Samsung HDR10+ Adaptive adjusts HDR pictures based on room lighting – yes, like Dolby Vision IQ

Samsung QE55Q80T
(Image credit: Samsung / The Pathless, Annapurna Interactive)

Samsung has announced a new technology to optimise HDR10+ picture performance based on the lighting conditions of a room. HDR10+ Adaptive is similar to Dolby Vision IQ – which adjusts Dolby Vision HDR material and is supported by LG and Panasonic OLED TVs – but works exclusively for HDR10+ content and, for now anyway, on new Samsung QLED TVs.

As HDR (high dynamic range) technology is all about delivering brighter, more colourful pictures, HDR (including HDR10+) content naturally works optimally in darker environments. The promise of HDR10+ Adaptive is to enhance HDR10+ performance (such as that found on Amazon Prime Video) according to “any room lighting condition” so that it can be just as effective in well-lit watching environments as well. The feature will debut in Samsung’s “upcoming QLED TV products”, which we expect will be announced this week to tie in with CES 2021.

"It’s not as transformative a feature as Dolby would have you believe but, while we were initially underwhelmed when testing the LG GX, we can now see the benefits of Dolby Vision IQ in terms of some extra detail in dark scenes when there’s a fair bit of light in the room," we said in our LG OLED48CX 48-inch OLED TV review. "Dolby Vision IQ has won us round somewhat," we noted when testing the 55-inch version of that same OLED TV, too.

HDR10+ – everything you need to know

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Becky Roberts
Freelance contributor

Becky is a hi-fi, AV and technology journalist, formerly the Managing Editor at What Hi-Fi? and Editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. With over twelve years of journalism experience in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices.

In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.