face of Android's streaming content store in favor of Google TV starting in May. At that point, buying content on Play Movies & TV will no longer be supported in the Play Store, Google announced earlier this week. Google TV will take Play Movies & TV's place as the preinstalled streaming app included by default on every Android device at that point.

Audio / Video

Dolby Vision vs. HDR10 vs. HDR10+: Which HDR format is the best?

A gamer using one of LG's TVs.

High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is a transformative technology, turning drab-looking movies into head-turning, eyebrow-raising treats of color and contrast. It makes the whites whiter, the blacks blacker, and helps the color just pop off the screen. It's why certain modern movies look so gorgeous, and why they can also look drab and overly-dark if your TV is poorly configured.

There are a range of different HDR formats, and depending on the TV you're watching on, the streaming platform you're using, and the content itself, you may end up using any one of them. But the main three we're going to discuss today are the three most popular options: HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. Each of these handles HDR a little differently and though there are some strengths to each of them, they all have their weaknesses too.