HDR10 vs. HDR 10+ vs. Dolby Vision: Which format works best for your TV?

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• HDR10 is the baseline format on nearly all modern TVs.
• HDR10+ and Dolby Vision use dynamic metadata for better scenes.
• TVs with both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision offer widest support.

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Shopping for a TV today means needing to know terms like HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. Believe it or not, these aren’t just TV buzzwords, and they also aren’t all the same thing. While they are all HDR (High Dynamic Range) formats, they work in different ways.

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The difference comes down to how each format uses metadata to control brightness and color. HDR10 uses static metadata, applying one set of instructions to an entire movie or show, while HDR10+ and Dolby Vision use dynamic metadata that adjusts the picture scene by scene. Put simply, HDR10 is one-size-fits-all, while HDR10+ and Dolby Vision fine-tune the image.

HDR10 vs. HDR 10+ vs. Dolby Vision explained

Let’s get into the details a bit more, and I’ll also highlight a few TV brands and popular models that support these formats.

HDR10

In 2026, HDR10 is considered the baseline HDR format for nearly all TVs. It debuted a decade ago and is an open standard supported by virtually every HDR-capable TV. Since HDR10 was the first widely supported HDR format, most HDR content is delivered in HDR10. Even when content is available in HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, it is typically also offered in HDR10.

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The main thing to know about HDR10 is that it uses static metadata, rather than dynamic. It does not adjust the picture on a scene-by-scene basis. Instead, the static metadata is applied once to an entire movie or show, so your TV uses a single set of brightness and color limits for the full runtime. As a result, picture quality depends heavily on your TV and its tone-mapping capabilities.

With HDR10, very bright or very dark scenes may not be fully optimized on your TV. For example, in some cases, your TV may dim the entire image to preserve highlights, resulting in a flat or compressed look.

You’d have to look closely to find new TV models that support only HDR10, because almost all sets now offer the upgraded HDR10+ format, which debuted in 2017. Some more affordable options, such as TCL’s T7 series and Sony’s Bravia 2 series specifically list HDR10. But I also saw that LG’s pricier Class OLED evo C4 Series offers HDR10. 

By and large, though, nearly all new TVs have HDR10+.

HDR10+

HDR10+ is an upgrade to HDR10 that was introduced nine years ago by a Samsung-led consortium that included Amazon, and later Panasonic and 20th Century Fox. Nearly all newer Samsung TVs support HDR10+, and many other manufacturers include it as well.

The key advantage of HDR10+ is dynamic metadata, which allows your TV to adjust tone mapping, including brightness and color, on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis. This provides a noticeable visual improvement over standard HDR10 by preserving more detail in highlights and shadows and adapting automatically as your movie or show progresses.

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Most major streaming services now offer HDR10+ content, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Hulu. If your TV supports HDR10+, it can auto-detect this content and apply dynamic metadata when available.

On HDR10-only TVs, HDR10+ content simply plays as standard HDR10.

Beyond Samsung, HDR10+ is on newer models from most brands, including Hisense and Vizio, often alongside Dolby Vision. Like HDR10, HDR10+ is limited to 10-bit color. That means it has fewer creator controls and no profile variations compared to Dolby Vision.

Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision was the first HDR format to be introduced, developed by Dolby Laboratories in 2014.

Like HDR10+, it uses dynamic metadata to continuously optimize tone mapping on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis. The main difference is that Dolby Vision supports up to 12-bit color and higher peak brightness, giving Dolby Vision TVs clearer instructions on how colors should look, how bright scenes should be, and how shadows and highlights are handled.

As for content, similar to HDR10+, Dolby Vision is supported by most major streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, and Paramount+. If it supports HDR10+, it likely supports Dolby Vision.

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Dolby Vision comes in different versions depending on where you are watching, whether that’s streaming or 4K Blu-rays. Some include extra picture data, which can result in smoother colors and a more detailed, refined image.

Because of these benefits, many TV makers include Dolby Vision, often alongside HDR10+, in their higher-end models. You will find Dolby Vision on TVs from LG, Sony, Hisense, and more, with Samsung as the one notable holdout since it introduced HDR10+.

If your TV does not support Dolby Vision, the content defaults to HDR10.

Which HDR format should you choose?

If your TV was built in the last 10 years, it should at least support HDR10.

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If you want the best overall experience, consider a TV that supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. That way, your TV can use dynamic metadata to improve HDR performance and offer the broadest compatibility with content.