Piața a fost inundată în ultimii ani de televizoare cu înaltă definiție care au promis clienților mai multe detalii și o imagine de calitate superioară.
Pentru cumparătorii de televizoare este o literă care contează, iar acea literă este K. In mod cert consumatorii se intreabă ce trebuie să cumpere, care este rezolutia care se pliază cel mai bine nevoilor lor. Marea majoritate a televizoarelor ajunge pe rafturi sunt cu o rezolutie de 1080p. In ultima perioadă un numar mare de televizoare dintre cele care a ajuns pe rafturi sunt cu rezoluție 4K. Cum spuneam și mai sus K este noua necunoscută de care suntem fermecați. In general un număr urmat de K reprezintă numărul de linii orizontale care curg pe un ecran pentru a creea o imagine. In teorie, televiziorul cu rezoluția 1080p poate fi considerată 2K intrucât are aproape 2000 de linii (1920 mai exact). La 4K, inseamna aproximativ 4096 de linii de unde deducem ca este putin mai mult de dublu. Ca să complicam lucrurile mai bine sunt și alți K de care trebuie să ne ingrijorăm. Apple si intreaga line de iMac de 27" are o rezolutie de 5K deci un număr de 5120 de linii si asta incepând de anul trecut. Intre timp 8K incepe sa răsară ca o tehnologie de nișa dar care are toate șansele ca in viitor să devină un standard. Sunt producători care lucrează intens la televizoare 8K dar acestea nu sunt pregătite pentru piață dar mai ales, piața nu este pregătită pentru ele. In ceea ce privește televizoarele 4K suntem încă la inceput este declarația oficială a specialiștilor. De unde se naște ideea că este de preferat sa achiziționăm un TV 4K in defavoarea unuia 2K. In realitate sunt îmcă câteva obstacole in calea nebuniei 4K. Principalul impediment ar fi lipsa de surse și continut video 4K. Covârșitoarea majoritate a televiziunilor incă emit în 2K dacă nu chiar mai rău, in 720p. Cantitatea de continut video la 4K crește dar o face cu viteza melcului. Netflix, Comcast, Sony si Amazon Prime sunt acum printre principalele surse decontinut video la 4K, dar sunt on line ceea ce iți impune o conexiune de internet de inalta viteza. O alta problemă este că adevărata experienta 4K este vzibilă în mod deosebit pe ecranele mari și foarte mari, aici suvenind problema prețului, cu cât mai mare televizorul, cu atât mai mare prețul lui. Cu toate acestea se preconizează o creștere a vânzarilor in 2016 cu 100% fată de 2015. Incă nu se poate spune dacă creșterea cererii este dată de promovarea intensivă sau de creșterea apetitului cumparatorilor și de faptul că tehnologia devine in mod real dorită. Senzația de realism redată la transmisia in 4K a evenimentelor sportive, acuratețea culorilor, lipsa problemelor la cadrele cu mișcare rapidă și dinamica acestora sunt un argument foarte puternic pentru 4K. In final, scopul nu este mai mulți pixeli, ci ceva MULT mai diferit !!!! by BSTF source: fortune.com
vedere din fata Generalitati Vom încerca să descriem în câteva cuvinte un media player 4K si anume minunatul Sony FMPX10. Nu este singurul player din categoria aceasta,si desi pe lîngă Nvidia Shield 4K și Roku 4 4K , pare că îi lipsesc câteva caracteristici, poate totusi oferi utilizatorilor suficient de multe argumente pentru a fi cumparat. Cu acces către toate produsele Sony, filme si altele, compatibil cu un număr mare de televizoare ultra HD (nu doar de la Sony) si posibilitatea de a livra conținut 4K nativ chiar și către locații care nu au internet cu viteză mare, așa cum ar trebui pentru streaming 4K, FMP X10 se constituie într-o alternativă viabilă pentru cei ce iși doresc maximum de conținut nativ 4K UHD. Părți pozitive Conectarea cu un televizor UHD se face foarte ușor, opțiunile de control fiind extrem de facile si intuitive, pur și simplu iși face treaba, oferind accesul către filmele 4K UHD pe care ți le dorești. Al doilea aspect care merită menționat este compatibilitatea. Până in finalul lui 2014 Sony ținea foarte mult ca media playere-le lor să funcționeze exclusiv cu televizoarele lor. A urmat apoi o decizie foarte bine primită de a face astfel încât FMPX10 să poată fi folosit pe orice televizor dacă indeplinește trei criterii tehnice:
HDMI 2.0
HDCP 2.2 copy protect content
capacitate de decodare a compresiei video HEVC
Incepând cu 2015 aceste trei caracteristici au devenit standard deci poate fi folosit orice televizor, Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, Sharp sau Vizio 4K TV.
