This week Dolby dropped a big bombshell for home cinema fans when it unexpectedly launched the second version of its Dolby Vision HDR standard.
And yes, we get that not all of us get butterflies in our stomach talking about high dynamic range tech, but for cinephiles and movie fans, this is a huge deal for two key reasons.
First, Dolby Vision is something of a darling among movie fans and filmmakers as well as streaming services / distributors. Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and more all use it to offer subscribers a better, more dynamic experience when playing compatible content.
So much so that many TVs, especially in the upper end of the OLED market, have specialist Bright and Dark Dolby Vision picture modes, tailored to make the most of the standard. So it’s a pretty big deal that will impact picture quality, even if you don’t know your TV is using it.
Second, because Dolby is making some pretty bold claims about Vision 2’s performance improvements. These include claims about fixing the black crush issue we sometimes experience running Dolby Vision content while testing home cinema hardware, as well as improved motion processing and tone mapping.
These are all key things that, if done well, should make for a truly great home cinema experience when paired with hardware capable of doing justice to the source – at least based on our positive experience watching “good” Dolby Vision content on current sets, such as the five-star Sony Bravia 8 II featured in our best OLED TV guide.
But, there was one big fly in the ointment. Specifically, Dolby and many TV manufacturers are being very coy when it comes to giving any specifics on how Dolby Vision 2 works, what the actual improvements are and which TVs will be able to run it.
Which is why we pulled out our Rolodex and called every Dolby contact we could, eager to get answers straight from the horse’s mouth.
Here’s what they told us.
How is it Dolby Vision 2 different from Dolby Vision?
The first big question we had is how the standard is better at a technical level than its predecessor. These included questions about if it has a higher peak brightness – which would be mad, as Dolby Vision already caps at 10,000 nits, which is way higher than normal TV can go, outside of a few very targeted exceptions – or if and how it will impact things such as colour volume and black detail.
On this topic, Dolby flagged a new suite of tools and technologies designed to help creatives and home cinema hardware companies deliver a more “authentic” experience as the new standard’s key “upgrades”, telling us:
“The core containers of the Dolby Vision signal, such as maximum luminance or bit depth, have not fundamentally changed. What has changed with Dolby Vision 2 is a new set of tools for creators to better bridge the grading suite to the living room, and a new set of high-performance features on the TV to deliver a more authentic and captivating image.”
Dolby listed delivering a more accurate “as the director intended” experience, where the picture is as close as possible to that which left the film studio’s editing room, at a source level, as the main goal of the tech.
“Dolby Vision 2 is not an AI TV post-processing feature. Dolby Vision 2 is an evolution of the Dolby Vision ecosystem that leverages new improvements in content creation, encoding, TV software, and TV hardware,” Dolby said.
“We are building new creative tools that will use in-house AI image analysis to assist creatives in utilising this capability efficiently in the colour grading suite, as well as performing image analysis in the Dolby Vision delivery pipeline (which is a tool available to services) to guide the Dolby Image Engine to eliminate artifacts when that signal hits your living room,” it said.
It added that the focus on giving creators tools to fine-tune their work makes it fundamentally different to the post-production “AI” picture modes appearing on many modern TVs, as its goal is to deliver the source accurately, not trying to “improve” it with after-the-fact processing.
“The use of image analysis has allowed us to expand the capabilities of Dolby Vision to maximise the capabilities of both mainstream and high-performing panels, all while preserving creative intent. It should be noted that our use of image analysis in both creative tools and the distribution pipeline is vastly different to ‘AI picture modes’ or other single-ended TV post-processing solutions, which work in a vacuum without an understanding of creative intent,” it stated.
In keeping with this, Dolby revealed there will even be a new "reference mode" for “enthusiasts”.
“One final point, Dolby Vision 2 includes both a mode that best utilizes the entire technology stack to deliver pictures that are spellbinding and authentic and fully adapted to the TV’s capability and environment, in addition to a reference mode for enthusiasts with well-controlled environments, as well as offering them new device calibration features,” they said.
How exactly the reference mode works remains unclear, but it sounds very similar to the standard Filmmaker Mode that is an increasingly common sight on most TVs, which aims to turn off all superfluous background processing, in a bid to offer a more authentic picture.
Of course, the difference between this Dolby Vision 2 reference mode and a typical Filmmaker Mode is that it will still take advantage of Dolby Vision's dynamic metadata, as well as any of the new Dolby Vision 2 processing added in the mastering suite.
What it will presumably remove from the full Dolby Vision 2 implementation is the on-TV processing, such as the adaptation to ambient lighting conditions.
Will it work on any existing TVs?
When asked if the tech will work on any existing TVs, Dolby told us that any current Dolby Vision-capable set will be able to play Vision 2 content – it just won’t benefit from the Dolby Vision 2 upgrades. It sounds as if it will simply perform as standard Dolby Vision does currently.
“It’s also important to note that content that makes use of these capabilities [is] backwards compatible with existing TVs in [the] market – these TVs simply ignore the new metadata sent with the signal,” Dolby said.
This, coupled with the answer we got from Philips earlier this week, indicates the new standard will require specific panel technology and chipsets to work.
