Dolby Vision 2 is finally getting some traction with TV makers – but where’s the content?

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A picture paints a thousand words, and hopefully, we’ll get one of Dolby’s future-tech sooner rather than later

A large TCL TV photographed against a blue wall. In the corner of the photo is a red logo with the words 'Adventures in AV'
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Dolby Vision 2 was a hot topic at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week. Whether it was TV manufacturers, streaming service providers, or even Dolby itself, everyone we spoke to at the show had something to say on the topic. And, to my surprise, nearly all of it was positive.

Dolby Vision 2 is the new technology that the company is pitching as the future of home and regular cinema. It was unveiled at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin last year.

It’s a development on the firm’s existing HDR standard that aims to offer a broad range of improvements. They include more accurate bi-directional tone mapping, for improved image-accuracy on compatible hardware, and new tools for the directors making films and TV shows. On paper, there's no denying that it's an impressive evolution of the base Dolby Vision standard we have been enjoying for many years.

This left me more than a little concerned at the time and cautious about Dolby’s boastful marketing claims.

A large TV mounted on the wall of a CES showroom

(Image credit: Dolby)

There is no word from LG, Panasonic, Sony or Samsung yet, but those are three big names and it's a solid start – especially as the list of TVs includes Philips’s new range of OLEDs. We loved last year’s five-star Philips OLED910, so the new model could be a great launch pad for the standard.

The lack of news from Sony and Panasonic isn’t surprising, as they have yet to unveil any new TVs this year. And Samsung never supports any form of Dolby Vision, instead championing its own, open source HDR10 standard.

It’s just LG, then – confirming at CES that its new LG C6 and LG G6 OLEDs don’t support Dolby Vision 2 – which stands out as an odd exception thus far.

Still, I am raising my excitement meter only to “cautiously optimistic” about the format. We are yet to reach one vital milestone: seeing a movie or TV show mastered in the standard in the wild. As it stands, the only team member who has come close is our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, who had a behind-the-scenes technical demo in 2025.

Dolby has listed a few services and studios confirmed as supporting Vision 2, including Canal+ and Peacock, but no one on our team has seen any real content in it yet. And we’re still yet to hear from any of the really big players, including Apple TV+, Netflix and Disney+.

Until that happens, merely having a TV that can understand the standard isn’t going to win over serious movie fans.

We pay a lot for decent home-cinema hardware to enjoy watching content in the best way possible.

If the content in Dolby Vision 2 isn’t ready, easily accessible and offering palpable improvements on current standards, including the basic version of Dolby Vision, it will be a hard sell.

Which is why, despite the positive news at CES, I am still cautious about the new standard.

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Alastair Stevenson
Alastair Stevenson
Editor in Chief

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time. 

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