What is Dolby Vision IQ and how it differs from Dolby Vision and HDR10

• By G.S Vasan -
Published On: February 29, 2024

HDR has been a revelation when it comes to enhancing the contrast and colour accuracy of displays on TVs and other consumer devices. Over the years, multiple HDR standards have been developed like HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. In the recent few years, you may have come across Dolby Vision IQ as well, which is the latest HDR technology on the block. So, if you want to know what it means, you are at the right place. Let's also see how it compares to other Dolby Technologies and HDR formats, along with the TVs supporting it, and whether you should upgrade to it.

What is Dolby Vision IQ?

Dolby Vision IQ dynamically adjusts the contrast and brightness of the content, frame by frame based on ambient light conditions. 

So, you don't have to worry whether you are watching content in a bright or dark room. Your TV will smartly take care of the optimum picture quality.

Not just that, Dolby is aiming to deliver content as its creator intended.

How does Dolby Vision IQ work?

This is a two-step process:

• It uses the Light Sense feature for analysing the change in light in the room. So, this will be available on select TVs with built-in light sensors.
• It also analyses the type and other content metadata like white point, frame rate, noise reduction and sharpness. 

It uses both of these information to automatically calibrate the brightness and contrast of the content on the screen.

List of TVs supporting Dolby Vision IQ

• Haier C11
• Xiaomi Smart TV X Pro
• Toshiba M650
• Panasonic OLED JZ2000
• TCL Mini-LED C825
• LG 42C2PSA
• LG 55A3PSA
• LG 55C2PSC
• LG 48A3PSA
• LG 55LX1QPSA
• LG 48LX1QPSA
• LG 55CX
• LG 65GX
• Vu Masterpiece Glo QLED TV

Is Dolby Vision IQ better than Dolby Vision and HDR10?

• HDR10 is an open standard for HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology. It relies on static metadata and can't dynamically calibrate the colours and contrast of the content.
• HDR10 and HDR10+ support 10-bit colour depth (1024 shades of Red, Green, Blue hues). The difference is that HDR10 sports 1,000 nits of brightness and HDR10+ can hit up to 4,000 nits of brightness.
• Like HDR10+, Dolby Vision is also a proprietary standard and can dynamically adjust the content. However, it can deliver up to 10,000 nits of peak brightness and 12-bit colour depth (4,096 shades of RGB). Dolby Vision also comes in two presets: Dolby Vision Cinema and Vision Cinema Home. The latter offers more brightness out of the two and is better suited for home lighting conditions.
• Dolby Vision IQ is a step up from regular Dolby Vision due to its sensor-based optimisation feature. Similar to the latter, it configures the content's colours and contrast but goes further by adjusting the brightness and contrast based on the surrounding light settings.

FAQs

What's the difference between Dolby Vision Custom and Dolby Vision IQ?

Dolby Vision Custom is one of the picture modes that you would find in the TV's display settings. Meanwhile, Dolby Vision IQ is the name for a set of new features (including sensor-based optimisation) that would be noted on the packaging of the TVs that support it.

What's the difference between Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Vision IQ is a visual enhancement technology while Atmos is an audio enhancement technology. While the former adjusts the brightness and contrast of the content, the Atmos offers more immersive and 3-dimensional sound.