telecomanta
Punctul trei este capabilitatea de a face streaming 4K direct de pe Netflix și Amazon Prime, acestea fiind in plus fată de biblioteca nelimitată oferită de Sony Video.
Am ajuns și la ultima dar nu cea de pe urma caracteristică a acestui fabulos player și anume, biblioteca nelimitată oferită de Sony Video la calitate 4K UHD, care oferă intr-adevăr nenumărate ore de conținut video, filme, documentare și alte programe. Incă se discuta dacă aceasta este cea mai mare sursă de continut video 4K din lume, dar dacă nu este, in mod cert este in top 2.
Părți negative
Printre cele mai notabile părți negative este prețul. Deși a scăzut de la 600$ incă se menține în jurul sumei de 495$ ceea ce este incă semnificativ mai mult decât concurența, al cărei pret incepe de la 300$.
Al doilea aspect negativ este că biblioteca Sony de conținut video 4k nu este chiar free in pofida prețului plătit pentru FMPX10.
Caracteristici tehnice
Rezoluția maximă: 4K ultra HD la 3840 x 2160 pixels
Codecuri video suportate: XAVC S, AVC (H.264), HEVC (H.265), Dolby Digital Plus
Caracteristici ale telecomenzii: Roku remote with Voice control and private listening headphone jack
Network: 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Conectivitate: 1 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Ethernet, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi
Capacitate de stocare: 1 TB memorie interne
Software/Apps: Sony Unlimited video content network access
Dimensiuni (W x H x D): 25 x 5 x 25 cm
Greutate: 3.6 kg
Design O "cutie" neagră, deci un design mai mult decât simplu. Conectivitate Sony FMPX10 are acces la internet via Ethernet or dual-band WiFi, un port HDMI 2.0 și doua porturi USB 3.0.
vedere din spate
Performante
Este un echipament grozav să il ai pe lânga televizorul UDH. Functioneaza lin, rapid, interfața este una foarte prietenoasă, navigarea prin meniu si prin Netflix sau Amazon Prime se face la fel de usor, există un usor lag câte o dată, dar este o deficiență minoră.
Q I have a Samsung UN55HU7250F UHDTV that’s currently being fed by a DVD player. Here’s my question: Since the TV upscales signals to 4K, will there be a significant advantage in upgrading to a Blu-ray player if the discs I watch are all DVDs? —Patrick Tyler / Boulder, CO A Absolutely. The visual benefits of Blu-ray over DVD are substantial. Even when a DVD is scaled to 4K by a UHDTV, the image won’t look nearly as good as it would with a Blu-ray source. That’s because DVD resolution is 345,600 pixels, while Blu-ray provides over 2 million pixels. And when it comes to scaling, where you create new pixels from existing ones, the more picture detail you start out with, the better. Also, most Blu-ray players at this point in the game are absurdly inexpensive. Another option here would be to wait until new Blu-ray 4K players arrive—it’s anticipated that they will be available by the end of 2015. However, since your UHDTV is a 55-inch model (a relatively small screen size for a 4K set) that isn’t compatible with forthcoming Blu-ray 4K features such as High Dynamic Range, you’ll get the best image quality bang for your buck by simply ditching DVD for Blu-ray.
At CEDIA 2015, Anthem unveiled its latest MRX AV receivers, and the top model offers full 11-channel amplification within its chassis. If you’re looking for an AVR that can handle 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos, you’ll find that most companies offer only nine amplified channels, even if they tout 11-channel processing. Anthem dispenses with that limitation in its new flagship MRX 1120 AVR.
There are three new AV receivers in Anthem’s lineup. The MRX 520 is the base model and offers five channels of amplification for $1400. Due to the limited number of channels, it does not support immersive audio formats.
