Answers to this question say that HDR TVs are capable of displaying a "higher bit depth", a "wider gamut".

However, I see that most (all ?) HDR TVs are also capable of displaying high brightness (1000 cd+).

Is it a necessity for the viewer to see the benefits of HDR ?

Would a "higher bit depth" / "wider gamut" be perceivable by the human eye if HDR TVs where only as luminous as standard HD TVs ?

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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about television, not photography. (Possibly rephrase to place in a photographic context?) – mattdm Apr 25 '16 at 12:17
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    most photos are taken to be displayed on screens (including tv) so it is not that offtopic... – szulat Apr 25 '16 at 12:36

There are various things hiding besides acronym "HDR", one of them being tonemapping. Yes, it quite makes sense to use tonemapping with 200cd displays to bring the shadow details back and it does require the source image to be of higher quality. Whether it is somehow included in "HDR TV" in whatever interpretation is a question. It is most probably a separate image processing option.

However, the additional brightness information which could be displayed on 1000cd display can't in any way be displayed on 200cd display while keeping the average image brightness at the same level. I cannot say confidently but it seems to me that main advantage of HDR TV is the increased white brightness.

  • the question is about displaying higher bit depth, definitely not tonemapping – szulat Apr 25 '16 at 12:43
  • @szulat: one who does photography and is not engaed in television in any way cannot say for sure (remember the name of part of SE this is posted in). There sure are TV sets with tonemapping options. – Euri Pinhollow Apr 25 '16 at 12:49

Samsung is introducing HDR1000, see their explanatory Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbOabg1OhVk .

Regular TV is ~100 Nits, so 200 Nits would be 'HDR' by comparison, with 1000 Nits you can watch in a sunny room or the dark; you want as much Dynamic Range as you can afford.

If you save up until next year you'll have more money to spend on an even newer TV for a more competitive price.


To answer the last part of your question:


Yes a wider gamut is perceivable with a normally luminous display. See for example Apple's wide gamut iMac which doesn't mention anything about additional brightness but does mention being able to display 25% more colors than a standard display.

Also, there's no official standard of what "HDR" means. Manufacturers of cameras and displays are just realizing this and are starting to brand products as HDR that weren't branded that way before.

  • brightness perception depends on the surroundings, 200 cd can be dull in sunlight and very bright in a dark room, so i guess there is no definite answer – szulat Apr 25 '16 at 12:50
