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Smartphone cameras have come a long way over the last decade. Thanks to bigger and better sensors and computational photography, they can take stunning photos even in near-complete darkness. The improvements are not just limited to photos, though, as the video recording quality has also seen a dramatic improvement. Apart from better quality and 4K resolution, most smartphones nowadays can also shoot HDR videos. Samsung's latest mid-range and premium phones can record videos in HDR10+, offering a better dynamic range and colors.
Movies on your Chromecast with Google TV are about to start looking even better
But only with certain supported apps
If you're buying a new TV, it probably has support for HDR content built right in. Of course, there isn't just one single HDR standard in use today. HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision — you've seen all of these names before, but being able to tell the difference between them can be challenging. For media providers and TV manufacturers, ensuring that compatibility for any HDR content is as broad as possible is crucial regardless of the standard. Thankfully, Chromecast with Google TV is gaining support for HDR10+ to get your favorite movies looking even better.
The new Pixel phones stream Netflix in glorious HDR10, because of course they can
It's almost time for my 27th Tiger King rewatch
Netflix is one of the most popular video streaming services out there. The app hit a billion downloads on the Play Store earlier this summer, and Google even included a dedicated button for launching the service on the new Chromecast with Google TV remote (to be fair, so does everyone). With the launch of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G today, Netflix has confirmed that it will support streaming content in HDR10 on Google's latest phones.
Netflix adds HDR10 support for Samsung's latest flagships, plus HD streaming for lesser Samsung devices
Oh, and two TCL phones get HDR10 and HD support
As is typical with the weeks following major device releases, Netflix has updated its HD and HDR10 support list with the latest and greatest that phone and tablet manufacturers have to offer. This time around, the list is dominated by Samsung devices, with two TCL phones making it in as well.
Pixel 4a is the latest Android phone to support Netflix HD, HDR10 streaming
Here's a list of Android models from 2020 that'll give you all the colorful Netflix pixels
We live in the year 2020 and Netflix still feels the need to list which Android phones, tablets, and associated silicon can support streaming shows in HD and in HDR10. The company is usually slow to update that list, but even so, if you're wondering if your newly-purchased slab can take on all the resolution you need to watch "Stranger Things" again, we've got the list for you. The latest (predictable) addition on it is the new Pixel 4a.
Netflix confirms official HD support for ASUS ROG II, ZenFone 6, and new TCL phones
Official HDR10 support for ROG II and TCL 10L, too
Not all Android devices can stream from Netflix at the same quality, the company is actually a little bit picky about it, certifying individual devices for different features. While the list sometimes lags a bit behind reality, Netflix now says that TCL's latest phones (the 10 Pro and 10L) are now HD-compatible, together with the Asus ROG II and ZenFone 6.
Google Play Movies is still one of the best ways to purchase movies and TV shows online, thanks to its integration with YouTube purchases and support for Movies Anywhere. However, the service has been slow to adopt new technology. HDR compatibility didn't start rolling out until 2017, and support for the HDR10+ standard (which was created in 2017) is still missing — but not for much longer.
It wasn't that long ago (about 10 years) that a 4K TV larger than 50" would command a price tag of $5,000 or more. Thanks to the march of progress in technology and fierce competition in the sector, the prices of large 4K TVs have fallen precipitously. TCL, well-known for its value-focused line of TVs, has a 75" 4K smart TV for sale right now for only $600 at Best Buy, its lowest price ever and a hefty $300 in savings.
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TCL has become popular by offering great TVs at affordable prices, and as the company's 8K products are steering towards the mainstream, its 4K offerings are getting ever cheaper. The same is true for this year's 75-inch 4K Roku TV, which you can get for $700 at Best Buy right now. That's $200 less than recent street prices.The TV features 3 HDMI inputs and 1 USB port, though you might find yourself leaving most of them unused thanks to Roku's excellent app selection; the OS can replace quite a few external boxes. The built-in dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi antenna should make content fly on the screen, but of course, the speed of your internet connection always remains the bottleneck. The display also features HDR10.
If you're in the market for a smart 4K TV with a screen big enough to comfortably fill up most rooms, then Best Buy and Walmart are offering a great deal on a 65" TCL 4K Roku smart TV for $450 ($50 off). TCL is well-known for making great budget TVs that can handle mixed usage very well and this one is no exception.
Samsung finally announced its latest flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab S6, at the end of last month. It's fairly expensive at its starting price of $649, but it has nearly every imaginable feature. It turns out one of those features is HDR10+ certification, making the Tab S6 the first tablet ever to support that standard.
We recently covered a couple of 4K Android TVs from Sony's X900F series that went on sale and there was a good chonk to save there. In fact, those discounted prices for the 75" and 85" models are still available right now from your favorite retailer. Indeed, these panels have been gradually depreciating on store shelves for a good while, but we didn't have anything to report on for the 65" model... that is, until now.In addition to all the extended functionality that Android TV provides, it also links up with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for hands-free control. In addition, the X900F series uses X-Motion Clarity processing to produce 120Hz frame rates with less ghosting as well as HDR10 , screen mirroring, and Dolby Vision.The original MSRP for the 65-incher was $2,000, but after more than a year on the market, that list price slid down $1,700. Recently, most retailers were pricing this model at $1,600. Then yesterday came and Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H decided to take another $100 off, making it just $1,500 (minus a few cents, depending on store).
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Content quality in Netflix covers a range from old-school SD to a brain-searing 4K, further augmented by the option for HDR — which, in Netflix's case, is effectively an extended color gamut. We've kept an eye on which phones snag the feature, and based on recent reports, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL appear to have just picked it up.
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- Ars Technica has finally confirmed our suspicions, soundly rejecting the idea that the site is working with Samsung on this HDR10+ project and reasserting the theory that Samsung got confused over the Ars Pro subscription service.
We all had a good laugh when Samsung announced its partnership with the knockoff "Supreme Italia" brand earlier this month. Interestingly, it seems like Samsung is making botching its partners' brands and logos somewhat of a trend. In a blog post announcing the expansion of its HDR10+ ecosystem, Samsung prominently features fellow news publication Ars Technica's logo alongside big names like Qualcomm, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, and more.
While CES brought a stack of announcements for Android TV-powered televisions, streaming boxes have been in conspicuously short supply. The CCC Air Stick 4K is breaking up that monotony, cramming in support for 4K HDR10 as well as aptX and aptX HD—apparently a first for Android TV-powered boxes. It has a relatively minimal 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, though this is double what the Nexus Player provides. Unfortunately, it is Japan only, though you could import it if you feel the urge.
Netflix has announced a partnership with Razer to bring support for HDR10 and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 to the Razer Phone, marking the first time that a mobile device supports both premium formats. As the Razer Phone has only two front-facing speakers, the audio will be downmixed from the 5.1 stream, though the phone—at least on paper—has one of the most powerful speakers available.
If you've got an Android device, outside of a few exceptions, the odds are that it's powered by an ARM processor. Companies like Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung license the company's tech, so when ARM improves something, we all benefit. Today ARM is announcing some new display technologies which the company alleges can deliver an HDR experience on any screen, while providing increased power savings and performance for applications such as VR.