Tag: HDR

YouTube Now Supports HDR Videos

YouTube announced today support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), improving the brightness, image contrast and color range of videos. This is yet another step in YouTube’s goal of offering content that can play on large HDTV screens.

“HDR videos have higher contrast, revealing precise, detailed shadows and stunning highlights with more clarity than ever,” noted YouTube software engineer Steven Robertson and product manager Sanjeev Verma in their blog announcement. “Support for wide color gamut means colors are more vibrant. Simply put, HDR unlocks the most spectacular image quality we’ve ever streamed.”

They said that starting right now, you can watch HDR content on HDR TVs with Chromecast Ultra and very soon on all 2016 Samsung SUHD and UHD TVs. Chromecast Ultra enables you to stream up to 4K Ultra HD & HDR picture quality over your WiFi network by simply plugging the device into your TV’s HDMI port. They say that it is extremely fast and has minimal buffering.

If you don’t have an HDR enabled device, video will play in standard dynamic range. YouTube is currently working with partners that will bring more HDR content to the platform. In the meantime, you can check out the first HDR videos uploaded or remastered by YouTube creators that includes MysteryGuitarMan, Jacob + Katie Schwarz, and Abandon Visuals:

“Starting today, any creator can upload HDR videos to YouTube,” says Robertson and Verma. To make sure creators can tell awesome stories with even more color, we’ve been working with companies across the industry. We’ve also outfitted the YouTube Spaces in LA and NYC with all the gear needed to produce great HDR content.”

They added, “HDR adds a whole new dimension of creative freedom and visual spectacle, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of what this means for storytelling. We can’t wait to see the amazing videos you’re going to make with HDR.”

To learn more about uploading your videos check out their HDR YouTube Help Section.

November 7, 2016
Amazon Begins HDR Streaming for Prime Members

Amazon has announced that it’s going to start streaming some shows in High Dynamic Range (HDR), just as it promised earlier this year.

HDR basically improves image quality by enhancing shadows and highlights and brightening colors. With HDR, Amazon’s streaming video will appear more lifelike.

This sounds nice, obviously, but there’s one catch to this – it’s very, very limited at this point.

Amazon is only enabling HDR streams for one of its original series – Mozart in the Jungle. And it’s only for Prime members in the US, and it’s only compatible with one device as of now – Samsung SUHD TVs.

“HDR is a technical innovation that provides a truly stunning viewing experience and we’re thrilled to be the first to offer this unmatched picture quality,” said Michael Paull, Vice President of Digital Video at Amazon. “We can’t wait for our Prime members to watch and re-watch Mozart in the Jungle in HDR at no additional cost to their membership, and we look forward to adding more titles and devices that support HDR this year.”

Of course, Amazon says that this is just the beginning and that there will be “more ways to watch soon.”

Amazon is the first to offer HDR streaming, but it won’t be the last. Netflix is also rolling it out soon – and it feels that HDR is way more important to your viewing experience than other quality boosts like 4K resolution.

June 24, 2015
CES: Netflix Reportedly Prepares For HDR 4K Streaming

Last year, all of the talk was about 4K Ultra HD, but now that Netflix offers that, it’s on to the next best thing, which is apparently HDR or high dynamic range 4K streaming. And Netflix will reportedly launch this eventually.

Steven Tweedie at Business Insider reports from the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas that he was “ushered into a dark room to see the new way to watch Netflix,” and that “it’s gorgeous.” He got a look at Netflix original Marco Polo this way as well as the movie A Million Ways to Die in the West Tweedie writes:

Samsung showed off some impressive HDR 4K televisions at CES this week, but LG is arguably further along, with an official partnership with Netflix that will introduce HDR streaming later this year.

…

Once Netflix officially launches HDR streaming, Netflix will “talk” to your TV, checking to see whether your TV is equipped for HDR. Your TV will enable the feature and handle all the HDR processing, so you won’t have to worry about Netflix being slower just so you can see some extra color.

Of course, you’ll need a high-end HDR 4K TV to be able to get the experience.

Image via Netflix

January 7, 2015