There’s a new HDR format in town to challenge Dolby Vision and HDR10+’s dominance; but there’s a catch that TV fans should be mindful of.
The HDR10+ Alliance – which, as the name suggests, is responsible for the HDR10+ format we see on countless TVs, projectors and smartphones – has announced Eclipsa Video, with support from two of the biggest technology companies, and one of the biggest media corporations, in the world.
The open-source video format is based on SMPTE 2094-50, a video specification recently developed by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Experts from Apple, Google and NBCUniversal are working to bring this new HDR standard into the mainstream.
Apple has been a keen advocate for Dolby’s picture and audio formats for quite some time, and NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service is the first service to support Dolby Vision 2. So seeing these companies working on an alternative format is something of a surprise. Opposing HDR formats have, nevertheless, lived in harmony on Philips, Panasonic, Hisense and TCL TVs in the past.
And if that “Eclipsa” name sounds familiar, you may already be aware of Eclipsa Audio. This immersive sound technology is based on the Immersive Audio Model and Format (IAMF) standard developed by Google and Samsung.
Details on exactly what Eclipsa Video will bring to the table are slim as yet, but the HDR10+ Alliance claims that it will ensure “highest-quality video on compatible smartphones and next-generation devices”.
And there is the catch we mentioned earlier: this new video format will be hitting smartphones first, with the first supported devices expected to launch later this year. Other device categories are expected to follow, but there is no specific information as to if and when Eclipsa Video will make its way to TVs.
The good news is that Eclipsa Video doesn’t seem to be replacing HDR10+, and the statement released by the HDR10+ Alliance seems to suggest it will even work alongside it.
It says that “Eclipsa Video seamlessly integrates with the broadly supported HDR10+ standard” and that devices that support it can carry the “Eclipsa Video powered by HDR10+” branding.
With that in mind, it seems as though Dolby Vision and HDR10+ can both breathe a sigh of relief for now, although we’re keeping a close eye on Eclipsa Video to see where it goes next.
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