The step-up MRX 720 is a seven-channel AVR that costs $2500 and supports Dolby Atmos as well as DTS:X. While its internal seven internal amps can only power a 5.1.2 immersive audio configuration, by adding external amplification and using its preamp outputs, the MRX 720 can run up to a 7.1.4 Atmos/DTS:X system.
The flagship Anthem MRX 1120 sells for $3500 and stands tall by offering 11 amplified channels, all fed juice by a toroidal power supply. The MRX 1120 can run a 7.1.4-channel Atmos/DTS:X system all on its own, a rare capability among AVRs.
All three of Anthem’s new AV receivers sport 32-bit DACs, Anthem Room Correction, and HDMI 2.0a inputs plus outputs that support HDCP 2.2. These AVRs handle HDR video, 10-bit video, 4:4:4 color at 2160/60p, and a BT.2020 gamut. Furthermore, the MRX 720 and 1120 offer DTS Play-Fi audio, which allows for communication with other Play-Fi devices, for multi-room audio. Unfortunately, I don’t have the power output specs for any of the new MRX models, but the Japanese MRX 720 is rated at 100 watts per channel while the Japanese MRX 1120 is rated at 120 watts per channel. All three of Anthem’s new receivers will ship this January.
ANTHEM INTRODUCES NEW GEN 3 MRX RECEIVERS AND FIRST AV PROCESSOR WITH DTS PLAY-FI
If you’ve been holding out for a new receiver that features not only Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing, but also the stunning audio performance and world-class room correction delivered by a company like Anthem, I have good news for you. Your wait is almost over. At this year’s CEDIA Expo in Dallas, the company introduced the third generation of its MRX receiver lineup, two of which feature the latest and greatest object-based surround sound formats, and all of which boast support for cutting-edge UHD video connectivity and processing, including HDMI 2.0a inputs and outputs with HDCP 2.2 copy protection, high dynamic range video, 60 frames per second video, 10-bit color, and more.
What’s more, all three of the new receivers—the MRX 520, MRX 720, and MRX 1120—feature differential output 32-bit digital-to-analog conversion with sample rate-optimized filters. What’s even more, all three feature built-in DTS Play-Fi capabilities, and can exist in the same streaming audio ecosystem asParadigm’s new Premium Wireless speakers, also debuted at the show.
We spoke with Western Regional Sales Manager Rob Sample for more details:
As Rob points out, the MRX 1120 will be one of the very few AV receivers on the market to feature a full 11 channels of amplification, meaning that you can use it to power a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos or DTS:X speaker system (that’s 7.1 channels on the ground and 4 in-ceiling) without having to add your own amplification. That’s a pretty huge deal in and of itself.
If you don’t mind bringing your own amps to the party, though, you might be more interested in Anthem’s new AVM 60 preamp/processor. The AVM 60 brings all of the features that we love about the new Generation 3 MRX receiver lineup to the table, along with the flexibility to configure your system perfectly with as much power as your room needs. It’s a great match for Anthem’s new 225-watt-per-channel MCA 525, MCA 325, and MCA 225 amplifiers, which deliver five, three, and two channels of amplification, respectively, allowing you or your home tech specialist to mix-and-match to suit your system perfectly. Just need a 5.1 surround sound system? The MCA 525 is your guy, when combined with the AVM 60. Looking to expand to 7.1? Just add an MCA 225 and you’re in business. Or, if you want to take full advantage of the AVM 60’s Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing capabilities, you can combine an MCA 525 and two MCA 325s for the perfect amount of amplification.
All seven new products are expected to ship in January, with prices as follows:
Beelink GTQ TV Box poate transforma orice televizor într-un Smart TV cu Android 5.1, dispunând de interfaţă prietenoasă şi acces la magazinul de aplicaţii Play Store, de unde poţi instala după bunul plac jocuri şi aplicaţii de Android. Cu Beelink GTQ TV Box poţi naviga pe internet, accesa conţinut audio şi video online, de pe hard disk-ul extern conectat la portul USB sau partajat în reţeaua LAN.
Prezentat într-o carcasă din aluminiu surprinzător de elegantă, Beelink GTQ TV Box este genul de accesoriu pe care îl poţi strecura cu uşurinţă lângă televizorul din sufragerie. Dispozitivul se conectează la televizor folosind cablul HDMI, respectiv la priză folosind adaptorul AC.
