Dolby Vision 2: AI-Powered HDR Technology Promises Enhanced Viewing Experience

The new Dolby Vision 2 HDR standard is probably going to be controversial

Dolby has announced the features of Dolby Vision 2, its successor to the popular Dolby Vision HDR format. Whereas the original Dolby Vision was meant to give creators the ability to finely tune exactly how TVs present content in HDR, Dolby Vision 2 appears to significantly broaden that feature to include motion handling as well -- and it also tries to bridge the gap between filmmaker intent and the on-the-ground reality of the individual viewing environments. What does that mean, exactly? Well, Dolby says one of the pillars of Dolby Vision 2 will be "Content Intelligence," which introduces new "AI capabilities" to the Dolby Vision spec. Among other things, that means using sensors in the TV to try to fix the oft-complained-about issue of shows being too dark. Many editors and filmmakers tweak their video content to be best viewed in a dark room on a high-end TV with strong peak brightness, contrast, color accuracy, and so on. Unfortunately, that sometimes means that some shows are laughably dark on anything but the most optimal target setup -- think Apple TV+'s Silo, or the infamous Battle of Winterfell in the final season of Game of Thrones, both of which many people complained were too dark for clear viewing. With Content Intelligence, Dolby Vision 2 will allegedly make the image "crystal clear" by "improving clarity in any viewing environment without compromising intent." Further, it will use ambient light detection sensors in supporting TVs to adjust the content's presentation based on how bright the viewer's room is. Fixing motion smoothing -- or making it worse? There's plenty that's going to be controversial in Content Intelligence with some purists, but it's another feature called Authentic Motion that's probably going to cause the biggest stir for Dolby Vision 2. Dolby calls this "the world's first creative driven motion control tool to make scenes feel more authentically cinematic without unwanted judder on a shot-by-shot basis." Some years ago, TV manufacturers began including motion smoothing (sometimes called "the soap opera effect") as a feature in almost all their TVs. This feature basically makes it appear as if video content has a higher frame rate than it actually does (like 60 frames per second instead of film's usual 24), and to adjust for the judder that may occur because 24 fps doesn't map neatly to 60Hz display. Many casual viewers love it. Most cinephiles despise it, as it comes with artifacts and makes cinematic content seem more like a 60 fps home video. Furthermore, many filmmakers have also spoken out loudly against it, saying it undermines artistic intent. Here, Dolby is positing that it has solved the issue by allowing filmmakers scene-by-scene control over when and how much this software and hardware feature is leveraged. At this point, it's unclear how that will play out. Will it look meaningfully different from current motion smoothing options? What benefit is there to offering it on a scene-by-scene basis? What, if anything, does it do to address artifacting? We'll likely have to wait until the Consumer Electronics Show in January to find out. So far, Dolby has announced that Hisense plans to support it in its new TVs, and CANAL+ will support it on the content creation side. It will be offered in two tiers: Dolby Vision 2 for low-end and mid-range TVs, and Dolby Vision 2 Max for high-end sets -- though it's not entirely clear what all the finer points of distinction will be. No launch dates have been set.

Dolby Vision 2 comes with big upgrades - here's which TVs get them first

Dolby unveiled Dolby Vision 2, the successor to Dolby Vision HDR that debuted a little more than a decade ago, the company said Tuesday. Calling it a "groundbreaking evolution of its industry-leading picture quality innovation," Dolby explained that its latest technology would bring several upgrades over the current Dolby Vision and fix one of the most common complaints. Dolby said that it has a "robust" content pipeline that includes movies and TV shows, weekly live sports broadcasts, and games that would take advantage of Dolby Vision 2. At the core of the new tech is something the company is calling "content intelligence." This introduces new tools, Dolby said, that optimize your viewing (using AI, of course) based on what and where you're watching. One of the most common complaints about Dolby Vision, the company acknowledged, is that images can often be too dark, making it hard to see details. Content intelligence will include "precision black" that improves clarity in darker scenes. In addition, a "Light Sense" feature will fine-tune picture quality by detecting your ambient light, Dolby explained, and optimizing your picture to adjust. Also new: In short, all of these features are designed to make sure that what you're seeing at home is what the creatives behind the content intended for you to see. Like most new technologies, it takes some time to reach wide availability. Hisense (which has produced some of the best sets over the past few years) will be the first TV to support Dolby Vision 2 with its RGB-MiniLED line. It's almost certain we'll see more TVs join the lineup at January's CES. Dolby explained that its new technology will be available in two tiers: the top-of-the-line Dolby Vision 2 Max on premium TVs that not only delivers the best possible picture, but also adds additional premium features, and Dolby Vision 2, which provides dramatically improved picture quality for mainstream TVs.

