In a relatively short time, HDR has evolved from being exclusive to high-end TVs to a must-have feature for any set. Short for High Dynamic Range, the tech intensifies highlights, brings out shadow details, and expands your TV’s color palette. SDR (standard-range) content can still look fantastic, but the gap with HDR is too noticeable to ignore. Maybe moreso than the gap between 1080p and 4K.
There are several different HDR formats, and the situation is about to become even more complicated with the advent of Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+ Advanced. In this guide, I’m going to introduce you to HDR10+ Advanced, and explain why it may be more significant for most viewers than Vision 2, despite the weight of the Dolby brand. If you’ve ever sobbed when looking at your streaming bills, you might understand why.
What is HDR10+ Advanced, and how does it work?
Fixing the gaps in HDR
The basic version of HDR10 is the most common HDR format on TVs for a couple of reasons. First, it’s old, relatively speaking — it was launched in 2015, before many people were even familiar with 4K. Second, it’s royalty-free. That’s greatly appealing to TV makers and streaming services, given how many other licenses they need to serve up content.
The problem with HDR10 is that it relies on static metadata. It doesn’t adapt to what’s onscreen, so there’s the risk that some scenes will appear too bright, too dark, or otherwise not as intended. They’ll probably look fine, don’t get me wrong — but adaptation can be crucial in an era when filmmakers shoot scenes using nothing but the moon or candlelight.
HDR10+ fixes this situation by switching to dynamic metadata. It can adapt scene-by-scene, or even frame-by-frame. This keeps the look of things more consistent, and not too surprisingly, it’s spreading across a lot of devices and services. Its biggest backers are probably Amazon and Samsung. The latter actually refuses to put Dolby Vision on its TVs, no matter that it’s usually considered the gold standard for HDR. More on that point later.
HDR10+ Advanced — which I’ll just refer to as “Advanced” from now on — is the next step forward. It’s explicitly backed by Samsung, and meant to compete with Dolby Vision 2, which was announced a short time beforehand. Like Vision 2, Advanced is intended to exploit cutting-edge hardware while still bringing enhancements to affordable TVs.
Like Dolby Vision 2, Advanced is intended to exploit cutting-edge hardware while still bringing enhancements to affordable TVs.
For a start, one addition is dubbed Intelligent FRC (frame rate conversion). This enables motion smoothing metadata, allowing studios to dictate how much smoothing is used and when, based on factors like content type and image brightness. Like Vision 2’s Authentic Motion, it should provide the benefits of smoothing without the dreaded “soap opera effect,” which can make $100 million blockbusters look like they were shot on camcorders for $10,000.
Another parallel involves support for ultra-bright TVs. Advanced’s suitably-named Bright feature can adapt to newer TVs with as much as 5,000 nits of peak brightness. If you want a point of comparison, my Apple Watch Ultra 2 is perfectly readable under the midday sun at 3,000 nits. With a state-of-the-art TV cranked to the maximum, highlights in Advanced content could be blinding.
Local Tone-Mapping should improve performance on LCDs by exercising more control over backlighting zones. There’s also an Intelligent Gaming feature, but oddly enough, it’s concentrated on latency, tone mapping, and other improvements for cloud gaming, rather than on local play on PCs and consoles — the way most gamers play.
Perhaps the biggest divergence with Vision 2 is a dependence on AI. Whereas Vision 2 relies heavily on custom metadata with the aim of giving studios full creative control, Advanced makes greater use of algorithms, Bright being one example. There’s also a Genre feature which adapts to different kinds of content, but it’s not clear to what extent this has to be specified by studios.
What can I watch in HDR10+ Advanced?
Some patience required
As of mid-January 2026, nothing. Content is coming, though. Amazon has pledged support for Prime Video, which makes sense, since a lot of content there is already available in HDR10+. The real question may be whether Advanced will be applied retroactively, or if you can only expect to see it in newer movies and shows. Studios will have to remaster older titles to grant them Advanced’s benefits.
Amazon has pledged support for Prime Video, which makes sense, since a lot of content there is already available in HDR10+.
Beyond Prime, I’d expect the format to show up anywhere else HDR10+ is streaming. In the US that includes Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Apple TV, Disney+ and Paramount+, among other platforms. Except for YouTube, all of those services support Dolby Vision as well.
It should eventually become common on PCs and consoles. Perhaps moreso PCs, since even the Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 Pro only support HDR10. There’s more hope for the Xbox Series X, which offers HDR10+ and Dolby Vision in some circumstances, but you might end up waiting for Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles if you don’t own a Mac or Windows machine.
Which TVs support HDR10+ Advanced?
The waiting game continues
Nothing has been formally announced, but it’s a safe bet that Samsung’s next crop of flagship TVs will have it. Samsung is the standard’s primary backer, as I mentioned, and without Dolby Vision — much less Vision 2 — the company desperately needs something like Advanced to remain competitive. There’s no sign that a Dolby licensing deal is coming anytime soon.
Expect Advanced to filter down to cheaper models and other brands by the end of 2026. There’s no financial obstacle to it, and it’s in Samsung’s best interests to see the format spread as rapidly as possible — the more widely it’s supported, the more likely studios are to provide content, in turn making Samsung TVs more attractive without handing Dolby a dime.
Note that you should also be able to get the tech on some add-on media streamers, like Apple’s rumored refresh of the Apple TV 4K. You’ll need a compatible TV for that to have an impact, however.
Why is HDR10+ Advanced a big deal?
HDR for the masses
Aside from its significance to Samsung as a business, it’s the only real challenge to Vision 2 on the horizon. If it succeeds, it’s going to be a flagbearer for what’s possible with HDR. If it turns out to have deficiencies, or otherwise fails to catch on, industry support may sway heavily towards Vision 2, granting Dolby the same dominance in the high-end HDR arena that it enjoys with Atmos in spatial audio. Sure, DTS:X remains an alternative to Atmos — but some speaker makers don’t even bother with it.
For many people, Advanced may be the only way they get to experience next-gen HDR.
For many people, Advanced may be the only way they get to experience next-gen HDR. Most streaming services lock Dolby Vision behind expensive “premium” plans, whereas HDR10+ is at least occasionally available on cheaper ones. Whether or not it works as intended, Advanced could become your glimpse at where technology is headed, and the way you experience your favorite movies, shows, and games.
