With additional AI and "authentic motion" smoothing, Dolby Vision 2 surpasses HDR

 

The next generation of HDR format has arrived more than a decade after Dolby Vision was introduced, and it does more than merely adjust brightness and tone for various scenes. The updated version, known as Dolby Vision 2, builds on the Dolby Vision IQ capabilities with new "Content Intelligence" tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically optimize your TV based on what you're watching, where you're watching it, and what device you're using.

This contains an enhanced Light Sense function that uses ambient light detection in conjunction with reference lighting data from the source material to modify image quality, as well as a Precision Black that is meant to enhance clarity in darker situations without deviating too much from the filmmaker's purpose. Additionally, it supports bi-directional tone mapping, which Dolby claims will give content creators more choice over how to exploit the display's capabilities, enabling high-performance TVs to provide brighter, better contrast, and more deeply saturated colors.

Additionally, Dolby Vision 2 is tackling motion smoothing, a problem for filmmakers that produces the "soap opera" effect that Tom Cruise and other celebrities have criticized. The business claims that "Authentic Motion" is the first "creative driven motion control tool," enabling shot-by-shot control over the feature's use to minimize undesirable judder and maintain an authentically cinematic appearance. That's a strong assertion, and in order to evaluate it, we must personally witness it in action.

With the help of a MediaTek Pentonic 800 chip, Hisense will be the first company to release televisions with Dolby Vision 2. The current Dolby Vision format has been adopted by about 350 TVs from LG, TCL, Sony, Vizio, and Roku, and it appears probable that more will follow soon.

"Dolby Vision content will still work with TVs that support either spec, but only Dolby Vision 2 capable displays will recognize and use the additional metadata if it's present," Dolby spokesman Cairon Armstrong said in an email response to questions from The Verge.

By dividing things into two levels, this Dolby Vision specification will make it simpler to determine whether TVs have all of its features than the original one. While the usual Dolby Vision 2 badge is for "mainstream TVs" that should nonetheless have better picture quality, Dolby Vision 2 Max offers extra premium capabilities on the "highest performing TVs."