Does YouTube support Dolby Vision?

Key takeaways

• YouTube does not currently support Dolby Vision or other Dolby technologies.
• Google is developing its own HDR and audio technologies for integration across its products, including YouTube.
• Dolby Vision offers enhanced picture quality, precise adjustments of brightness and color settings, greater image depth, enhanced contrast, and high brightness levels, contributing to a more satisfactory viewing experience.

Dolby Vision allows a maximum resolution of 8K, up to 12-bit color depth and a maximum peak brightness of 10,000 nits. Most Smart TVs and Streaming platforms support Dolby Vision as it makes videos better in HDR format, and Dolby Vision can produce 10 times the amount of light than HDR10.

YouTube offers different video quality options, ranging from standard definition (360p) to high definition (1080p and 4K). The video quality is sometimes influenced by the network bandwidth. If your network is strong, the video quality will be detailed and clear, and vice versa. 

What is Dolby Vision?

Dolby Vision allows users to utilize the full potential of HDR technology to optimize the image and video quality of their content. It allows users to add more contrast, greater depth, and more colors to movies, TV shows, images, and even games.

Dolby Vision gives you a better HDR thereby improving your viewing experience. It also gives content creators greater control over the appearance of their HDR content on TVs. The Dolby Vision HDR technology is available on smartphones, smart TVs, and streaming platforms.

Benefits of Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision enhances every detail you see, hear, and interact with while viewing an image, video, or game. It is there to highlight, contrast, and add vibrant color that reveals the details of the content especially in HDR format. 

Does YouTube support Dolby Vision?

YouTube does not support Dolby Vision and generally Dolby Technology. Google on the other hand is working to develop and launch its own-brand equivalent to Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos 3D audio which will be used across all Google products including YouTube.

How to identify Dolby Vision content

The Dolby Vision badge will display when watching the content, especially if it is a platform that supports Dolby Vision. When watching content in Dolby Vision, the Dolby Vision badge will be displayed close to available titles. On Cast TVs, a Dolby Vision badge will appear on the loading screen to indicate the content supports Dolby Vision. 

Playback requirements

Dolby Vision requires the use of reference monitors with a contrast ratio of 200,000:1 and a peak brightness of 1000 nits. Its color range is the Rec 2020 standard and supports the SMPTE ST-2084 HDR format.

Dolby Vision on different devices

Dolby Vision supports smartphones, including iPhones and iPads from Apple. Also, there are smart TVs that support Dolby Vision. You just have to look out for the Dolby Vision badge on the device or ask the retailer. Check out streaming services and subscriptions that support Dolby Vision, and use them to stream your content using the Dolby Vision technology.

Dolby Vision vs. HDR10

HDR10 has been around for years in the media space. This format has been used in TV Shows and video games over time as they deliver a vibrant viewing experience, with a greater contrast ratio and perfect color fitting. Dolby Vision however is a more modern technology that uses scene-by-scene metadata to deliver a better and brighter image than HDR10.

Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are similar in a way, but Dolby Vision is better than HDR10  as it is a more advanced technology. HDR10 supports up to 4,000 nits peak brightness, and 10-bit color depth. While Dolby Vision supports up to 10,000 nits peak brightness, and a 12-bit color depth. They both are capable of displaying everything in the Rec. 2020 color space.

Advantages of Dolby Vision

When you opt for Dolby Vision, you get to enjoy Enhanced Picture Quality, Perfect adjustments of brightness, contrast, and color settings on a frame-by-frame basis, Greater Image Depth, Enhanced Contrast, and High Brightness Levels. Watching your content will be more satisfactory.

Can I watch Dolby Vision content on YouTube?

You can stream Dolby Vision movies and shows on platforms that support Dolby Vision. YouTube does not support Dolby Vision content, therefore you cannot support Dolby Vision content.

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