Odată pornit, dispozitivul ne întâmpină cu o versiune de Android 5.1 personalizată pentru televizor, în care ecranul principal este împărţit în 4 categorii - Online Video, Recommend, Music, My Apps şi Local, fiecare ascunzând o sub-listă cu aplicaţii de Android potrivite categoriei respective (ex. Netflix, YouTube şi Kodi pentru Online Video). Selecţia de aplicaţii grupate sub fiecare categorie poate fi personalizată după bunul plac, în funcţie de aplicaţiile pe care le instalăm ulterior din magazinul Play Store.
Suplimentar, avem şi o listă rapidă cu aplicaţii des folosite vizibilă în partea de jos a ecranului, şi aceasta complet personalizabilă.
Pentru a interacţiona cu interfaţa Android, pachetul cu accesorii include o telecomandă de mici dimensiuni, oferind taste dedicate pentru funcţiile Home, Back, lista de aplicaţii şi volumul sonor, cât şi taste direcţionale pentru navigarea listelor de meniuri. Pentru operaţiuni mai complexe avem butonul ˝Cursor„, a cărui apăsare aduce pe ecran un cursor care poate fi ghidat cu ajutorul tastelor direcţionale. În practică, această modalitate de a controla interfaţa Android este foarte greoaie şi incomodă, cu atât mai mult dacă avem nevoie să introducem text folosind tastatura virtuală arătată pe ecran. Din fericire GTQ TV Box dispune de nu mai puţin de 3 conectori USB (unul de tip micro-USB, cu adaptor la USB normal inclus în pachet), la care putem conecta orice mouse sau tastatură multimedia de care dispunem, wireless sau cu fir.
Detalii tehnice
Aproape un PC în miniatură, Beelink GTQ TV Box dispune de conectivitate Gigabit Lan şi WiFi N dual-band (2.4GHz + 5.8GHz) pentru acces la internet, ieşiri HDMI 1.4 şi AV Composite, cât şi o ieşire audio digitală S/PDIF (cablu optic) pentru conectare la sistemul de boxe. Putem folosi până la 3 dispozitive USB în mod simultan, iar pentru extinderea spaţiului de stocare fără a lăsa la vedere accesorii USB avem şi un slot microSD, acceptând capacităţi de până la 32GB.
Manufacturer: Shenzhen Azw Technology Co., Ltd. Product Name: Beelink GTQ Android TV BOX Model Number: 143107401 (US) or 143107402 (EU) Price As Tested: $76.99 (GearBest | ShopBot)
Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by GearBest.
Media players are no longer those bulky HTPC systems taking up as much space as a desktop computer. They’re also a far cry from the set-top DVR boxes that used to be so popular. These days they’re better known as Media Centers, because they play and record media while functioning as an Internet-connected device. Based on Google’s Android 5.1 (Lollipop) operating system, the Beelink GTQ Media Center in a culmination of technology into a small tidy metal package.
In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we test the Beelink GTQ Android TV BOX Media Center. Promoted as a 4K-ready media player with quad-core Amlogic S812 CPU and eight-core ARM Mali-450 GPU utilizing the new H.265 decoder ideal for 4K Ultra HD picture quality, the Beelink GTQ fills its compact metal shell with powerful hardware comparable to most laptop computers. While a 1000-Mb Gigabit Ethernet port is available, the Beelink GTQ also takes advantage of 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz wireless b/g/n networks.
Previous favorites have included the WD TV Live, and more recently the 2015 Roku 2 (4210R). We also looked at the Android-based Pivos XIOS XS Media Center not so long ago. For this review, we compare the Beelink GTQ Android TV BOX Media Center to these media players, and share our experiences.
GTQ Media Center Features
Features and Specifications provided courtesy GearBest.com
Metal shell material design.
KODI pre-installed: Over 50 most popular Add-ons installed in your KODI.
XBMC supported. XBMC can be used to play almost all popular audio and video formats.
Android 5.1: Rapid and stable, gives you access to over 800,000 apps including Facebook, YouTube, Picasa and more.
Professional 2.4G + 5.8G WiFi, offering a more stable WiFi signal to enjoy a higher quality video experience.
Gigabit 1000M Ethernet.
