HDR Formats Explained: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG

The HDR Format Zoo

Open the technical specifications page for almost any modern HDR-capable television and you will find a list of supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG, maybe Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10+ Gaming, or newer variants like Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+ Advanced.

The names make it sound as if there are half a dozen completely different kinds of HDR.

The reality is both simpler and more interesting.

Most HDR movies, shows, discs, and streams are built on the same basic foundation: PQ, wide color, 10-bit or better precision, and a Rec. 2020 container. The big difference between the major consumer formats is usually not the basic idea of HDR itself. It is metadata - information carried alongside the video that helps the TV understand how the content was mastered and how it should be adapted to a display that may not be able to reproduce everything the master contains.

HDR10 gives the TV static metadata: one set of information for the whole title.

HDR10+ and Dolby Vision add dynamic metadata: information that can change scene by scene or frame by frame.

HLG is the main exception. It was designed for broadcast and uses a different transfer function entirely.

This piece is about the format landscape: what the major HDR formats share, what separates them, where you encounter each one, and why the format name matters less than the tone mapping your TV performs after it receives the signal.

The format labels make more sense once you separate them from the transfer curves, so it helps to read this alongside the explanation of PQ and HLG and the practical choices in HDR settings.

What the formats share

Start with the shared foundation.

HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision all use PQ as their core HDR transfer-function family. PQ is the Perceptual Quantizer, the HDR curve designed to map signal values to display luminance in a perceptually efficient way.

They also generally use a Rec. 2020 color container. That does not mean the content necessarily uses the full Rec. 2020 gamut. Most real-world HDR content still sits largely within or near P3, because that is what many mastering displays and consumer TVs can reproduce more reliably. But the signal is carried in the larger Rec. 2020 system, leaving room for wider color as displays improve.

HDR10 and HDR10+ are 10-bit consumer formats. Dolby Vision can support higher internal precision and some workflows/profiles are associated with 12-bit processing or enhancement layers, though much consumer delivery still travels through 10-bit-compatible paths.

So the broad building blocks overlap:

PQ transfer function.

Wide color.

Rec. 2020 container.

10-bit or better precision.

HDR mastering.

Consumer display tone mapping.

That shared foundation is why the same film in HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision is not three unrelated pictures. They are different ways of packaging and guiding the same basic HDR image.

But it is too simple to say the pixel data is always identical. Dolby Vision may use different profiles, base layers, enhancement layers, and dynamic metadata. HDR10+ is designed as an extension of HDR10, but it still adds dynamic information that changes how compatible displays render the image. The visible picture depends not only on the base video but on the metadata, the player, the TV, the profile, and the tone-mapping decisions.

The formats are related.

They are not interchangeable.

Metadata: the real battleground

The key difference among the major PQ-based HDR formats is metadata.

Metadata is information about the image that travels with the video signal. In HDR, metadata can describe the mastering display, the brightest parts of the content, the average brightness of frames, and in dynamic formats, how individual scenes or frames should be adapted for different displays.

This matters because consumer TVs are not all equally capable.

A film may be mastered on a 1,000-nit or 4,000-nit display. Your TV may peak at 600 nits, 900 nits, 1,500 nits, or more, and only under certain conditions. A full-screen bright scene may be much dimmer than a small highlight. An OLED, a mini-LED LCD, and a projector all have different limits. Even two TVs with similar peak-brightness specs may handle highlights and shadows differently.

So the TV has to map the mastered image into what the display can actually show.

That process is tone mapping.

Metadata gives the tone mapper information.

Static metadata gives it a small amount of information for the whole title.

Dynamic metadata gives it updated information as the title plays.

That distinction is the spine of the HDR format landscape.

Static versus dynamic metadata

Static metadata is fixed for an entire movie, episode, or program.

It can include the mastering display's color primaries, white point, minimum luminance, and maximum luminance. It can also include MaxCLL and MaxFALL.

MaxCLL means Maximum Content Light Level: the brightest pixel value reported for the title.

MaxFALL means Maximum Frame-Average Light Level: the highest average brightness of any frame.

Those values can help a TV decide how aggressively to tone-map the content. But they describe the title as a whole. They do not tell the TV that one scene is dark and restrained while another scene is full of bright sunlight.

Dynamic metadata is different.

