Recently, user Zuby_Tech published a tweet (post) claiming that Dolby Vision was coming to the PlayStation 5. This wouldn't even have crossed the minds of players, but the latest update to the console gave users the possibility of using Dolby Atmos, which is quite curious given that Sony has its own surround sound system. But what does Dolby Vision mean?
Dolby Vision Gaming Coming To PlayStation 5!#Sony #BRAVIA #A95L #PlayStation #PlayStation5 #PS5 #Dolby #DolbyVisionGaming @Dolby pic.twitter.com/0L7oPsESK7
- @Zuby_Tech (@Zuby_Tech) September 18, 2023
You can now activate PS5 Dolby Vision support for your Bravia TVs, despite Sony releasing a firmware that blocks ALLM on their TVs to always remain in Game mode. This allows you to experience higher frame rates with Dolby Vision, although some prior configuration is required. The information comes from Nikos Papasugar, who posted a video about Dolby Vision support for PS5 on Bravia TVs, as well as in a separate Reddit thread:
But unfortunately, this fact doesn't make much difference to us Brazilians, after all, Sony has left the country in relation to all other non-PlayStation products. Even so, this could indicate the presence of this new standard in the new generation consoles, meaning more options for consumers.
A brief explanation of dynamic range...
Well, before I tell you what Dolby Vision is, you need to know what HDR is, which literally translates as High Dynamic Range. It's a feature that was born in photographs and is now one of the most important features in 4K TVs. After all, what's the point of high resolution if the image quality isn't up to par?
A TV's contrast is the difference between how dark and light the image can be. The dynamic range describes the extremes of this difference and how much detail can be shown between them. Essentially, the dynamic range is the contrast of the screen and HDR represents the amplification of this contrast.
However, simply expanding the range between light and dark is insufficient to improve the detail of an image. Whether a panel can reach 200 nits (relatively dark) or 2,000 nits (incredibly bright), and whether its black levels are 0.1cd/m^2 (faded, almost gray) or 0 (completely dark), it can ultimately only show so much information based on the signal it is receiving.
Many popular video formats, including broadcast television and Blu-ray discs, are limited by standards built around the physical limits presented by older technologies. Black is defined only for black, because, as Christopher Guest eloquently wrote, "it couldn't get any blacker".
In the same way, white could only get so bright within the limitations of the display technology. Now, with organic LED (OLED) and LED backlighting systems with local dimming in newer LCD panels, this range is increasing.
Both blacks and whites can go to even greater extremes, but video formats can't take advantage of this. Only a certain amount of information is presented in the signal, and a TV capable of going beyond these limits can only work with the information present.
What is HDR anyway?
That's where HDR video comes in. It eliminates the limitations presented by older video signals and provides information about brightness and color over a much wider range. HDR-compatible monitors can read this information and display an image constructed from a wider range of colors and brightness.
HDR video simply contains more data to describe more steps between the extremes. This means that bright objects and dark objects on the same screen can be shown with high degrees of brightness and darkness if the screen supports it, with all the necessary steps described in the signal and not synthesized by the image processor.
Simply put, HDR content on HDR-compatible TVs can be lighter, darker and show more intermediate shades of gray than non-HDR content. Of course, this varies between TVs. Some may be light and dark enough to do justice to the HDR signal, while others may not.
In the same way, HDR-compatible TVs can produce deeper, more vivid reds, greens and blues and show more color variations between them. Deep shadows are not simply black voids; more detail can be seen in the darkness, while the image remains dark. Bright pictures are not simply sunny and vivid pictures; fine details on brighter surfaces remain sharp. Vivid objects are not simply saturated; more degrees of color can be seen.
This requires a lot more data and not all media can handle it. For example, standard Blu-ray discs don't support HDR. Fortunately, Ultra HD Blu-ray (which is different from Blu-ray, despite its name) can hold more data and is designed to hold 4K video, HDR video and even object-based surround sound, such as Dolby Atmos. Ultra HD Blu-rays, however, require Ultra HD Blu-ray players or relatively new games consoles to play them, such as the PS5 itself or the Xbox (at least the One X).
Some online streaming services also offer HDR content, but you need a fast and reliable connection to get it. Fortunately, if your bandwidth is high enough for 4K video, you can also get HDR; Amazon Prime Video and Netflix recommend connection speeds of 15 Mbps and 25 Mbps respectively for 4K content, regardless of whether the content is HDR or not.
That said, the Sony and Microsoft consoles have different HDR standards...
