HDR Video

HDR (High Dynamic Range) significantly boosts a display’s contrast ratio and allows for much finer detail in the shades in between. It comes alongside another feature, wide color gamut (WCG), which lets a TV produce a greater number of colors than most current sets are capable of. The result is a vivid picture, and importantly, noticeably more lifelike. Colors are less muted, and objects appear to have more depth. It’s not a gimmick so much as a straight improvement.

The big issue here is a familiar one for new TV technologies: content. There isn’t much of it. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have at least started the process, but unless you’re into Ultra HD Blu-rays, you’ll have to wait a bit before HDR goes mainstream.

HDR is the real step forward. If you can wait for the HDR market to mature before making the next TV purchase — or if you have the cash to get something good today — do so. It’s the buzzword worth buying into.