Kit you need to make the most of HDR
Not all HDR-compatible equipment is created equal. Here’s our pick of the best
LG E7
OLE D TVs make for excellent HDR screens, and LG has a model for everyone. What’s nice is that although the sets range in price from £1,000 to £7,000, they actually all feature exactly the same screen, and provide the same image quality, so you don’t have to buy the priciest. The E7 is a nice sweet spot in the range. Its frontfiring speaker bar is fantastically capable, but its price is reasonable next to the high- end models. £2,399, lg.com
Xbox One X
Although HDR TV and film content has taken much of the spotlight, the technology is increasingly finding a home in games. The PS4 and PS4 Pro also support it, but by pairing its HDR visuals with the power for native 4K, the Xbox One X provides some of the best-looking games around. A brief word of warning that not every game will support HDR, but it’s a feature that’s fast becoming standard across the entire library. £419, xbox.com If you want to start enjoying HDR content then the list of stuff you need is actually fairly small. Now that almost all modern TVs are equipped with the smarts to access most streaming services, it’s easy to get access to the lion’s share of the HDR content that’s out there - so long as you have a subscription of course.
That said, if you want to take your HDR viewing to the next level then there are a variety of accessories that will provide access to yet more content, including HDR games.
Here’s our pick of the top kit to get the most out of the display tech, from TV screens to Blu-ray players.
Sony ZD9
If you prefer your HDR to be a little brighter and bolder, then give Sony’s XE93 a look.
Although, like other LC D TVs, it’s reliant on a backlight to create variations in brightness, the difference here is that its backlight is much more precise, so you don’t get the same ‘ halos’ of leaking light around bright objects that can crop up on other LCD sets. If you want to see the pinnacle of what an LCD TV can do, this is it. £2,999, sony.com
Oppo UDP-203
If you want the absolute best audio visual quality, then you still can’t beat physical media, and this Ultra HD Blu-ray player from Oppo has everything you need. It includes support for the premium Dolby Vision standard (because let’s face it, if you’re going for physical media then you deserve the very best), has a trio of HDMI ports (for… er… reasons) and it’s also compatible with a terrifying array of AV formats. £649, oppodigital.com
If you want the best picture right now, then physical media is your best bet
Sony’s sets use different backlighting techniques to achieve fantastic HDR results, but Samsung flagship, the Q9F, will go even brighter, albeit without the same level of control between light and dark areas as Sony’s best efforts.
WHERE CAN I GET HDR CONTENT?
Thanks to the advent of Smart TVs and streaming, if you buy an HDR TV, it will have a lot of HDR content available without you having to buy any external hardware.
Right now, the two biggest sources of HDR content are Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video. Both produce all their original content in HDR, and many third-party shows and films support the standard, too.
You’ll have to pay for both services of course, and here Amazon has the slight advantage by not charging extra for its 4K/ HDR content. Netflix, meanwhile, forces you to upgrade your account to its premium tier if you want to make the most of your TV.
While built-in apps offer the easiest access to HDR content, external devices such as the Apple TV 4K and Chromecast Ultra have strengths of their own, with access to the iTunes movie store (which has a growing library of 4K HDR new movie content) and phone-based control, respectively.
If you want the absolute best picture quality right now however, then physical media is your best bet. Not needing to fit into a certain internet bandwidth means that it can offer a much less compressed experience. Less compression means more much data, and more data means more detail ready for your enjoyment.
Ultra HD Blu-ray is the format you should be paying attention to here. Depending on the disc, the format includes support for every major HDR standard (aside from the broadcast-optimised HLG).
UHD Blu-ray players range from the ones that are built into the Xbox One S and X video game consoles, to premium models such as the Oppo UDP-203 that include support for Dolby Vision in addition to HDR10. With few Vision compatible discs available now, you could save a bit of money with a cheaper player, but there’s no telling how many titles will support it in the future.
Finally, there are also HDR options available if you’re more into gaming than watching TV or films. At the moment there are four HDR-equipped games consoles out there, the Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and PS4 - although the latter is unable to offer 4K in addition to HDR.
All three have their strengths and weaknesses, but the Xbox One X has the widest support for 4K games. Within each of the console’s libraries, HDR support varies on a game-by-game basis, so be sure to read the small print. With the right content, the right source and the right TV, you’re ready to enjoy everything that HDR has to offer. Still think 4K is the be all and end all?