Dynamic metadata can change from scene to scene or frame to frame. It can describe the brightness characteristics of the current scene, guide how highlights should be compressed, and help the TV adapt the master to its own capabilities with more context.

This is useful because HDR content varies constantly.

A movie may have a candlelit scene that never rises above a few hundred nits, followed by a daylight scene with bright reflections, followed by a night scene with small neon highlights. Static metadata has to describe the whole movie with one set of numbers. Dynamic metadata can tell the TV what is happening right now.

That does not automatically make dynamic HDR perfect. The metadata has to be created well. It has to survive the delivery chain. The TV has to support the format. The TV still has to tone-map intelligently. But dynamic metadata gives the display better information to work with.

HDR10

HDR10 is the baseline HDR format.

It uses PQ, 10-bit color, a Rec. 2020 container, and static metadata. It is open, widely supported, and effectively universal on HDR-capable consumer TVs.

If a TV says it supports HDR, it almost certainly supports HDR10. UHD Blu-ray uses HDR10 as the mandatory baseline for HDR discs. Streaming services use HDR10 as the fallback HDR format when a more advanced dynamic format is not available or not supported by the playback chain. Game consoles and PCs also commonly use HDR10 as the baseline HDR output.

The strength of HDR10 is compatibility.

It does not require Dolby Vision licensing. It does not require HDR10+ support. It does not require a proprietary dynamic metadata system. If the source, player, cable, and TV support HDR at all, HDR10 is usually the common language they can agree on.

The weakness is that HDR10 is static.

The TV gets one set of metadata for the entire piece of content. If a film contains one extremely bright scene, the metadata may push the tone mapper to preserve headroom for that scene even when most of the movie is much darker. A good TV can analyze the image itself and make smarter choices, but HDR10 does not provide scene-by-scene instructions in the same way dynamic formats do.

That is why HDR10 quality varies so much by display.

A premium TV with excellent tone mapping can make HDR10 look excellent. A budget HDR TV with limited brightness and simple tone mapping can make the same HDR10 stream look dim, clipped, or flat.

HDR10 is the floor.

It is a very important floor.

Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision is Dolby's proprietary dynamic HDR format.

It uses PQ-based HDR and dynamic metadata to help map content to different displays. In Dolby Vision workflows, the creative grade can be analyzed and adjusted so that the final presentation is guided by metadata rather than leaving every decision to the TV's generic HDR10 tone mapper.

That is the main promise of Dolby Vision: more consistent adaptation from the master to the viewer's display.

Dolby Vision can support up to 12-bit precision in the broader system, though real consumer delivery depends on the profile, device, stream, disc, and playback path. Many streaming implementations are carried in 10-bit-compatible forms. UHD Blu-ray Dolby Vision has its own profile structure, often with an HDR10-compatible base layer and Dolby Vision metadata or enhancement information.

The important practical distinction is dynamic metadata.

Dolby Vision can provide scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame guidance. It can also account for the target display's capabilities. The TV or player uses that information to adapt the image more intelligently than static HDR10 metadata alone.

That does not mean every Dolby Vision display looks identical. The TV still matters. Panel brightness, black level, color volume, processing quality, picture mode, player-led versus TV-led handling, and manufacturer choices all affect the final image. Dolby Vision narrows the chaos, but it does not erase hardware differences.

Dolby Vision is licensed. TV manufacturers, device makers, and production tools need Dolby support. That has shaped the market. Many major TV brands support Dolby Vision; Samsung has historically favored HDR10+ instead. Many premium streaming services and UHD Blu-rays offer Dolby Vision, but catalog and device support vary.

Dolby Vision IQ is a related consumer feature that uses room-awareness, often through an ambient light sensor, to adjust the presentation for the viewing environment. In a dark room it aims to preserve the mastered look. In a bright room it may lift parts of the picture so detail remains visible. Some viewers like this; others prefer to disable it and keep the image closer to a fixed reference presentation.

Dolby Vision 2 is a newer evolution of the Dolby Vision family. It adds more advanced picture-intelligence and display-adaptation ideas, but it does not change the basic role Dolby Vision already plays in this landscape: it is the proprietary dynamic-metadata HDR system most associated with premium streaming and disc playback.

