Support for Samsung-backed rival Dolby Vision, dubbed HDR10+, will arrive on Apple TV and other devices via tvOS 16 and other updates this fall.
- What is happening? Apple recently released the fourth beta of tvOS 16, the upcoming Apple TV software update, for developer testing. Among other things, it includes the promised HDR10+ support in the company’s TV app.
- Why care? There is currently no Apple TV capable of outputting HDR10+ video, so perhaps an updated Apple TV model will arrive this fall?
- Do warts? Wait patiently until tvOS 16 is ready for public use this fall. In the meantime, you can test tvOS 16 on your Apple TV by signing up with your Apple ID at beta.apple.com.
HDR10+ support coming to tvOS 16 beta 4
The release notes simply state, “HDR10+ support: The latest generation of high dynamic range technology is now supported in the Apple TV app.”The evolution takes on more significance when you consider that HDR10+ is Samsung’s answer to Dolby Vision, which Apple has supported for years. The news is also important because current Apple TVs don’t output HDR10+ video.
Does this mean a new Apple TV is coming soon?
If support for this high dynamic range technology arrives in tvOS 16, then it’s safe to assume that a new Apple TV model could be on the horizon. Your TV must also support HDR10+ to take advantage of this technology.
On the other hand, HDR10+ requires HDMI 2.1, which supports the second-generation Apple TV 4K, meaning the existing Apple T could get HDR10+ support with the tvOS 16 update this fall. Read: How to Sync Apple TV Home Screen
So you may not need any new Apple TV hardware to watch HDR10+ video. Either way, watching HDR10+ video will require an HDR-enabled display, such as OLED screens on iPhones.
HDR10+ vs. Dolby Vision
Apple has not specified whether HDR10+ will be supported on smart TVs that offer the TV app. Like Dolby Vision, HDR10+ adapts every video frame to the capabilities of your TV or display device. As part of the HDMI 2.1 standard, HDR10+ uses dynamic metadata embedded in the video file. There is also an improved version called HDR10+ Adaptive that optimizes HDR10+ content according to the ambient light.
How is HDR10+ support in tvOS 16?
Apple first announced that HDR10+ support would be coming to its TV app with the release of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, tvOS 16, and macOS Ventura. However, shortly thereafter, the company removed all mention of HDR10+ video support from its website.
Naturally, people assumed that either this feature was abandoned for good. We thought this meant that Apple may have decided to add HDR10+ support to iOS 17.
As it turns out, this is not true – HDR10+ support will still appear in the TV app on tvOS 16. Apple’s iOS 16 webpages and other updates still don’t mention this feature, so it’s possible that Apple isn’t 100 percent sure. whether HDR10+ support will be ready by the time of launch or not.