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Dolby Vision 2 is official, and it’s the next-gen HDR tech that will be touted by many top-end TV makers over the next decade.
The updated standard is the first major update since Dolby introduced Vision in 2014. The highlight of Vision 2 is Content Intelligence, which uses AI technologies to adjust your picture settings depending on what you’re watching and your environment.
Precision Black tech makes an image easier to view when a scene is particularly dark. The brand says it will do so “without compromising artistic intent,” so this isn’t just Dolby cranking up the brightness in darker scenes.
There’s also a feature called Light Sense designed to use ambient light detection from your TV to set up the right viewing experience without you having to play around in the settings. Vision 2 also features automatic sports and gaming modes that turn on when it detects compatible content.
Away from HDR, Dolby is debuting what it calls Authentic Motion as an alternative to standard motion-smoothing features. It says it will use this to avoid unnecessary judder that the tech often introduces. The brand has yet to describe how this will work, but it says Authentic Motion is “the world’s first creative-driven motion control tool to make scenes feel more authentically cinematic.”
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New tone-mapping features are also available for select TVs. Dolby says, “With bidirectional tone mapping, creators now have new controls that let them make the most of these enhanced displays. This allows high-performance TVs to deliver higher brightness, sharper contrast, and deeply saturated colors while preserving the artist’s creative vision.”
It’s not yet clear when you’ll be able to buy a TV with Dolby Vision 2 onboard, but we do know the first release will be from Hisense. Other brands like LG, Panasonic, and Sony supported the first-gen tech, so we may see these brands release compatible models at a later date.
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Dolby says it will have two tiers of TVs, with top-end models featuring what it calls Dolby Vision 2 Max for its highest performance, which adds “additional premium features designed to utilize the full capabilities of these displays.” Other TVs will include Vision 2, which is expected to include all of the features revealed today.
What does this mean for your current Dolby Vision experience? According to a clarification from Dolby provided to The Verge, the brand has confirmed that all Dolby Vision content will remain compatible across both generations of the tech. For example, if you watch something with Dolby Vision 2 support on your TV that only supports the first-gen tech, you will still get those benefits from Dolby Vision but without the second-gen improvements.
Many of the major streaming services, including Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix, support Dolby Vision. None of these have yet commented on support for Vision 2, but we’d expect to hear more soon. So far, the only content provider to confirm support is French company Canal+, which promises support across its movies, TV shows, and sports content.
About James Peckham
Reporter
I’ve written tech news for over a decade, and as a Reporter at PCMag, I cover the latest developments across the gadgets and services you use every day. Previously, I worked for Android Police, TechRadar, and more.
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