YouTube adds HDR technology to make videos more vibrant

Editor’s Note: The “YouTube simulated the effect of HDR” in the BBC story appears to be an over-exaggeration of a non-HDR video, looking more like a bad VHS playback at SLP speed. Please take what you read and see with a grain of salt.

BBC.com reports that YouTube has introduced support for technology that promises to make its videos appear more vibrant and realistic.

High dynamic range (HDR) clips feature a wider range of colours and a greater number of brightness levels between black and white. This boosts contrast and can make images seem more detailed.

However, users will require compatible screens to see the improvements.

And HDR-encoded videos may also look odd when played back in normal mode.

While YouTube is offering one of the first ways for the public to share videos in the new format, professional streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Video have offered HDR films and television programmes for several months.

The Xbox One S and PlayStation 4 video game consoles also recently added HDR support.

“YouTube’s move is a big vote of confidence in HDR,” said David Mercer, from the technology consultancy Strategy Analytics.

Read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37908975