How Good is Dolby Vision? A Detailed Expert Analysis of the Ultimate HDR Format

Dolby Vision provides a significant visual upgrade over standard HDR10. With increased brightness, more accurate contrast, and expanded color capabilities, Dolby Vision offers the pinnacle of high dynamic range quality available in home theaters today.

Introduction – Why Dolby Vision Stands Apart

In simple terms, Dolby Vision content looks better with bolder colors, crisp detail in shadows, highlights that truly dazzle your eyes, and an overall more realistic and immersive picture.

According to Dolby‘s own technical white paper, Dolby Vision is capable of "up to 10,000 nits (a measure of brightness), wider color gamut capabilities up to Rec. 2020, and a bit depth of up to 12-bits."

This represents a major upgrade over standard HDR10 which maxes out at 1000 nits brightness, Rec 709 color, and 10-bit depth.

While no consumer television can yet fully showcase Dolby Vision‘s capabilities, TVs that support Dolby Vision deliver markedly better results when playing Dolby Vision content by optimizing on a scene-by-scene basis.

How Dolby Vision Works – The Power of Dynamic Metadata

The key difference between Dolby Vision and HDR10 comes down to metadata – specifically dynamic metadata.

HDR10 uses static metadata values set for an entire movie or TV show. Your TV tone maps this content to fit its capabilities.

Dolby Vision utilizes dynamic metadata that analyzes each individual scene or frame. Values for brightness, color, and contrast are dynamically optimized based on how the content was mastered. This metadata transmits to your Dolby Vision TV which renders each scene with picture settings tailored specifically to that moment.

According to display industry analyst Ross Young, this dynamic optimization makes a big difference:

"Dolby Vision‘s dynamic metadata results in no detail lost versus tone mapping HDR10…it can reproduce images closer to the artistic intent."

Dolby Vision Devices and Content Availability Expanding Rapidly

Dolby Vision launched in 2015, but adoption has steadily accelerated over past 2 years across multiple fronts:

• Streaming – Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu and others stream select titles in Dolby Vision. Per Consumer Technology Association, over 60% of UHD streaming content will be available in Dolby Vision by 2022.

• Ultra HD Blu-ray – Most major studio disc releases now include Dolby Vision HDR along with standard HDR10. Warner Bros. recently announced its entire 2021 slate will include Dolby Vision.

• Gaming – Xbox Series X and Series S support Dolby Vision gaming up to 4K 120fps as well as Dolby Atmos audio. Stunning results that I‘ve experienced first-hand on my LG C1 OLED. PlayStation 5 and PC Dolby Vision gaming support reportedly in the works.

• TV Support – Over 200 TV models from Sony, LG, Vizio, TCL and others now support Dolby Vision, spanning budget 4K TVs to premium OLEDs.

Brand	Models Supporting Dolby Vision
Sony	A90J, A80J, X95J, X90J, X85J, X80J
LG	C1, G1, CX, BX, NanoCell 90, NanoCell 85
Vizio	P-Series, P-Series Quantum, OLED
TCL	6-Series, 5-Series

And Dolby Vision adoption is still expanding. Consult the complete Dolby Vision compatible devices list for ongoing updates.

Dolby Vision vs Standard HDR10 – More Colors, More Brightness, More Realism

Here‘s a deeper look at why Dolby Vision content looks better compared to standard HDR10:

Brightness – Up to 10,000 nits

Dolby Vision is mastered with brightness levels up to 10,000 nits, versus just 1,000 nits for HDR10. This allows highlights like sunlight glinting off glass or water to be reproduced with greater intensity. Explosions and flames have more visible detail.

Even though current Dolby Vision TVs only reach ~800 nits peak, they can still precisely map to the original scene‘s brightness versus HDR10‘s limited range.

Contrast – Deeper blacks, detailed shadows

With Dolby Vision, shadows and black levels retain more detail that would otherwise be lost in HDR10. Night scenes avoid crushed blacks and maintain clarity in dark areas like revealing the texture of a black leather jacket that might look flat in standard HDR.

Wider color gamut

Dolby Vision supports the Rec 2020 color space which is ~80% larger than Rec 709 used for HDR10. This translates into colors that are more vivid, nuanced and lifelike. Skin tones look natural, foliage appears richly vibrant, clothing materials show accurate hues.

12-bit color depth

Dolby Vision‘s 12-bit color depth displays 64 times more color values than 10-bit HDR10 – 68 billion colors versus 1 billion colors. This minimizes color banding and enhances subtle gradations between similar tones.

Altogether, Dolby Vision introduces television picture quality closer to what filmmakers intended and what our eyes see in the real world.

Analysis of TV Brands Not Supporting Dolby Vision

Some major TV manufacturers like Samsung, Panasonic and Hisense have opted not to support Dolby Vision. Why is that?

It comes down to licensing costs. To include Dolby Vision support in their TV hardware and firmware, brands must pay Dolby Laboratories an ongoing licensing fee per TV sold.

Rather than pay these Dolby Vision royalties, some brands have chosen instead to back alternative royalty-free formats like HDR10+ and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) HDR.

The downside is these alternative formats lack comprehensive content support and consumer awareness compared to the rapidly growing Dolby Vision ecosystem. For Samsung TV owners, that means missing out on the Dolby Vision experience available on many streaming and disc-based movies.