The next big TV leap is here - what Dolby Vision 2 means for you (and supported models)

Dolby unveiled Dolby Vision 2, the successor to Dolby Vision HDR that debuted a little more than a decade ago, the company said Tuesday. Calling it a "groundbreaking evolution of its industry-leading picture quality innovation," Dolby explained that its latest technology would bring several upgrades over the current Dolby Vision and fix one of the most common complaints. Dolby said that it has a "robust" content pipeline that includes movies and TV shows, weekly live sports broadcasts, and games that would take advantage of Dolby Vision 2. At the core of the new tech is something the company is calling "content intelligence." This introduces new tools, Dolby said, that optimize your viewing (using AI, of course) based on what and where you're watching. Also: Samsung will give you a free 65-inch TV right now - here's how to qualify for the deal The company acknowledged that one of the most common complaints about Dolby Vision is that images can often be too dark, making it hard to see details. Content intelligence will include "precision black" that improves clarity in darker scenes. In addition, a "Light Sense" feature will fine-tune picture quality by detecting ambient light and optimizing your picture to adjust, Dolby explained. Also new: In short, all of these features are designed to ensure that what you see at home is what the creatives behind the content intended for you to see. Like most new technologies, it takes some time to reach wide availability. Hisense (which has produced some of the best sets over the past few years) will be the first TV to support Dolby Vision 2 with its RGB-MiniLED line. It's almost certain we'll see more TVs join the lineup at January's CES. Dolby explained that its new technology will be available in two tiers: the top-of-the-line Dolby Vision 2 Max on premium TVs that not only delivers the best possible picture, but also adds additional premium features, and Dolby Vision 2, which provides dramatically improved picture quality for mainstream TVs.

Dolby Vision 2 has arrived, but you don't have to replace your TV for a new one yet

Dolby unveiled Dolby Vision 2, the successor to Dolby Vision HDR that debuted a little more than a decade ago, the company said Tuesday. Calling it a "groundbreaking evolution of its industry-leading picture quality innovation," Dolby explained that its latest technology would bring several upgrades over the current Dolby Vision and fix one of the most common complaints. Dolby said that it has a "robust" content pipeline that includes movies and TV shows, weekly live sports broadcasts, and games that would take advantage of Dolby Vision 2. At the core of the new tech is something the company is calling "content intelligence." This introduces new tools, Dolby said, that optimize your viewing (using AI, of course) based on what and where you're watching. Also: Samsung will give you a free 65-inch TV right now - here's how to qualify for the deal The company acknowledged that one of the most common complaints about Dolby Vision is that images can often be too dark, making it hard to see details. Content intelligence will include "precision black" that improves clarity in darker scenes. In addition, a "Light Sense" feature will fine-tune picture quality by detecting ambient light and optimizing your picture to adjust, Dolby explained. Also new: In short, all of these features are designed to ensure that what you see at home is what the creatives behind the content intended for you to see. That's not to say that existing models, including our top picks, are not worthy of being set in your living room. Like most new technologies, it takes some time to reach wide availability. Hisense (which has produced some of the best sets over the past few years) will be the first TV to support Dolby Vision 2 with its RGB-MiniLED line. It's almost certain we'll see more TVs join the lineup at January's CES. Dolby explained that its new technology will be available in two tiers: the top-of-the-line Dolby Vision 2 Max on premium TVs that not only delivers the best possible picture, but also adds additional premium features, and Dolby Vision 2, which provides dramatically improved picture quality for mainstream TVs.

