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Why Your Home Theater Is Not Displaying HDR

HDR stands for high dynamic range, which allows you to see colors on your TV more vividly than before. It is often a feature of new 4K televisions and requires the screen to get bright enough to show a wide range of colors. It can make a simple outdoor scene look stunningly beautiful with details in the sky that would not normally be there. However, taking advantage of HDR visuals is not as easy as it may seem. Here are some reasons why you may not be able to view HDR on your television. 

You Have The Wrong Cables 

Many people do not realize that there is a difference in HDMI cables. If you are trying to hook up your new 4K HDR Blu-Ray player to your TV, you'll want to make sure you are using HDMI 2.0a cables. These cables are capable of transferring data at higher speeds, so all of the details in the HDR imagery is able to come through. If you tried to use some old HDMI cables lying around, they may be older HDMI 1.0 cables that won't transmit an HDR or 4K signal.

Your Content Does Not Feature HDR

HDR is still a relatively new format. Be aware that all 4K content is not necessarily in HDR. It is possible that the content you are viewing is regular 4K picture quality, which is why the HDR feature is not turning on. In addition, some streaming services make it difficult to view HDR that is not exactly intuitive for the user. Netflix requires that you upgrade to a premium plan that is more expensive for 4K and HDR viewing. Amazon Video lists 4K HDR shows as an entirely different listing, meaning you have to search out the version that has the 4K UHD banner in the corner. 

Your TV Is Not Bright Enough

A TV needs to get bright enough to display those additional colors. Many high-end TVs are capable of displaying HDR, such as OLED television sets, while there are cheap TVs that do not have a peak brightness capable of displaying HDR content. You can tell by looking up how many nits of brightness your TV is able to produce. Many TVs in the low range below 300 nits won't get the job done, but those TVs that are above 600 nits can display the difference in picture quality. A cheap TV may be HDR capable, which means it's able to accept the signal and display it, but it won't cause it to look any different. 

To ensure that you are getting the picture quality you desire, reach out to a home theater systems specialist for assistance.