The next big thing in big TVs: HDR
PLUS: Netflix doubles original content — and all of it is shot in 4K and HDR.
So you thought you'd kept up with the Joneses by buying a 4K (or "ultra high definition") TV.
You didn't but only for a few months.
The next big thing in big screen TVs is called HDR (for high dynamic range).
NBR has found 3D and curved TVs gimmicky.
But like 4K, HDR makes a real difference to picture quality.
4K is four times the resolution of high definition (HD), but resolution is not the whole story. HDR offers better contrast and a better colour gamut. As NBR's Toybox reviewer Scott Bartley finds when he reviews one of the first tellies to feature both 4K and HDR, Samsung's JS9000 55-inch UHD TV, combining the two technologies in one set results in an absolutely stunning picture.
The problem with 4K has been the usual one for a new TV technology: little content. There's not much on disc, and traditional broadcasters have no interest in HDR at this point.
This week I met reps from Netflix who were visiting Auckland.
They said over the past year, Netflix has produced around 320 hours of original TV, all of it shot in 4K.
Over the next year, it will commission double that amount of programming — and all of it will be shot in 4K and HDR. And all original series from this point will be available for Netflix NZ as well as the larger much larger catalogue overall Netflix US (right now, there are some gaps; the latest season of House of Cards is AWOL from Netflix NZ, for example).
If you do want to dip into Netflix's 4K content, make sure you have an unlimited data plan and a fast internet connection (a 15Mbit/s to 20Mbit/s is the minimum, especially if others in your household are online too; for most that will mean VDSL or fibre).
Few have 4K let alone 4K plus HDR tellies at this point, of course. But with the likes of Sky TV's Neon not even supporting HD yet, Netflix continues to set the technology pace.
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The next big thing in big TVs: HDR
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