Dolby Vision 2 Is Official. Expect AI Tech, Motion Smoothing, More

Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. Dolby Vision 2 is official, and it's the next-gen HDR tech that will be touted by many top-end TV makers over the next decade. The updated standard is the first major update since Dolby introduced Vision in 2014. The highlight of Vision 2 is Content Intelligence, which uses AI technologies to adjust your picture settings depending on what you're watching and your environment. Precision Black tech makes an image easier to view when a scene is particularly dark. The brand says it will do so "without compromising artistic intent," so this isn't just Dolby cranking up the brightness in darker scenes. There's also a feature called Light Sense designed to use ambient light detection from your TV to set up the right viewing experience without you having to play around in the settings. Vision 2 also features automatic sports and gaming modes that turn on when it detects compatible content. Away from HDR, Dolby is debuting what it calls Authentic Motion as an alternative to standard motion-smoothing features. It says it will use this to avoid unnecessary judder that the tech often introduces. The brand has yet to describe how this will work, but it says Authentic Motion is "the world's first creative-driven motion control tool to make scenes feel more authentically cinematic." New tone-mapping features are also available for select TVs. Dolby says, "With bidirectional tone mapping, creators now have new controls that let them make the most of these enhanced displays. This allows high-performance TVs to deliver higher brightness, sharper contrast, and deeply saturated colors while preserving the artist's creative vision." It's not yet clear when you'll be able to buy a TV with Dolby Vision 2 onboard, but we do know the first release will be from Hisense. Other brands like LG, Panasonic, and Sony supported the first-gen tech, so we may see these brands release compatible models at a later date. Dolby says it will have two tiers of TVs, with top-end models featuring what it calls Dolby Vision 2 Max for its highest performance, which adds "additional premium features designed to utilize the full capabilities of these displays." Other TVs will include Vision 2, which is expected to include all of the features revealed today. What does this mean for your current Dolby Vision experience? According to a clarification from Dolby provided to The Verge, the brand has confirmed that all Dolby Vision content will remain compatible across both generations of the tech. For example, if you watch something with Dolby Vision 2 support on your TV that only supports the first-gen tech, you will still get those benefits from Dolby Vision but without the second-gen improvements. Many of the major streaming services, including Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix, support Dolby Vision. None of these have yet commented on support for Vision 2, but we'd expect to hear more soon. So far, the only content provider to confirm support is French company Canal+, which promises support across its movies, TV shows, and sports content.

