Display trends of 2019: HDR (High dynamic range)

HDR is the abbreviation for high-dynamic-range and is currently one of the most upheld features of new displays. So what is HDR? Without getting too much into technical details, an HDR display produces higher luminance and much great colour depth than a non-HDR display. Also, HDR displays can play specially encoded HDR information. This extra information tells the display how to process each image or scene so that it is as close as possible to its original intended colours. Some HDR formats use this kind of information to determine the colours of an entire movie or scene, while other formats, such as Dolby Vision, do it on a frame-by-frame basis. In short, movies or games on HDR displays are closer to their original intended colours.

So it is worth buying a laptop with an HDR display? For streaming HDR content from Netflix or getting immersed in games which support this feature, an HDR display will undoubtedly make a difference. Unfortunately, though, there is a general lack of HDR content. Therefore the price premium might not be justifiable for everyone. HDR Blu-Rays are currently the best source of HDR content, but most modern laptops lack an optical drive to play Blu-Rays. The alternative is either to stream HDR content, which eats up a lot of internet bandwidth, or to buy an external Blu-ray drive. At this time, getting a HDR display makes more sense for early adopters and for those who want to future proof their purchase.

It is also worth mentioning that HDR displays are not only for entertainment. Content creation can also greatly benefit from HDR displays. Popular cameras like the Nikon D800 or the Canon 5D Mk3 can shoot in HDR mode, and the best way to edit their HDR content is on an HDR capable display.

Games are another area that benefits from HDR. Currently, many games support HDR, but unfortunately, few of them are AAA titles. Here is an updated list with Steam games that support this feature. However, recent developments in the gaming industry, such as ray-tracing and high-resolution textures indicate that HDR will likely become a standard in forthcoming titles.

Here are some of the laptops with displays that support HDR:

Sources: Lenovo, Windowscentral

Display trends of 2019: HDR (High dynamic range)

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