YouTube videos now become richer

YouTube  has officially announced support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos, a  feature that imparts a wider color range, brighter whites and darker  blacks in video content. The resulting higher contrast and richer colors will make for a more realistic video watching experience. However, these advantages will only be visible in screens that specifically have  HDR support built in, such as in the new crop of HDR televisions across  various brands, and in the recently announced Chromecast Ultra. Owners of new generation smartphones and laptops armed with wide color gamut display—such as the new Apple iPhone 7 and the Google Pixel—will also  benefit from this new video standard.

HDR videos more closely match  the gamut of colors that the human eye is capable of perceiving, unlike existing color standards that can display a lesser number of colors with a narrower dynamic (brightness) range. This is especially visible in scenes that have both very bright and dark features such as sunsets, or light bouncing off the surface of a lake for example.

When videos that support this new are viewed on a conventional Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) display, only the visible gamut of colors capable of that display will be shown, making these videos backward compatible with older hardware. But as with any new standard, the entire chain of components used in the playback will need to be compliant.

YouTube has also enabled uploading HDR videos, where users with the proper  equipment will be able to capture content using this new standard. However, it is likely to be a while before this new standard becomes  mainstream, as the rest of the hardware ecosystem catches up with displays that support this richer form of video.