What is Dolby Vision? HDR formats explained
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG — what the formats do and which to care about.
By the Let’s Compare Editorial Team · 1 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Every TV and streaming service lists a stack of HDR badges — HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG. They all aim to show a wider range of brightness and colour, but they aren't equal. Here's what separates them and which one matters.
HDR formats compared
| Format | Metadata | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HDR10 | Static | Universal baseline, royalty-free |
| HDR10+ | Dynamic (scene-by-scene) | Royalty-free, less content |
| Dolby Vision | Dynamic (scene / frame) | Widest content support |
| HLG | Broadcast HDR | For live TV channels |
What HDR does, and the baseline
HDR (high dynamic range) widens the gap between the darkest and brightest parts of a picture and expands colour, so highlights sparkle and shadows keep detail. HDR10 is the open, royalty-free baseline that every HDR TV and most content supports. It uses static metadata — one brightness setting applied to the whole film.
Dynamic metadata: Dolby Vision and HDR10+
The step up is dynamic metadata, which tunes the picture scene by scene (or even frame by frame) so a dark scene and a bright one are each optimised. Dolby Vision has the widest support across streaming and disc, and it's the one to look for; HDR10+ is a royalty-free rival with similar aims but less content. A TV that reads the format still needs the brightness and local dimming to show it — the badge alone isn't enough.
HLG and what to prioritise
HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) is an HDR format built for live broadcast, so it matters mainly for HDR TV channels. For buying: treat HDR10 as a given, prioritise Dolby Vision support if you stream a lot, and don't let a long list of format badges distract from whether the panel actually has the brightness and contrast to deliver HDR in the first place.
Sources & further reading
This article is original analysis grounded in independently verified references, including non-English outlets. The facts above are sourced so you can check them yourself.
- Dolby Vision (dynamic metadata HDR) — Wikipedia
- HDR10 (baseline, static metadata) — Wikipedia