I finally tried Dolby Vision 2 on a giant screen and it felt flat

IFA is always packed with wonderful new tech, and the 2025 edition is no different. The launch of Dolby Vision 2-enabled TVs has been one of the biggest announcements at IFA 2025, with the eminent TV technology company rolling out the latest version of its HDR tech. And wouldn't you just know it? Hisense took the time to launch a brand new TV featuring Dolby Vision 2, and I went had a good old look at it to see what all the fuss is about. Dolby Vision 2 promises better HDR than ever before Dolby Vision 2 brings a lot of new tech to the table, and as you might expect, AI is at the core of the new standard. It's not all about AI, but it's certainly playing a central role compared to Dolby Vision, which was released over ten years ago now. Dolby Vision 2 uses what it calls Content Intelligence to better understand what you're watching and optimize the screen settings for it. In that sense, the AI is analyzing the pictures and can adjust brightness, tone mapping, and so on to ensure that what you're watching is the best it can be. It does this in combination with another new feature called Light Sense, which basically analyzes the lighting quality of the room you're in and feeds that information back into the Content Intelligence algorithm. In combination, the two technologies automatically adjust your picture quality. Another new tech rolled out as part of Dolby Vision 2 is Authentic Motion, which actually fixes a problem I've often experienced with high-end televisions that aren't configured properly. One of the most jarring experiences on 4K TVs is juddering -- those little stutters during high-paced scenes that break your immersion. Authentic Motion is "the world's first creative-driven motion tool" that will make all scenes feel more cinematic, analyzing and correcting images shot-by-shot. I'm really keen to see how this works, because, as I said, it's one of my least favorite parts of modern TVs. Dolby Vision 2 looks incredible -- but it was difficult to appreciate There were various murmurings about the presence of Dolby Vision 2 at IFA 2025, and it was Hisense that delivered the goods. The company equipped one of its absolutely monster-sized televisions with the new technology, displaying Dolby Vision 2 on the Hisense 116ux. It's a mammoth bit of kit, 116 inches wide and absolutely dominating any room you put it in. It looks huge on the IFA 2025 show floor, and in a tech event filled with larger-than-life tech, that's saying something. Part of the Dolby Vision 2 launch is also the introduction of RGB-MiniLED tech. This is an upgraded version of MiniLED. In short, where existing MiniLED tech requires the array of blue LEDs to produce green and red light (while allowing the blue to pass through), RGB MiniLED uses individual blue, red, and green LEDs to produce incredibly accurate colors without the slight compromise that existed. The updated tech makes the application of Dolby Vision 2 advanced dynamic data, allowing for those incredibly dark, detailed blacks, and the implementation of other on-screen tech. But given I was experiencing Dolby Vision 2 on an enormous screen at a giant tech conference, and the screen was playing a demo, it was hard to appreciate the difference it was potentially making. Don't get me wrong -- it looked amazing. It's a 116-inch RGB MiniLED screen. But those fine details that really make you understand what you're seeing were hard to spot, especially as it was playing a demo. Don't expect Dolby Vision 2 on your existing TV Now, onto the bad news. Existing Dolby Vision TV owners shouldn't expect an upgrade. While Dolby Vision 2 does include specific tone mapping tech designed to help smaller, lower-quality screens, it doesn't appear that this tech is going to be backward compatible. At least, it won't suddenly appear in an OTA update and make your old screen feel super new again. There are also some privacy concerns regarding Dolby Vision 2's use of AI. The implementation of automatic content recognition tech in smart TVs has long been considered a privacy risk, and with Dolby Vision 2 analyzing everything on your screen and in the room, there are suggestions that it's adding to that issue. While there are some ways to stop your smart TV from spying on you, they're not foolproof. And with more AI and other intrusive tech finding its way into smart TVs, it's becoming a problem that's hard to ignore, even if you're not traditionally privacy-focused. I mean, who wants something tracking everything they watch? Definitely not me.

