Hulu Adds HDR Support for Select Programming; But What is HDR and Why is it Important?
Certain Hulu shows and movies now have High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatibility, meaning you can view them in an especially high-quality, vividly-colored broadcast.
Users on Reddit discovered the update late Sunday night, with Hulu updating its Help Center to address the changes. You can find the updated help text below:
“Users can currently stream select Hulu originals in high dynamic range (HDR), HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision on select devices — HDR content delivers a higher contrast range for much finer picture details. An HDR badge will appear on the details page of content available to stream in HDR.
Available HDR content can be watched on the following supported devices with the latest Hulu app:
- Roku (HDR compatible models)
- Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube devices (HDR compatible models with Fire OS 7 or later)
- Apple TV 4K (Gen 5 or later)
- Vizio (HDR compatible models)
- Chromecast Ultra (HDR-compatible models)”
Hulu’s HDR addition will no doubt please the subscribers who enjoy watching content in 4K. When Hulu debuted 4K streaming in 2019, it only supported SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), not HDR10 or Dolby Vision, so it lacked the same contrast and richness of color as other 4K content.
What is HDR?
For many, HDR is just another confusing acronym they’ll have to learn in order to get the most out of their devices. However, the reality isn’t that challenging to understand, especially when you realize this isn’t another resolution you’ll have to learn like 4K was.
HDR isn’t 4K, nor is it HD — in fact, it’s not a resolution at all. Content streamed with HDR displays more color information per pixel, meaning your shows and movies will be more vividly colored when compared to non-HDR versions of the same piece of media. You can stream in 4K without HDR (as Hulu has shown you for the past two years) and you can stream content with HDR enabled that isn’t in 4K. Combining the two, though, creates an enticing image that closely resembles our own real-life eyesight (as long as your TV can display such colors.)
Now that you know what HDR is, what exactly can you watch on Hulu with HDR enabled? Users at the AVSForum discovered that the list consists of most, but not all, of the 4K Hulu Originals:
Hulu Original Shows You Can Stream with HDR:
- Castle Rock
- Catch-22
- Dollface
- Four Weddings and a Funeral
- Future Man
- Hellstrom
- High Fidelity
- Little Fires Everywhere
- Nine Perfect Strangers
- Reprisal
- The Act
- The First
- The Great
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- The Looming Tower
- The Runaways
- Woke
- Wu-Tang
Hulu Original Movies You Can Stream With HDR:
- Bad Hair (HDR but no 4K Badge)
- Happiest Season
- RUN
- The United States vs. Billie Holiday (HDR but no 4K Badge)
- WeWork
Hulu
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