2GB RAM + 8GB eMMC ROM, 32GB maximum extended capacity gives you more space to download your favorite apps and caches to browse websites, play games, run apps, watch movies more smoothly.
Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity: Easy pairing with most Bluetooth-enabled devices (computer, mobile phone, keyboard, and others).
HDMI 1.4 connector: You can go directly to let your TV and MXV are connected through a HDMI cable and set up your home cinema for the best 1080P HD multimedia experience.
USB host ports: Connect with your mouse and keyboard to help you operate more convenient.
Infrared remote control let you enjoy your wonderful life which the wireless brings to you.
For this week’s CEDIA Expo, Sony pulled out all the stops with the unveiling of its new flagship AV receiver, the STR-ZA5000ES. Painted as Sony’s bridge to the next era in home entertainment, the ZA5000ES offers a power-punch of new technologies, from Dolby Atmos surround to 4K Ultra HD passthrough with High Dynamic Range support to take your home theater to the next level — and beyond.
With nine channels on board, at a claimed 130 watts of power each, the ZA5000ES is equipped for just about any speaker configuration you can whip up, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround sound (the latter via a firmware upgrade) to add overhead speakers for that extra dimension of blow-your-mind realism. The system allows for up to four overhead speakers (in a 5.4.2 configuration), along with decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
And if that’s not enough surround sound awesomeness, you can always add on supplemental amps for up to 11 surround channels. Under the hood, Sony has equipped the receiver with a high-speed clock for top digital efficiency, along with a 32-bit floating point processor for stellar digital signal processing. To power this beast, the device sports a linear wideband amplifier alongside a high capacity transformer with localized power supply to keep noise to a minimum. The “Frame and Beam” design of the chassis is also set up to increase rigidity and eliminate exterior vibrations.
If you don’t understand what all that means, it translates into high-end audio awesomeness even audiophiles won’t likely balk at.
On the video side, as you might expect, the receiver’s six HDMI ports support HDCP 2.2 copyright protection, 4K passthrough at 60p fps, along with HDMI 2.0a support for sourcing HDR content from the forthcoming 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players expected to arrive early next year (or possibly even sooner). The system also offers dual HDMI outs.
Sony’s built-in graphical user interface and front-face cursor system should make setup as easy as possible, along with the company’s D.C.A.C. EX tech with “Speaker Relocation” designed to assist in proper placement. Inputs include a full analog setup, along with an 8-port Ethernet hub for professional installs and home automation integration.
Sony’s loaded new STR-ZA5000ES will hit showroom floors in the first quarter of 2016 at an MSRP of $2,800.
If you’ve shopped TVs recently, you’ve no doubt been seduced by the term 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition). When UHD was first introduced a few years ago, it represented a jump in resolution – basically four times the resolution of 1080p HD. That seemed like a pretty big deal, but we now know that, in 2015, UHD is taking on an entirely new meaning. Going forward, the very best UHD TVs will not only offer higher resolution, but also offer more colors than ever before and something called High Dynamic Range, or HDR.
The idea behind HDR is that it can provide a higher level of contrast between light and dark images on the screen to create a much more realistic image. That may not sound like a lot on paper, but in reality, it’s a pretty significant move. In fact, many in the industry believe HDR represents a significantly bigger leap in picture quality than UHD’s higher resolution.
Imagine a TV picture that is more like what you see in real life. One with spectral highlights closer to what you see when the sun gleams off the surface of a lake, or when the stars and moon are especially bright in the sky. Imagine getting to see the exact same shade of green you see on Los Angeles’ highway signs on a TV for the very first time (did you know TVs haven’t been able to faithfully produce that color?) or a shade of red envisioned by a movie director that is so bright and exotic, you’re convinced you’ve never seen it before. HDR makes that possible.
But how does it work, where is it coming from, and how do you get it? We’ve got the answers below.
Dolby Vision and the legend of HDR
In the beginning, there was Dolby. The name synonymous with surround sound has dug heavily into the visual sciences as of late, hard at work on High Dynamic Range technology, both in movie theaters with new types of laser projection, and in homes with new TV technology.
