Samsung Reveals HDR10+ Advanced
In a column for Trusted Reviews, the publication reported that Samsung has detailed its HDR10+ Advanced format following rumblings since 2025.
The feature acts as a clarification of what the technology actually does rather than a simple update. The announcement arrived after the launch of Dolby Vision 2 prompted Samsung into action. Following a trip to South Korea to hear more details from Samsung, the publication noted that the presentation offered an idea rather than a fully realised product.
Pushing Brightness Limits
Modern television sets can hit up to 4,000 nits of brightness, while £1,000 models routinely reach 1,000 nits. Samsung believes this level of brightness is not being properly harnessed by content mastered at low levels of brightness.
HDR10+ Advanced was designed to give TV series and films a boost in brightness that aligns with modern hardware capabilities. The system adds more metadata to the signal to provide an accurate representation of tonality. This extra data supposedly reflects what creators originally intended.
The Creative Intent Debate
The core problem with the format is creative intent. Films and TV series were envisaged to look a certain way, and HDR10+ Advanced performs processing after the fact. Altering the look changes what the creators originally intended.
During demonstrations in Suwon, comparisons between HDR10+ Advanced and a Dolby Vision stream of The Rings of Power left reviewers favoring the Dolby Vision stream. The Dolby Vision stream was not as bright and the colours were not as punchy. However, the colours looked more natural, black levels were not lifted, and skintones lacked an unwanted red push.
Content should look how it was meant to look. Altering that look makes films and television series appear artificial.
Market Dominance of Dolby Vision
HDR10+ Advanced attempts to re-interpret media rather than translate it faithfully. Cinema remains inherently dark, which is the antithesis of what hardware brands want for home viewing. Trying to change the cinematic look rarely works.
The biggest problem facing HDR10+ is that it is not Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision benefits from being integrated at the stage where filmmakers bring their vision together. HDR10+ Advanced puts Samsung’s vision front and centre instead of the filmmaker’s.
