We’ve all been there. Walking down the street, or through a park, you look up: It’s a double rainbow! Or the sunset of a lifetime — brings tears to your eyes. Eager to share with family, you open your smartphone or take out the DSLR to capture the glorious colors, and… The resulting image looks about as glorious as the side of a cereal box.

Ultimately, the human eye is a better camera than what most of us carry. That is, until now. With Tencent Video’s implementation of HDR Vivid technology, video content enters a new dimension with rich, hyper-realistic visuals that bring screens to life.

What is HDR Vivid?

Dynamic range is the ratio between the brightest and darkest parts of an image. High Dynamic Range (HDR) relates to the tools or techniques that enhance the contrast and color accuracy of a photo or video. It yields more colors and luminance levels than what’s possible on the standard dynamic range (SDR) typically seen on over-the-air broadcast TV. While the concept isn’t new, HDR Vivid elevates its capabilities to another level.

Think of it as the difference between a crayon drawing and a high-definition photograph. Watching a nature documentary on an HDR-enabled device, for example, the green of forests is more vibrant and the blues of the ocean are deeper. This results in a much better viewing experience, one that's closer to how we see in the world, off the screen. In an era where streaming quality is a priority and can make or break a viewer's experience, it’s good news for consumers.

HDR Vivid: more color, more joy

In the latest blockbuster Chinese drama produced by Tencent Video, Joy of Life 2, the benefits offered by HDR Vivid technology are clear. This innovation is about more than colors: Details such as ornate architecture, finely crafted wooden furniture, and intricate pleats in flowing fashions all stand out.

4 key benefits of HDR Vivid

Although HDR Vivid offers viewers many benefits, it shines in four areas: 

• Truer colors: Images are brighter, more colorful and more layered, giving a better sense of depth. Costumes and accessories become more textured and facial expressions more lifelike.
• High-quality downloads: Tencent Video’s proprietary HDR technology is created with users who livestream or download shows to watch later in mind. The high-quality downloads feature lets viewers download HDR-quality content with a reasonable size and download time.
• Responsive image enhancement: Through innovative use of machine learning, we accurately deliver HDR Vivid content by automatically detecting device processing performance and HDR support. This means uninterrupted viewing regardless of connectivity.
• Versatile viewing environments: Whether in dim or bright lighting, HDR adapts to provide optimal picture quality.

HDR Vivid versus SDR

A side-by-side comparison.

Setting new standards in color, contrast and visual quality, HDR Vivid is poised to transform streaming entertainment. Movies, sports, documentaries or TV shows, on a laptop or a virtual reality headset — HDR Vivid promises a superior viewing experience.