HDR and monitor brightness

In short: HDR (high dynamic range) widens the contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of the image and shows more colours. The effect depends strongly on brightness and the panel.

In more detail: A monitor labelled “HDR” is not automatically good. What matters is peak brightness (in cd/m², “nits”), dark areas (local dimming zones or OLED) and colour gamut. VESA distinguishes DisplayHDR 400, 600, 1000 and True Black (OLED).

In Depth

• HDR10: standard format with fixed metadata. Dolby Vision, HDR10+: per-scene data.
• Dimming zones (FALD): many individually dimmable LED zones behind the image. More zones mean better contrast and less “blooming”.
• OLED: every pixel lights by itself, perfect black, lower peak brightness.
• DisplayHDR 400: often barely better than SDR.
• Colour gamut: sRGB (standard), DCI-P3 (cinema), Rec. 2020.
• Windows: HDR must be switched on in the settings. SDR content then often looks paler.

See also: Monitor, Display sync