Dolby Vision 2 is going to be a huge upgrade for TVs – here’s what’s coming to a screen near you

Dolby is one of the biggest players in sound and vision tech and has been for decades. You’ve probably seen the Dolby Vision logo popping up on best 4K TVs over the last few years. You’ve probably even seen it on smartphones and tablets. Did you know your iPhone can even record Dolby Vision-supported videos?

But just as we’ve come to recognise this HDR standard, Dolby’s gone and dropped Dolby Vision 2. Worry not, though, as it promises to be a huge upgrade for TVs – and I can’t wait. So, what is it, and do you actually need it? Here’s everything you need to know.

• Read more: What is Dolby Vision? The HDR format wars explained

What is Dolby Vision 2?

Before we get into the sequel, let’s have a quick recap. HDR (High Dynamic Range) is what gives your TV punchier colours, brighter highlights, and actual detail in dark scenes rather than a sea of grey mush. Dolby Vision is one of the top dogs in the HDR world. Unlike basic HDR formats, it uses dynamic metadata to tweak the picture on a frame-by-frame basis. It’s some pretty clever stuff. I won’t buy a TV without Dolby Vision, as I think it’s much better than HDR10+. Or maybe I’m just a snob.

Dolby Vision 2 takes all that and cranks it up a notch – or several. It’s designed to squeeze even more out of today’s increasingly impressive TVs while keeping filmmakers happy by preserving their “creative intent.” In other words, it should stop your screen from nuking the brightness of a moody scene. It’s powered by a new image engine and something Dolby’s calling Content Intelligence.

How does it work?

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The key new bit of tech is Content Intelligence. That’s Dolby’s fancy name for a set of tools that uses AI to figure out what you’re watching, how bright your room is, and what your TV is capable of – all in real time.

There’s Precision Black, which is there to make sure Game of Thrones-style night battles don’t just look like a black screen with some mumbling. Then there’s Light Sense, which uses ambient light detection to stop your picture from being either blinding or completely washed out. And for those who spend their weekends toggling between football and Fortnite, there’s Sports and Gaming Optimisation, which handles motion and white points so your content doesn’t look like a soap opera or a blur-fest. Essentially, it should adapt the picture to look its best based on what you’re actually watching.

It also introduces bi-directional tone mapping. That’s a very technical way of saying your TV and the content now work together to boost brightness, contrast and colour saturation, all without mangling the original look.

Is Dolby Vision 2 still HDR?

Yes, but with a bit of a glow-up. Dolby Vision 2 is trying to one-up typical HDR. One of the more eyebrow-raising features is something called Authentic Motion, which lets creators control motion on a shot-by-shot basis. That means goodbye to awkward motion smoothing – unless you’re into that, in which case… we need to talk.

So, in HDR terms, Dolby Vision 2 is still a format like HDR10 and HDR10+. But it’s now playing in a different league with tools that go well beyond what traditional HDR offers. And yes, it still does the 12-bit colour thing – if your TV can handle it.

What about Dolby Vision IQ?

Dolby Vision IQ is still around and still useful. It adjusts your screen brightness depending on the lighting in your room. Dolby Vision 2 effectively builds on that concept and supercharges it with Light Sense and more advanced scene detection. So while IQ is the brains behind your current Dolby Vision experience, Content Intelligence is the next-generation.

How can I watch Dolby Vision 2?

Right now, you can’t. But it’s coming soon.

Dolby says Hisense will be first out of the gate with Dolby Vision 2 support, including on its flashy RGB Mini LED TVs. These will be powered by MediaTek’s new chip that bakes Dolby Vision 2 into the silicon. No word yet on price or launch dates, but expect it to hit the premium end first.

Dolby Vision 2 will come in two flavours: regular Dolby Vision 2 for most decent TVs, and Dolby Vision 2 Max for the flagship-telly crowd with all the bells and whistles. Dolby hasn’t said anything about phones or tablets just yet. Given how Dolby Vision is already knocking about on recent iPhones and some laptops, it’s likely only a matter of time. But for now, it’s a TV-first affair.

What content will I be able to watch?

CANAL+ is the first streaming service to back Dolby Vision 2, and plans to roll it out across its movies, shows, and live sports. It’s a good start, but don’t expect a flood of compatible content straight away. As always with new standards, it’ll take a bit before the tech trickles down and the content catches up. Fortunately, existing content can be remastered to support the new HDR format – it might just take some time.

Still, considering Dolby already has strong ties with Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and most of the big film studios you can bet support will expand – especially once more TVs have it baked in.

• Related: What is Dolby Atmos? The immersive audio tech explained