HDR10+ finally gets the 8K treatment – but only on Samsung TVs

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung has announced that its 2019 range of 8K TVs will soon be the first to display the dynamic HDR10+ video format in the ultra-high 8K resolution.

HDR10+ is a competing HDR format to Dolby Vision, which similarly uses dynamic metadata to enhance and alter picture settings throughout supported films and TV shows, in order to optimize the picture for each scene. This is unlike the regular HDR10 format, which uses the same overall settings throughout the video.

The 8K version of the format is now compatible with Samsung 4K TVs, and every QLED TV from the Samsung 2019 TV range.

There’s no word on when this 8K content will be launching, though, and naturally will only be watchable by those of you with a Samsung 8K TV – like the Samsung Q950R 8K QLED, or Samsung Q900R 8K QLED – and with the high-speed bandwidth to play all those pretty 8K pixels.

What about Amazon Prime?

Samsung has named three large providers of TV streaming across Europe, with others like Rakuten TV likely to join the fray – according to Samsung’s own press release.

It’s interesting, however, that Amazon Prime Video – probably the best-known streaming service to support the HDR10+ format, unlike the Dolby Vision-supporting Netflix platform – isn’t included in this list of OTT (over-the-top) providers.

It may be that negotiations with the retail and streaming giant are still ongoing.  But given there is so little 8K content available anywhere, Amazon may be waiting for a larger catalogue before it joins in Samsung’s plans.