We don’t have all the details yet, but a mysterious, unnamed Hisense set is confirmed to be the first to come with Dolby Vision 2.
During the launch, Dolby was very specific in highlighting that it has a next-generation RGB Mini LED panel and custom MediaTek Pentonic 800 with “MiraVision Pro” PQ Engine chip that has been built for Dolby Vision 2.
Sadly, when we pressed for more details, Dolby was fairly vague on specific hardware requirements and when the new sets will appear, telling us:
“Today, our focus is on unveiling this latest innovation and ecosystem to the industry. Timing and availability of new TVs will come at a later date from our TV partners.”
What’s the difference between Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max?
The next big question we had is regarding what the new “Max” tier is, and how it will be different to the base Dolby Vision 2 standard.
Here, Dolby was clear, describing it as the ultimate experience, and clarifying that it will need certified “Max ready" displays and hardware to work, but adding that it is not tied to paywalls.
“Dolby Vision 2 Max vs Dolby Vision 2 are the branding tiers consumers would see on the televisions and signify what features are supported. This has nothing to do with your streaming service tier,” it said.
“Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max feature new metadata [that] creatives and services can now add to their content that unlocks these new capabilities. This new metadata is embedded in the content (not gated by your subscription) and would play back on TVs capable of decoding this new metadata (i.e. a Dolby Vision 2 capable display).”
Dolby also confirmed many of the more interesting new technologies mentioned at launch will be specific to the Max tier.
“The best way to think about the two tiers is that Dolby Vision 2 Max includes capabilities designed to unlock the full capabilities and best picture quality on the highest performing TVs. This includes capabilities such as bi-directional tone mapping, Authentic Motion, Light Sense, and more advanced tools tailored for enthusiasts,” they said.
“What we are really excited about is that Dolby Vision 2 brings a dramatically improved picture to mainstream TVs, delivering on the core capabilities that are the backbone of this new innovation (like Content Intelligence and the new Dolby Imagine Engine).”
Off the back of this, our next set of questions focused on the new “Max” features and technologies, and how they work.
How is Light Sense different from Dolby Vision IQ?
One of the first of these new technologies is Light Sense, which aims to optimise picture quality based on the viewing area’s ambient lighting conditions.
At first glance, this sounds very similar to Dolby’s existing Vision IQ tech. Dolby clarified the tech isn’t “new” but instead is a consolidation and evolution of IQ’s existing capabilities into Dolby Vision 2, telling us:
“We are reimagining and improving features like Light Sense, which was always a part of Dolby Vision IQ, and these new Light Sense capabilities will be part of Dolby Vision 2 Max. Over time, Dolby Vision 2 will replace Dolby Vision and Dolby Vision IQ as partners migrate to this new platform," Dolby said.
How does bi-directional tone mapping work?
Bi-directional tone mapping is a bigger change to Dolby’s HDR platform, which the movie-tech powerhouse claims is a significant improvement on Vision’s existing powers.
“Traditionally [tone mapping] meant taking an image from a brighter reference display and rendering it to a display with lower luminance and colour volume. That’s tone mapping. For the first time, Dolby Vision 2 will allow content creators to define how content is tone mapped to displays with capabilities that are either below or above the capabilities of the reference monitor,” Dolby explained.
“That’s bi-directional tone mapping. Think of this as an improved and more intelligent ‘Bright Mode’ that works in conjunction with all the features of Content Intelligence to deliver the most spellbinding and authentic image experience based on the content and your device.”
What is Authentic Motion?
Authentic Motion is the final key feature that caught our attention during Dolby Vision 2’s launch, with our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, pointing out it looks very similar to the TrueCut Motion tech used in a number of modern films, including Nobody 2, Kung Fu Panda 4 and Jurassic World Rebirth.
TrueCut works to give filmmakers more granular control of framerates. This includes the ability to raise the framerate above 24fps – which nearly all films are shot at – to make panning and fast paced action shots look smoother, or more natural, without impacting the film’s “traditional” cinematic feel, or unintentionally adding the dreaded soap opera effect.
From what Dolby has told us, Tom was on the money as Authentic Motion sounds very similar.
“What’s exciting about Authentic Motion is that it’s part of our broader effort to expand Dolby Vision beyond the benefits of just HDR and we are solving the challenges of unwanted judder that can occur on certain shots of 24-frame content, such as pans with bright backgrounds – especially as TVs are increasingly bigger and brighter,” Dolby explained.
“This new feature leverages Content Intelligence to help the creator identify potential trouble areas in a scene and then allow them to adjust a specific amount of de-judder for those shots or scenes only that they feel best matches the look of what they are trying to convey. It is driven by artist intent and can/will only be used on the shots they feel really need it and only at the amount they believe is needed, striking the perfect balance for the creatives and the viewers.”
Are you excited about Dolby Vision 2? Or are you concerned you’ve just bought an expensive TV that won’t get it? Or, do you not give a monkey's about the new tech? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages.
Also, feel free to drop any follow-up questions you have in the same place, and we’ll get back to Dolby and try and get them answers (no swears please).
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