Best Dolby Vision TVs in 2022 – Quality Across All Price Ranges

The good news is that excellent Dolby Vision-capable TVs are now available at affordable prices. Here are some top-rated Dolby Vision models across low, middle, and high price tiers:

Budget Dolby Vision TVs

• TCL 6-Series – Exceptional picture quality with mini-LED backlighting at a very reasonable price point.

• Vizio V-Series – Cost effective option from trusted brand starting under $400 for 50-inches.

• Hisense U7G – Impressive performance for a budget-friendly price. Nice step-up from entry models.

Mid-range Dolby Vision TVs

• Sony X90J – Terrific picture powered by Sony‘s renowned processor. Excellent motion handling.

• LG NanoCell 85 – NanoCell filters provide enhanced colors and viewing angles. Great choice for bright rooms.

• Samsung Q60A – Samsung‘s most affordable QLED TV with 100% color volume and quantum dot technology.

Premium Dolby Vision TVs

• LG G1 OLED – LG‘s ultra-thin Gallery design. Unmatched contrast of OLED plus high peak brightness.

• Sony A90J OLED – Acclaimed cognitive intelligence processor with intense contrast control.

• Samsung QN95B Neo QLED – Mini-LED backlight and Quantum Matrix Technology Pro provide specular HDR visuals. One of the few Samsung TVs supporting Dolby Vision.

With such wide availability, most buyers should have multiple quality Dolby Vision models to choose from at their preferred price point.

Dolby Vision Setup Tips and Troubleshooting

To enable Dolby Vision on your new TV, keep these tips in mind:

Enable Enhanced HDMI signal – Set HDMI input used for Dolby Vision source to Enhanced format (may be labeled Enhanced, Advanced, HDMI 2.0, Ultra HD Deep Color). This allows the higher bandwidth signals to pass through.

Use Premium HDMI cables – Ensure cables are certified as "Premium High Speed" and can support 18 Gbps bandwidth for Dolby Vision compatibility. Older cables may have bandwidth limitations.

Turn off HDR Tone Mapping – For external streaming devices or disc players, ensure any HDR tone mapping or upscaling settings are disabled and source signal is set to pass-through. This allows TV to directly receive Dolby Vision metadata.

Pick right picture mode – Select the "Dolby Vision" picture mode preset. Set to "Dolby Vision Bright" or "Dolby Vision IQ" for well-lit rooms. "Dolby Vision Dark" performs best in home theater environments.

Check display specs – Verify your TV supports Dolby Vision. Some TVs only display DV at 4K 60fps, so DV won‘t work through certain ports at 4K 120fps. Streaming devices connected directly to TV may have better DV compatibility.

Update firmware & apps – Ensure TV firmware, streaming apps, disc players, and gaming consoles are updated to latest software versions for optimal DV performance.

Dolby Vision Picture Settings – Optimizing Image Quality

Once your devices are setup properly, dial in your TV‘s picture settings to get the most out of Dolby Vision content. Here are key tips:

Set OLED pixel brightness – For OLED TVs, a medium OLED or pixel brightness level avoids crushing blacks while preventing excessive ABL dimming. Around 80-90 is ideal for mixed content.

Adjust color warmth – The standard "warm" color temperature around 2500K generally provides the most accurate and preferred skin tones. But cooler "neutral" or "expert" settings can optimize color vibrancy for animated films and gaming.

Smooth gradation – Enable panel smooth gradation settings to minimize color banding on areas of subtle color variation.

Limit motion processing – While fine for sports and animation, disable motion interpolation or "soap opera effect" for a natural film-like appearance on movies. Retain video-based motion enhancements like black frame insertion to improve motion clarity.

Peak brightness – For night or dark room viewing, setting peak brightness to "medium" improves black level depth without blowing out brighter elements. Maximize peak brightness for daytime viewing.

Is Dolby Vision Worth Upgrading Your TV?

For buyers in the market for a new 4K HDR TV, I absolutely recommend choosing a model with Dolby Vision support. It delivers a noticeable step up in picture refinement.

But is Dolby Vision worth upgrading a perfectly good existing HDR10 TV just to gain? For most people, probably not – at least not until your current TV needs replacing. Good HDR10 TVs still provide beautiful 4K HDR images that will wow on their own merits.

Think of Dolby Vision as "icing on the cake" providing that extra layer of visual delight. But the HDR10 "cake" still provides plenty of deliciousness.

Over time, Dolby Vision capability will make its way into most mainstream TVs. For now, it‘s an excellent premium feature to look for in your next TV purchase when the time comes to upgrade. But I wouldn‘t rush out and replace an existing set solely for Dolby Vision.

The Ultimate Verdict on Dolby Vision

After experiencing many movies and games in Dolby Vision across different televisions, I‘m thoroughly convinced it delivers the pinnacle of high dynamic range quality in the home.

The scene-based metadata optimizations make a clearly discernible difference in picture brilliance, especially for OLED and full-array local dimming LCD TVs able to make full use of Dolby Vision‘s expanded brightness, color and contrast capabilities.

While standard HDR10 maintains impressive quality in its own right, Dolby Vision represents the next evolution in high fidelity cinematic visuals available at home. For viewers looking for ultimate big screen performance that immerses you in your favorite movies, shows and games, Dolby Vision is a must-have feature that won‘t disappoint.