HDR10+

HDR10+ is a high-dynamic-range video technology that adds dynamic metadata to HDR10. Samsung first announced the initiative in 2017 and subsequently co-founded HDR10+ Technologies with 20th Century Fox and Panasonic to oversee technical specifications, certification, and the logo program. The core dynamic metadata of HDR10+ is standardized in SMPTE ST 2094-40.

The base video continues to use the PQ transfer function and the BT.2020 color space, while retaining the static metadata for the master display used in HDR10. HDR10+ additionally provides brightness distribution statistics, processing windows, and optional target tone mapping parameters for each scene or frame. The metadata describes how to map the master’s brightness range to displays with varying capabilities; it does not itself contain a complete image. Static HDR10 typically describes an entire program using a single set of information. If the same program contains both extremely dark and extremely bright scenes, the display device must select a mapping strategy based on the program-wide information or its own analysis. HDR10+ Statistics can be updated during scene changes, allowing devices to apply different mappings to dark, bright, and mixed-brightness scenes. The specification provides a descriptive and processing framework, but the display will still generate the final output based on its own peak brightness, black level, color gamut, and manufacturer algorithms.

Dynamic metadata can be transmitted as ITU-T T.35 user data alongside video frames. The applicable configurations described in the HDR10+ white paper are based on SMPTE ST 2084, BT.2020, and at least 10-bit video; there are no fixed restrictions on resolutions such as 2K, 4K, or 8K. Compressed video typically uses 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. The most common format in consumer distribution is 10-bit HEVC, and the technical framework can also work with other codecs and containers capable of carrying the corresponding T.35 data.

HDR10+ is designed to remain compatible with the HDR10 playback path. Devices that support HDR10+ parse the dynamic metadata, while devices that do not support it ignore the optional T.35 data and play back the content using the base HDR10 video and static metadata. Therefore, a standard-compliant HDR10+ video does not need to store a complete second picture separately for HDR10 devices, but fallback devices will not receive scene-by-scene mapping information.

Ultra HD Blu-ray treats HDR10+ as an optional enhanced HDR format, while the main video continues to use HEVC. Streaming, television broadcasts, mobile device recordings, and games can also adopt HDR10+, though different applications will specify their own encoding, packaging, and transmission conditions. The fact that a television or player supports HDR10 does not automatically mean it supports HDR10+; every intermediate device from the signal source to the display must correctly pass through the dynamic metadata.

HDR10+ Technologies provides a basic HDR10+ license on a royalty-free basis; however, products and content must still comply with the license terms, test specifications, and certification process in order to use the certification mark. “Royalty-free” describes the licensing model; it does not imply that there are no costs associated with implementation, testing, or certification.

Both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision can provide metadata on a per-scene or per-frame basis, but they use different specifications, licensing systems, and device certification processes, and their metadata is not interchangeable. HDR10+ is also not equivalent to the dynamic contrast processing found in earlier Samsung TVs; only when compliant metadata is present in the video and recognized by a compatible playback chain does it constitute native HDR10+ playback.

HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10+ Gaming, and HDR10+ Advanced are subsequent features or extensions developed around the foundational HDR10+ ecosystem. Adaptive incorporates ambient light information into display processing, Gaming is designed for real-time game rendering, and Advanced expands control capabilities for next-generation high-brightness displays and content types. These names should not be retroactively applied to all earlier HDR10+ discs and streaming programs; specific functionality depends on the combined support of the content, signal source, and display device.