A few years ago Dolby began showing a small consortium of tech writers, directors, and cinematographers a presentation that showed off the company’s grand plan for the future of TV, called simply Dolby Vision. The technology is based around High Dynamic Range, as well as an expansion of color reproduction. Using a souped up 1080p HDTV, Dolby wowed crowds in private screenings, some of which included producers and directors from the heart of Hollywood’s entertainment crucible who will craft the content of the future.
The Dolby Vision presentations inspired quotes like this one from Variety’s David S. Cohen, “Metallic surfaces gleam like mirrors. Colors glow, luminous and rich. Highlights and shadows alike keep their detail.” Dolby’s Executive Director of Technology Patrick Griffis put things more simply: “This may be the icing that makes the UHD cake work.” It was an impressive first glance at HDR, and one that left a lasting impression on the industry.
Nits and pieces
As one of the first companies to experiment with HDR, Dolby’s initial experiments involved a massive increase in a TV’s brightness capabilities, more technically known as peak luminance levels. Luminance is expressed in terms of either candelas per square meter (cd/m2), or nits. And since nits is much easier to say, the industry is now abuzz with nits.
A single nit is about the brightness of a candle. For reference in the real world, the reflection of sunlight off a car hood might be hundreds of thousands of nits, while a shaded area might be a couple hundred. That range of variance is one TVs and projectors will likely never be tasked to cover.
While standard TVs right now max out somewhere in the 100-400 nits range, the TV used in the Dolby Vision presentation pushed that number to 4,000 nits. Now, that’s a spicy meatball! However, as the TV-specific definition of HDR has continued to evolve over the last couple of years, Dolby’s uber-bright idea hasn’t made its way off the showroom floor. In fact, contrary to what you’ll see on the Dolby Vision homepage,Variety quotes Dolby reps who said the company has no intention (at present) of creating a 4,000 nit consumer TV. Apparently that display was a bit of a ringer.
To be clear, Dolby isn’t getting into TV manufacturing. The company is instead creating the licensing and processing software that will determine how Dolby Vision is utilized in TV manufacturing. Several TVs will be touting Dolby’s HDR technology in the near future, but the models that will see production will likely be a far cry from that super-bright screen that had the industry insiders’ hearts all a twitter. Vizio’s new Dolby Vision-approved Reference 4K UHD TV, for instance, has an LED light output that peaks at 800 Nits — a nice jump from the average TV, but nowhere near that blazing 4,000 nit display.
120″ VIZIO Reference Series
Vizio
As you might expect, not everyone in the industry agrees with Dolby’s vision (pun intended) for HDR, either. Some industry experts think Dolby has focused too squarely on brightness, and that more attention should be paid to the darkside of the contrast spectrum, as it were, to construct a depth of light variance more in line with what we see outside the screen. Many TV manufacturers are also loath to pay Dolby’s stout licensing fees. As such, Dolby Vision isn’t the only game in town anymore, and the term HDR has begun to take on a broader (and, for now, more ambiguous) meaning. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
All the colors of the rainbow
Dolby touted its approach’s unparalleled lighting power (read: lit up like a roman candle), but High Dynamic Range isn’t about searing your retinas with eye-scorching white light. The increase in brightness comes with benefits to the color spectrum, too. In fact, the technology that makes HDR possible in the latest TVs also makes wide color gamut possible. Thanks to special phosphor-coated LEDs and Quantum Dots, the latest UHD televisions are not only brighter, but more colorful as well. And enhanced brightness makes for more striking colors, too – billions of colors, in fact — from that indescribably pure blue you see in a morning skyline, to the metallic-green reflection as the sun bounces off a road sign. In this way, the next generation of TVs aims to create a technicolor feast for the eyes that looks strikingly real.
The competition emerges
While Dolby has set its own standards, HDR has no mandated definition … yet. An organization called The UHD Alliance (definitely different than the Rebel Alliance from Star Wars), has formed to develop standards for UHD, including what HDR will require, and they’re right smack in the middle of that job right now. The version of Dolby’s HDR tech we’ve seen in the new Vizio Reference Series TVs will likely be similar to what we’ll see from other Dolby Vision partners like Sharp, Phillips, HiSense, and TCL. But many of the biggest names in TV have decided to go it alone and create their own versions of HDR.
Samsung offers an open HDR format that it calls Peak Illuminator Ultimate, and other companies like Sony, Panasonic, and LG all have their own flavors of HDR display technology as well. You’ll see this stuff in manufacturers’ marketing materials and probably right on the side of the box, too. Now you’ll know what it means. Below are a few examples of HDR-equipped TVs from some top brands.
