Netflix has started streaming shows and movies in HDR10+, finally supporting the video format that improves picture quality for users with compatible devices.
In a nutshell, HDR10 uses static metadata, meaning brightness and colour settings are fixed for the entire movie or show. HDR10+ improves on this by using dynamic metadata, which adjusts those settings scene by scene—or even frame by frame—for better picture quality and more accurate colours.
For now, only Netflix Premium subscribers with AV1 and HDR10+-enabled devices can access this enhanced experience. That includes certain newer smart TVs, phones, tablets, and streaming boxes. Netflix says users also need to turn on HDR settings in the app to get the improved visuals.
The company began investing in HDR nearly a decade ago, starting with shows like Marco Polo. Since then, it’s added over 11,000 hours of HDR content, and streaming in HDR has gone up more than 300 percent in the past five years.
Now, Netflix is expanding even further by adding HDR10+ support across both new and existing titles. Currently, HDR10+ already accounts for half of all viewing hours on eligible devices.
One example Netflix gives is a flashlight in a dark scene. In HDR10, details around the light can get washed out or overexposed. But with HDR10+, the same scene keeps the lighting accurate and maintains the detail, staying closer to what the creators intended.
HDR10:
HDR10+:
This move is part of Netflix’s plan to make content look as good as possible while still respecting the original creative choices made by filmmakers. By the end of the year, Netflix aims to offer HDR10+ versions for all of its HDR titles.
Netflix says “at the time of launch”, you must have Netflix Premium to access HDR10+, along with compatible devices. Netflix Premium costs $20.99 per month in Canada, so you’ll have to pay more to get the best streaming quality on your devices (for now anyways).
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