HDR10+

HDR10+ is the other major dynamic HDR format.

It was developed as an extension of HDR10 and backed heavily by Samsung, with other industry partners joining over time. Like HDR10, it uses PQ, 10-bit video, and a Rec. 2020 container. Unlike HDR10, it adds dynamic metadata.

The purpose is similar to Dolby Vision: give the display scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame information so it can tone-map more intelligently.

The difference is ecosystem and control.

HDR10+ is designed as an open, royalty-free dynamic metadata system, in the sense that there are no per-device or per-unit royalties for certification use. It is standardized around SMPTE ST 2094-40 metadata. HDR10+ content is backward-compatible with HDR10 displays: a TV that does not understand HDR10+ can ignore the dynamic metadata and play the HDR10 base presentation.

That backward compatibility is important. It means HDR10+ can ride on top of HDR10 rather than replacing it.

Compared with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ is less prescriptive. The format provides dynamic metadata, but the TV manufacturer's own tone-mapping system still plays a major role in how that metadata gets used. That can be a strength or a weakness depending on the display. A good HDR10+ implementation can look excellent. A weaker one may not extract as much benefit.

HDR10+ support has grown. It appears on many Samsung TVs and on some TVs, projectors, players, phones, and streaming devices from other brands. It is also supported by a number of streaming services and some UHD Blu-rays, though the exact catalog varies by service, region, app, and device.

HDR10+ Adaptive and HDR10+ Gaming are related variants aimed at room adaptation and gaming. HDR10+ Advanced is a newer extension of the family. Those additions make the ecosystem broader, but the core concept remains the same: HDR10+ is dynamic metadata added to the HDR10 foundation.

HLG

HLG is different.

HLG stands for Hybrid Log-Gamma. It was developed by the BBC and NHK for broadcast HDR and standardized in BT.2100 alongside PQ.

Unlike HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, HLG does not use PQ. It uses its own transfer-function system: gamma-like in part of the signal and logarithmic in the upper range. It is designed to work well in live and broadcast workflows.

HLG is also relative rather than absolute in the same way PQ is. PQ maps signal values to specific display luminance values. HLG is more display-adaptive by design. That makes it useful when one broadcast signal has to serve a wide range of displays.

The major advantage of HLG is simplicity for broadcast.

Live television has different problems from streaming or disc distribution. A streaming service can send different versions to different devices. A disc player can negotiate with a TV. A broadcaster may need to send one live signal through a chain where metadata could be difficult to preserve and where viewers have different equipment.

HLG does not rely on static or dynamic HDR metadata in the same way PQ-based formats do. The curve itself carries the HDR behavior. That makes it robust for live production.

There is a caveat: HLG is not magic. It does not guarantee that every old SDR TV will show a perfect picture. Color space, device handling, broadcast chain, and display assumptions still matter. But compared with PQ, HLG was designed with graceful broadcast compatibility in mind.

In practice, you are most likely to encounter HLG in live HDR broadcasts, sports, some public-service broadcaster UHD channels, some camera footage, and some YouTube HDR uploads.

For HDR movies and prestige streaming series, you are usually watching PQ-based HDR.

What you actually encounter

For most viewers, the practical landscape looks like this.

UHD Blu-ray uses HDR10 as the baseline HDR format. Many discs also include Dolby Vision. Some include HDR10+. A smaller number include both. Your player and TV generally negotiate the best mutually supported format automatically.

Streaming services usually offer HDR10 as a baseline and may also offer Dolby Vision, HDR10+, or both, depending on the service, title, app, device, region, and TV. Dolby Vision has been widely used for premium streaming HDR. HDR10+ has also grown, especially on platforms and devices that support Samsung's preferred ecosystem. The exact catalog changes, so it is better to think in terms of compatibility than permanent service labels.

Game consoles and PCs generally use HDR10 as the baseline. Some platforms support Dolby Vision gaming. HDR10+ Gaming also exists, but support depends on the hardware, game, display, and platform. Gaming HDR remains messier than movie HDR because the image is often generated in real time and tone mapping may involve both the game engine and the display.

Live HDR broadcast is where HLG is most common.

Newer labels such as Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Vision 2, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10+ Gaming, and HDR10+ Advanced are extensions of the larger format families. They may add room adaptation, gaming features, improved display mapping, or other enhancements. But the core split remains the same:

HDR10 is static PQ HDR.

