Skip to main content

Samsung’s 2016 TV lineup joins the Chromecast to support HDR on YouTube

Samsung's 2016 TV lineup joins the Chromecast to support HDR on YouTube

During the Consumer Electronics Show at the beginning of 2016, YouTube announced that support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) video would be coming to the platform. As the end of 2016 drew near, it looked like viewers might have to wait until 2017, but that isn’t the case, as YouTube officially launched HDR support on Monday.

While 4K might currently be the hot thing in TVs, HDR is quickly on the rise and for good reason. Whereas 4K has simply higher resolution, HDR makes for darker blacks, brighter whites, and deeper color, meaning you don’t need to be eagle-eyed to notice the difference. “Simply put,” the YouTube blog post announcing the new feature reads, “HDR unlocks the most spectacular image quality we’ve ever streamed.”

Recommended Videos

When HDR first launched on YouTube, the only way to watch it on a TV was Google’s Chromecast Ultra, which the company unveiled in October. Samsung was the only other partner mentioned at the time. On Tuesday, Samsung announced that all of its 2016 quantum dot TVs and UHD TVs would receive an updated YouTube app supporting HDR. Support is beginning to roll out now, though exactly how long it will take to reach everyone hasn’t been specified.

At least for now, YouTube HDR videos use HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma. The latter isn’t currently well supported, but HDR10 is an open standard supported by many companies, so most manufacturers are looking to support this format. If your TV only supports Dolby Vision — the other major HDR standard currently used — you’re currently out of luck, and there is no word on whether YouTube will support this format in the future.

Along with the launch of the new format support, YouTube also announced that new content will be available to show off HDR, coming from creators like MysteryGuitarMan, Jacob + Katie Schwarz, and Abandon Visuals. All of this can be found in YouTube’s HDR launch playlist. The company has also worked with the creators of video color grading software DaVinci Resolve to make uploading HDR videos as easy as any other video.

If you want to know more, take a look at our guide to all things HDR, which runs down the differences between HDR and standard dynamic range, the different competing standards, and more.

Article originally published in November 2016. Updated on 12-20-2016 by Kris Wouk: Added information on Samsung’s 2016 TVs adding YouTube HDR support.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
YouTube gets parental code feature on TV to protect kids
YouTube on TV asking for parent code.

YouTube has had quite a monumental year in terms of user engagement, logging in over a billion hours of content streamed daily on TV sets alone. However, the platform is also home to a sea of content that isn’t safe for children, which is why a dedicated kids' experience has been there for a while.

Now, YouTube is adding a password protocol that will keep young users from accessing any other profile apart from their designated kid's profile on a TV. In a community update, the company introduced the new Parent Code feature that will block kids from accessing user profiles for adults in their household.

Read more
YouTube TV prices are going up again in 2025
YouTube TV on Roku.

"Nothing is certain except death and taxes," Benjamin Franklin apparently said in 1789. If he were alive today, he may very well have added, "... and streaming subscription price increases." Yes, that's my way of saying that -- despite reports to the contrary -- YouTube TV is jacking the price of its base subscription by $10 per month starting January 13, 2025, according to the following email sent to customers on December 12:
YouTube TV has always worked hard to offer you the content you love, delivered the way you want, with features that make it easy to enjoy the best of live TV.

‌To keep up with the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service, we’re updating our monthly price from $72.99/month to $82.99/month starting January 13, 2025.

Read more
Hulu + Live TV vs. YouTube TV: how to pick the best live-streaming service
The Hulu home screen on a TV.

If you’re having trouble choosing the best live TV streaming service for your needs, we don’t blame you — viewers today have more choices than ever. Whether you're looking for a big on-demand content library or a reliable live TV streaming platform, there's no shortage of solid options to explore.

Two of the most popular choices — YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV — stand out for their reasonable pricing, similar features, and strong channel lineups. But when it comes down to it, which one should you pick?

Read more