First, it was 4K resolution that was the marker for a TV of distinction. Then it was HDR, which stands for high dynamic range. A few formats duked it out for primacy, including HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. Most 4K TVs now support all three.
Now there’s another one coming, albeit one that was inevitable: Dolby Vision 2. Details aren’t all that specific. Dolby promises that Dolby Vision 2 “expands the capabilities of Dolby Vision beyond HDR” and will deliver a “redesigned and even more powerful image engine.”
How much more powerful or how that’s measured is left up to the imagination.
what we know so far
What Dolby does say is that Dolby Vision 2 will introduce new bi-directional tone mapping that lets TVs show higher brightness, sharper contrast, and deeply saturated colors.
Dolby Vision 2 will also incorporate AI to brighten scenes that may be considered “too dark.” I theoretically come down on the side of the artist who may want a particular scene to be very dark, but in practice, I’ve also noticed that lately it’s in vogue to film scenes where the action is indistinguishable because it’s too dark.
“Light Sense” will also detect ambient light in your viewing room and make tweaks so that the image on the screen isn’t washed out or too dim.
The first TVs to feature Dolby Vision 2 will come from Hisense, a budget TV brand that often does battle against TCL and Vizio. Neither Hisense nor Dolby has teased the name of the Hisense TV on which Dolby Vision 2 will debut, and neither has timing yet available.
All we know is that it’ll arrive sometime in the future. Who knows how far off it’ll be, or how long it’ll be until TV brands beyond Hisense will begin offering Dolby Vision 2 TVs. And then there’s the issue of shows, films, sports, and documentaries being coded for Dolby Vision 2 by their streaming channels.
Every time a new TV technology debuts, there’s a lag between the availability of the hardware and the availability of compatible programs to watch on it. For past reference, see 3D television, 4K resolution, or even 1080p resolution.
All this is to say that you don’t need to rush out and buy a Dolby Vision 2-compatible TV as soon as Hisense finally announces the debut model. If you’re an early adopter who enjoys the buzz of jumping on a new technology’s bandwagon early, then go for it. I’ll be there to cover the Hisense, whenever it’s announced.
The rest of us can wait a bit with our regular, shmegular Dolby Vision TVs. They won’t suddenly go obsolete overnight. Think of this as a sneak peek at what’s coming down the pipeline rather than the starting gun for a race to the next iteration of Dolby Vision.
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