Brand
Model
HDR Handle
Peak Nit count
MSRP
Availability
Samsung
JS95000 65″ Super UHD TV
Peak Illuminator Ultimate
1,000
$5,500
Now
Sony
65X930C 65″
X-Tended Dynamic Range
Undisclosed
$4,500
Now
Panasonic
65AX900 65″
HDR
700
$7,200
Now
LG
65UF9500 65″ Prime 4K UHDTV
Ultra Luminance
Undisclosed
$4,500
Now
Vizio
Reference 4K UHD TV
Dolby Vision
800
Unknown
Unknown
While it’s easy to get a grasp on HDR by looking straight at those peak nit numbers, we’d caution strongly against judging too quickly there. As we explained above, part of the reason there are so many different types of HDR is because some companies don’t believe extreme brightness should be at the center of HDR’s definition. Instead, these companies feel deep black levels are just as important, if not more so.
For instance, Panasonic’s latest may not be the brightest, but it offers some of the most inky blacks we’ve seen in an LED TV. And Sony, which did not disclose its nit count, had this to say on the subject: “It requires more than just brightness levels to display HDR well. You need the ability to display the deep blacks AND the brightness.” At any rate, for now, HDR takes many forms, and it’s possible the standard that is set will work on some sort of sliding scale.
So, what do we watch? (The content conundrum)
By now you know a lot about HDR from the display side, but just like 4K UHD resolution, there’s a lone barrier to enjoying HDR awesomeness that’s outside the control of even the TV makers: content.
Most TV content was created for TVs that fall far below the capacity of even the most basic aging HD displays. Modeled for those cube shaped CRT TVs you’ll find out by the dumpster, most film and TV imagery for consumers maxes out at 100 Nits. That means even if your TV has the latest and greatest HDR, color reproduction, and 4K UHD tech, much of what you watch won’t be able to take advantage of all that awesome. Hollywood, of course, is working quickly to remedy this issue, but no release dates for viable HDR content are yet known. Below are a few of the companies pioneering HDR titles and delivery methods.
Technicolor
Perhaps best known for colorizing old movies like The Wizard of Oz, Technicolor is a founding member of the UHD Alliance, and no surprise, the company is designing its own vision for HDR TVs, folding its HDR grading process into movies new and old for the on-demand service M-Go. Like M-Go’s UHD content, Samsung TVs will get first dibs in an exclusive deal. Technicolor is also working on HDR technology for broadcast TV, as well as HDR-equipped set top boxes.
Netflix
A pioneer in 4K UHD streaming, Netflix will likely be the most timely and easiest way for most of us to get our HDR, with content expected to launch later this year. The company is working with HDR grading on some of its own originals like Marco Polo (which, granted, most people aren’t watching anyway), as well as newer movies, and re-mastered older titles. Once in place, the system will be able to determine your TV’s HDR compatibility and deliver the content accordingly.
Amazon
Not to be outdone by its streaming rival, Amazon recently announced it too will be working on grading some of its original series for HDR delivery. However no titles have been confirmed for HDR production from the company, nor has Amazon given any further information regarding release dates.
UHD Blu-ray
While the new content will come from studios and production houses that will master new and current titles for HDR, the highest-quality delivery method for a top-quality HDR experience at home will likely come from an upgrade to an old friend. The compression involved in sending high quality video content puts limitations on streaming that Blu-rays, with their high storage capacity, don’t have.
The Blu-ray Disc Association is currently working on next-gen 4K UHD Blu-rays, which will allow for 4K UHD resolution, HDR and color expansion, and revolutionary new surround sound codecs like Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X. The recent update to HDMI 2.0a was essentially based entirely around clearing the way for High Dynamic Range devices, including new Blu-ray players, and other set-top devices.
So there you have it. High Dynamic Range is a lot more complex than just three little words. But it’s also a very exciting technology that will pull us even deeper into the spectacular movies and TV series we love to watch, creating more brilliantly realistic images than ever. Of course, the HDR we’ve seen at work for LED TVs still hasn’t managed to create the bursting colors, and infinite contrast of OLED displays. But that’s a topic for another day.