The surprise of the possible arrival of Dolby Vision on the PlayStation 5 is due to the fact that Sony uses another HDR standard, which is HDR 10. And you might think, what's stopping you from having more than one standard on the same device? What's so great about that? Well, the truth is that few TVs on the market recognize these two standards, and consoles fall into the same category.
HDR is not universal and is currently divided into two main formats, with a few others in the background.
Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision is Dolby's own HDR format. Although Dolby requires certification for media and screens to say they are compatible with Dolby Vision, it is not as specific and absolute as HDR10. Dolby Vision content uses dynamic metadata. Static metadata maintains specific levels of brightness in any content you watch.
Dynamic metadata adjusts these levels based on each scene or even each frame, preserving more detail between scenes that are too bright or too dark. By adjusting the maximum and minimum levels of light that a TV should instantly generate, the same amount of data that would be assigned to the entire range of light that an entire movie or program uses can be set at a much more specific and targeted level. Darker scenes can preserve more detail in the shadows and lighter scenes can maintain more detail in the highlights.
Dolby Vision also uses metadata adjusted to the capabilities of your specific display, rather than dealing with absolute values based on how the video was mastered. This means that Dolby Vision video will tell your TV which light and color levels to use based on values set between the TV manufacturer and Dolby, which take into account the capabilities of your specific TV.
It can allow TVs to show more detail than HDR10, but this ultimately depends on how the content has been mastered and what your TV can handle in terms of light and color. This mastering aspect is important, because Dolby Vision is a licensed standard and not open like HDR10. If Dolby Vision is available in the final video, it probably means that Dolby workflows were used throughout the video.
Dolby Vision is the most widely supported HDR format after HDR10, with content on Amazon Prime Video , Apple TV+ , Disney+ , HBO Max and Netflix.
HDR 10
HDR10 is the standard promoted by the UHD Alliance. It is a technical standard with defined ranges and specifications that must be met in order for content and displays to be qualified to use it. HDR10 uses static metadata that is consistent across all displays. This means that HDR10 video defines light and color levels in absolute values, regardless of the screen on which it is being displayed.
It's an open standard, so any content producer or distributor can use it freely. Every service with HDR content supports HDR10, usually together with Dolby Vision or another HDR format.
HDR 10+
HDR10+ is a standard developed by Samsung. It builds on HDR10 by adding dynamic metadata, such as Dolby Vision. It doesn't use individualized metadata for each screen, but still adjusts the range of light the TV should display for each scene or frame.
It can potentially add more detail to your image than HDR10 shows and, like HDR10, it's an open standard that doesn't require licensing with a very specific production workflow.
Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG)
Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) is not as common as HDR10 or Dolby Vision, and there is very little content for it outside of some BBC and DirecTV broadcasts, but it could make HDR much more widely available. That's because it was developed by the BBC and Japan's NHK to provide a video format that broadcasters could use to send HDR (and SDR; HLG is backwards compatible) signals.
It's technically more universal because it doesn't use metadata; instead, it uses a combination of the gamma curve that TVs use to calculate the brightness of SDR content and a logarithmic curve to calculate the much higher levels of brightness that HDR-compatible TVs can produce (hence the name Hybrid Log-Gamma).
HLG can work with SDR and HDR TVs, despite the lack of metadata, while maintaining a much wider range of light data. The only problem? Adoption. It was developed for broadcasters and we still don't see many broadcasters releasing 4K video over the airwaves, cable or satellite services. HLG still has a long way to go in terms of content. It is currently being promoted mainly in the UK, with some HLG sports and nature programs.
Each type of HDR offers significant improvements over the standard dynamic range, but each has advantages and disadvantages. In terms of adoption, HDR10 and Dolby Vision are the only significant standards that have plenty of content and wide TV compatibility. Dolby Vision potentially offers a better picture, but is less common than HDR10 because it is a licensed workflow-based standard and not open.
HDR10+ is open, but we'll need to see more companies actually start using it before more content is available. HLG has the technical potential to become the most universal standard due to its metadata-free nature, but so far it has seen very little traction.
Is the PS5's HDR fake?
Well, the reason I originally wrote this is because I saw a post saying that the PS5's HDR was a fake, unlike the Xbox, which had Dolby Vision. Well, the truth is that it was just another biased post. The truth is that the consoles had different HDR standards.
And what does the PS5 get with Dolby Vision? Well, apart from having an HDR standard that analyzes each image individually, a positive point is that it is compatible with more TVs on the market. LG TVs, for example, have this standard, but the same can't be said for Samsung TVs. Options are what the console and us consumers gain.
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