HDR vs. SDR TVs: what are the differences?

Before we can compare HDR TVs with standard display technology, let’s dive into what HDR means.

HDR is an acronym that stands for High Dynamic Range, which is a technology that enhances picture detail by expanding the TV’s range when it comes to colour performance, contrast and brightness.¹ A TV may also be described as HDR-capable, which means it can handle High Dynamic Range content. 

There is a clear distinction between SDR and HDR-enabled content.

The main difference is in the contrast. Images produced by HDR TVs typically can show darker blacks and brighter whites, which makes for a more impactful image, whilst also showing more vibrant colour.

Simply put, if you don’t want to miss a thing, HDR is worth it. This is especially true for highly active content such as movies and sports, where the details can make all the difference in the end.

The most widely adopted standard of HDR is known as HDR10. This technology expands the range of both colour and contrast that can be displayed on a screen, and features static metadata.

Metadata is information about a file, like an image or video, that is added by the creator when the file is being prepared for publication. This information is used in HDR content to optimise the picture output by mapping out tones and visual details as the creator intended.

Static metadata creates fixed contrast and colour properties for a particular piece of content. If the content uses dynamic metadata, the colour performance, contrast and brightness levels can adapt to each scene for a customised frame-by-frame viewing experience.

Dolby Vision, another display technology, is an enhanced version of HDR developed by Dolby that uses dynamic metadata from the content to improve visual performance.¹

The bottom line: SDR supports a limited colour and brightness range, often resulting in subdued details and more difficulty viewing in especially bright or dark environments.

In contrast, by allowing more colours to meet the viewer’s eye across different content types and screen resolutions, HDR is the clear winner of this race.¹

A: HDR is a technology that improves image contrast, brightness and colour depth, making visuals more lifelike. Resolution, on the other hand, determines the pixel count and the level of detail in an image. 

The big difference here is that 4K/UHD (these terms are basically synonymous) is a resolution (the number of pixels making up the image), whereas HDR is a contrast and colour enhancement technology. Most TVs these days feature 4K UHD resolution, which means 3840 x 2160 pixels, resulting in a very sharp image. OLED is a TV panel technology – which features self-lit pixels, and therefore doesn’t need a backlight like an LCD TV, and so is known for perfect blacks and incredible picture quality. 

A: LG OLED TVs utilise technologies to reduce blue light and flicker. They also use Eye Comfort Mode, which automatically adjusts colour temperatures and reduces blue light to minimise eye strain further.²

A: There are formulas to help you find the ideal viewing distance from your TV, which take into account the dimensions and resolution of your TV.³  

A: LG has a wide range of TVs to support various price-points, including the OLED evo AI G5 4K Smart TV, QNED8E AI 4K Smart TV, and UHD AI UA75 4K Smart TV.