Dolby Vision is proprietary dynamic PQ HDR.

HDR10+ is open dynamic PQ HDR.

HLG is broadcast-oriented non-PQ HDR.

What matters when buying a TV

It is tempting to buy a TV by counting HDR logos.

Do not do that.

Format support matters, but display quality matters more.

A TV with Dolby Vision support but weak brightness, poor tone mapping, mediocre black levels, and limited color volume may produce worse HDR than a TV without Dolby Vision but with excellent panel performance and intelligent HDR10 tone mapping. Likewise, HDR10+ support is useful, especially if your content ecosystem uses it, but it does not rescue a weak display.

The format tells you what information the TV receives.

It does not guarantee what the TV does with it.

When buying a TV, prioritize the fundamentals first: contrast, black level, peak brightness, sustained brightness, color volume, tone-mapping quality, near-black handling, viewing environment, and picture-mode accuracy. Then look at HDR format support in the context of what you actually watch.

If you use streaming services and devices that offer Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision support is valuable.

If you are in the Samsung ecosystem or use services/devices with strong HDR10+ support, HDR10+ is valuable.

If you watch live HDR broadcasts, HLG support matters.

If you mostly watch HDR10 discs or streams, the quality of the TV's HDR10 tone mapping may matter more than any logo.

The best situation is a TV that supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, plus HLG, and also has strong underlying display performance. But if you have to choose, picture quality comes first.

Why the picture still varies

All HDR metadata exists for one reason: to help the TV tone-map.

Static metadata gives the TV general information about the title.

Dynamic metadata gives the TV more specific information about scenes or frames.

But metadata is only input.

The TV still has to decide how to render the image. If the content asks for a 4,000-nit highlight and the TV can only produce 900 nits, something has to give. The TV can preserve highlight detail by dimming or compressing the scene. It can preserve average brightness by clipping some highlights. It can lift shadows for visibility. It can follow the metadata closely or impose its own look.

Different TVs make different choices.

That is why the same HDR movie can look different on two displays that both support Dolby Vision. It is why HDR10 can look surprisingly good on one TV and disappointing on another. It is why HDR10+ may help a midrange display in some scenes but still depend heavily on that display's tone-mapping engine.

The format tells the TV what it is dealing with.

The tone mapper decides what you see.

Troubleshooting format problems

Most of the time, you do not need to select HDR formats manually.

The TV reports what it supports. The source chooses the best compatible format. The stream, disc, console, or player sends it. The TV switches into the appropriate HDR mode.

When things go wrong, the symptoms are usually obvious.

HDR does not engage at all.

A Dolby Vision title plays only as HDR10.

The picture looks washed out.

The picture looks too dark.

The TV shows the wrong HDR icon.

The source device says the display does not support a format it should support.

The usual causes are not artistic settings. They are signal-chain problems.

Check that the TV input has its enhanced HDMI mode enabled. Check that the source device is set to output HDR. Check that the receiver or soundbar in the middle supports passthrough for the format. Check the HDMI cable. Check that the app on that particular device actually supports the format for that title. Check whether the TV supports Dolby Vision or HDR10+ on that HDMI port or app.

Format support is a chain.

Every link has to agree.

Where this leaves us

The HDR format zoo looks intimidating because the logos pile up: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Vision 2, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10+ Gaming, HDR10+ Advanced.

But the foundation is manageable.

HDR10 is the universal static-metadata baseline.

Dolby Vision is the proprietary dynamic-metadata system with strong support in premium streaming and many TVs.

HDR10+ is the open dynamic-metadata extension of HDR10, especially important in ecosystems that do not use Dolby Vision.

HLG is the broadcast-friendly HDR system built around a different transfer function.

Most of the confusion comes from treating those logos as if they directly determine picture quality. They do not. They determine what information reaches the TV and what language the source and display use.

The picture itself is made by the display.

That is the final step in the Foundations arc: tone mapping. HDR content can describe brightness and color far beyond what many consumer displays can reproduce. Metadata helps. Formats help. But the display still has to make the hard decision: what should this impossible signal become on this real panel?

The format is the package.

Tone mapping is the translation.

And in HDR, the translation is where the picture lives.