High Dynamic Range content is coming to Netflix; more than 100 hours of HDR movies and TV shows will be available by the end of August.
That's in addition to Marco Polo, the single Netflix show that's already available to stream in HDR. Other titles include a smattering of lesser-known Marvel movies (not the Avengers series), as well as a few TV shows:
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Bloodline
- Chef's Table
- Hibana
- Knights of Sidonia
- Marvel's Daredevil
- Marvel's Iron Fist
- Marvel's Jessica Jones
- Marvel's Luke Cage
- Marvel's The Defenders
- The Do-Over
- The Ridiculous Six
A release schedule wasn't announced; some of those titles will be included in the 100 hours of HDR content arriving this summer, according to a company spokesperson.
"Timing varies depending on the title, as we are in the process of remastering any existing TV shows and movies," the spokesperson said in a statement. "It is also dependent on the title's launch date. We do expect several of these titles to be available by August."
Although the technology has been around for several years in consumer video and still cameras, HDR is relatively new to TV. It creates a larger contrast ratio in order to show details in areas that would normally be obliterated, like nighttime scenes.
"While 4k offers more pixels, HDR offers better pixels that have greater depth, and on HDR screens you get brighter highlights, more detail in dark scenes, and a wider color range that more closely matches the real world," Netflix says.
If you're a current subscriber with the Ultra HD price plan and an HDR-ready television, you can load up the Netflix original series Marco Polo. Amazon also has a limited selection of HDR content.
If you don't have a HDR-compatible set, and you're not dying to see the titles Netflix just announced, you might want to wait. HDR is even newer than 4K, which is still trying to build up its own content library, though manufacturers are finally releasing more affordable 4K sets.