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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.
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…