Dolby Vision 2 is the next HDR push and it's going to upset a lot of people

Dolby's latest HDR evolution promises smarter TVs, but as is the case with everything else these days, it crams AI into its feature set. Your content might look great with Dolby Vision 2, but the tech behind its Content Intelligence system is rather invasive. Dolby Vision 2 will get more out of your TV Dolby Vision 2 brings new tools for studios and TV productions that let them achieve greater picture quality, especially on high-end TVs. The standard uses dynamic metadata to identify the Dolby Vision-compatible display it's connected to and adjusts the video signal to best use what the specific screen can do. The dynamic data also contains instructions that further tweak the signal based on various scenes, shots, or even specific frames. As a result, you get color and exposure-accurate video as close to the director's original intent, tuned specifically to your TV's display. It also introduces a brand new image engine -- the underlying software that processes video content based on the included metadata. Apart from jazzing up video quality on your TV, Dolby Vision 2 also includes Content Intelligence. This is a set of tools for content producers to "authentically and automatically" optimize your TV to present a more realistic and better-looking picture based on what and where you're watching your content. At the time of writing, Dolby supports the following features under Content Intelligence: Light Sense: Fine-tunes the picture quality using ambient light detection reference lighting data from the content source. Precision Black: Improves image clarity without compromising artistic intent. Should help fix issues where the image looks too dark. Sports and Gaming Optimization: Includes new enhancements like white point adjustments and motion controls to better view sports and gaming content. While I have no doubt these features will result in amazing picture quality on just about every Dolby Vision 2 compatible TV, the standard has to constantly monitor what you're watching in order to optimize your content. And that's where it gets concerning. Better video quality at the cost of privacy Dolby's announcement doesn't explain how exactly Dolby Vision 2 will optimize content automatically. However, it will need to constantly monitor what you're watching and combine it with any sensor data received from your TV to achieve the results Dolby is bragging about. Since it's an AI-powered system, the data collection and analysis can go deeper than you think. Unlike simple data collection, AI systems can collect more sensitive information, like viewing patterns. Dolby Vision 2's AI systems can just as easily analyze viewing behavior to build detailed psychological profiles. You see, smart TVs already have features such as Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) that scan everything playing on your screen. You can stop your Smart TV from tracking you with certain tweaks, but the behavior already exists. And if you're wondering whether the personalized ads on your TV are getting too accurate, that's because LG Smart TVs use AI to track your emotions. Additionally, no information on what AI system is powering the Content Intelligence suite of features was shared. Dolby hasn't shared any information on how this data will be collected, analyzed, or stored either. We'll have to wait until Dolby Vision 2-compatible TVs and content start rolling out to get answers. Until then, Dolby's invasive approach to improving image quality is sure to upset anyone looking out for their privacy.

Dolby Vision 2 is going to be a huge upgrade for TVs - here's what's coming to a screen near you | Stuff

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Dolby Announces Dolby Vision 2, Powered by AI: Here Are the New Features It Packs

Dolby Vision 2 will be supported by Hisense's RGB MiniLED TVs first, and Canal+ service will also be supporting the format at launch. Since its debut in 2014, Dolby Vision has reinvented the standard for premium HDR, delivering stunning picture quality across TVs, smartphones, and more to viewers. While this advanced HDR format received its much-needed update in 2020 with Dolby Vision IQ offering adaptive brightness, it is time to enter a new era of HDR with the next-gen version titled Dolby Vision 2, announced by Dolby Laboratories today. Dolby Vision takes its next evolutionary step, powered by AI, to consistently deliver an unparalleled experience for the audience. Titled Dolby Vision 2, the next version is optimized by 'Next-Gen Dolby Image Engine' and features 'Content Intelligence'. If you are wondering what it is, the latest Content Intelligence is equipped with AI tools to let your TV do the optimization automatically for you based on the content you are watching, your watching environment, and of course, the device you are watching on. Thus, Content Intelligence will ensure precise black levels, fine-tune the picture based on ambient light detection, and is also said to optimize content for sports and gaming. Dolby also revealed that DV 2 will now add 'Authentic Motion,' which is described as the world's first creative-driven motion control tool to make scenes feel more authentically cinematic without unwanted judder on a shot-by-shot basis Furthermore, Hisense is confirmed to be the first television brand to incorporate Dolby Vision 2 into its premier TV lineups, namely the newest RGB MiniLED TVs. And Canal+, the French TV broadcaster and streaming service, will be the first in line to offer Dolby Vision 2 support to its audiences. It should also be noted that Dolby Vision 2 comes in two forms: Dolby Vision 2 Max and standard Dolby Vision 2. The former is supported only on flagship TV models and also includes additional premium features to have the best possible viewing experience. On the other hand, Dolby Vision 2 will be available for standard TVs and still deliver enhanced picture quality than its previous versions. John Couling, Senior Vice President, Entertainment at Dolby Laboratories, commented that "Dolby Vision 2 redefines how we think of Dolby Vision to unleash the full capabilities of modern TVs while giving artists unprecedented opportunities to push their creative boundaries further than ever before." With the arrival of Dolby Vision 2, the new premium format promises the best picture quality and a better viewing experience as filmmakers intended. As the new version has just been announced, we will have to wait and find out the results and improvements it offers soon. That said, what do you think about the new Dolby format? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.