HDR10 vs. Other HDR Standards: A Clear Comparison

HDR10

Definition: HDR10 is a widely adopted open standard for High Dynamic Range (HDR) video playback, developed by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). It enables displays to reproduce a broader range of brightness levels and colors than standard dynamic range (SDR) content, delivering more lifelike images with deeper blacks, brighter highlights, and richer color detail.

Core Technical Specifications

Color Space & Bit Depth
- Uses the Rec. 2020 (BT.2020) color space (though content typically masters to the smaller DCI-P3 gamut for practicality), which covers ~76% of visible colors (vs. ~35% for SDR’s Rec. 709).
- Supports 10-bit color depth (1,024 shades per primary color), translating to over 1 billion possible colors—far more than SDR’s 8-bit depth (16.7 million colors). This eliminates banding (gradual color transitions appearing as distinct stripes).
Brightness Range
- Defines a peak brightness of 1,000 nits (cd/m²) and a minimum brightness (black level) of 0.0005 nits, resulting in a dynamic range of 2,000,000:1.
- Uses static metadata: A single set of brightness/color parameters (e.g., max frame average light level, max content light level) is embedded in the content at mastering time and applies to the entire video—no scene-by-scene adjustments.
Gamma & Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF)
- Adopts the Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) EOTF, developed by Dolby and standardized as SMPTE ST 2084. PQ encodes brightness values based on human visual perception, ensuring accurate reproduction of both bright highlights (e.g., sunlight) and dark shadows (e.g., dimly lit rooms).

How HDR10 Works

Content Mastering: HDR10 content is mastered in post-production with reference to the Rec. 2020 color space and 10-bit depth. Metadata (e.g., maximum brightness of the content) is added to guide displays on how to render the video.
Display Rendering: Compatible displays use the embedded metadata to map the content’s brightness and color range to their own capabilities. For example, a display with a peak brightness of 800 nits will scale the content’s 1,000-nit highlights to avoid clipping (loss of detail).
Backward Compatibility: HDR10 is an open standard (no licensing fees), so it is supported by most HDR-enabled devices (TVs, monitors, gaming consoles, streaming services) and works with both HDR and SDR displays (SDR displays will downconvert to Rec. 709).

Key Advantages & Limitations

Advantages

Open & Universal: No proprietary licensing, making it the de facto HDR standard for streaming (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video), gaming (PlayStation, Xbox), and physical media (4K Blu-ray).
High-Quality Color & Contrast: 10-bit color and Rec. 2020 support deliver far more detail than SDR, with smoother gradients and more vibrant hues.
Broad Device Support: Compatible with nearly all HDR displays (QLED, WOLED, Mini-LED, and high-end LCDs) and content sources.

Limitations

Static Metadata: The same brightness settings apply to every scene, so displays may over- or under-render content with extreme brightness variations (e.g., a dark night scene followed by a bright daylight scene).
Limited Peak Brightness: The 1,000-nit target is lower than what premium displays (e.g., QLED TVs with 4,000 nits) can achieve, leaving some brightness potential untapped.
No Dynamic Tone Mapping: Unlike Dolby Vision (a competing HDR standard), HDR10 lacks scene-by-scene tone mapping, which optimizes brightness for each frame based on the display’s capabilities.

HDR10 vs. Competing HDR Standards

Feature	HDR10	Dolby Vision	HDR10+
Metadata Type	Static (single value)	Dynamic (scene-by-scene)	Dynamic (scene-by-scene)
Peak Brightness	1,000 nits	Up to 4,000 nits	Up to 4,000 nits
Color Depth	10-bit	10-bit (or 12-bit)	10-bit
Color Space	Rec. 2020	Rec. 2020	Rec. 2020
Licensing	Open (free)	Proprietary (paid)	Open (free)
Content Support	Widespread (streaming, 4K Blu-ray, gaming)	Streaming (Netflix, Disney+), premium 4K Blu-ray	Samsung TVs, Amazon Prime Video