HDR10 + Adaptive is a new feature that reaches the high standard of dynamic range that will optimize the quality of the TV image based on the brightness of the environment, Samsung announced today. HDR content is usually designed to look its best in dark rooms with as little ambient light as possible, but the new feature promises to use the TV’s light sensor to react to bright environments and adjust its image quality accordingly. Samsung says the feature will be launched globally with its “next QLED TV products”.
HDR10 + is not the first HDR standard to introduce this feature. At CES last year, Dolby announced Dolby Vision IQ, a new feature for its own HDR standard that promises to optimize HDR content for the room in which it is being watched. The feature started appearing on select LG and Panasonic TVs over the course of the year and was generally well received in reviews.
Samsung notes that the HDR10 + Adaptive will work with Filmmaker Mode, a screen configuration launched last year that disables post-processing effects like motion smoothing to show content as accurately as possible.
Compared to Dolby Vision, the HDR10 + standard is not as widely supported by manufacturers of TV and streaming services. However, it has the support of Samsung, the world’s largest TV maker, and Amazon through its Amazon Prime video streaming service. It is no accident that these were the two companies that announced the standard more than three years ago. Dolby Vision, in turn, is compatible with TVs from manufacturers like LG and Sony, and content compatible with the standard can be found on streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus.
Samsung says its next QLED TVs will support HDR10 + Adaptive, but it is unclear whether its existing TVs will be updated with the new feature.