Is HDR Worth It? (2018)

Is HDR Worth is in 2018? Do you even know what HDR is? This post will explain it all!

HDR or High Dynamic Range is one of the available features on 4K Ultra High Definition TVs and some computer monitors. This allows a wider color range with 10-bit or higher color gamut and usually 1000 nit peak brightness.

Regular HDTVs only display 8-bit color, and many 4K TVs are the same even if they might claim to have HDR or simulate HDR. If the screen isn’t 10-bit, it can’t display true HDR video.

While this seems like a cool new feature to have, there still isn’t a standard for HDR. There is HDR10, HDR10+, DolbyVision, and others that have popped up at trade shows. Hopefully the tech companies will settle on one sooner or later.

Furthermore, the extra processing it takes for HDR often causes a delay, making HDR impractical for gaming. Luckily, TV manufacturers are working on newer models to help with this HDR input lag with.

At this time, I really think HDR is not worth is when buying a 4K UHD TV or monitor. If you can find one for a nice price and know it doesn’t have much lag, unless you plan to watch movies instead of game, then grabbing it won’t harm you in anyway. However, most TVs with this HDR feature are far more expensive than TVs without.