Dolby Vision HDR on the iPhone: why you want it

Explanation: Dolby Vision HDR on the iPhone

Apple offers something extra for people who like to shoot video. Dolby Vision is a video standard that allows you to capture up to 60 times more colors. In total, there are 700 million colors, making your videos look even more lifelike, with striking and realistic colors. It’s automatic, so you don’t have to think about it. From the iPhone 12, Apple made the step from 8-bit to 10-bit HDR recording and you’ll find it on all newer models since then.

• Which iPhones have Dolby Vision HDR?
• How does Dolby Vision work on iPhone
• Enable Dolby Vision HDR
• Edit HDR videos
• Dolby Vision vs HDR10

Suitable iPhones for Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision is present on the following models:

• iPhone 14 series
• iPhone 13 series
• iPhone 12 series

However, there is a difference in the maximum frame rate: the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini can film a maximum at 4K Dolby Vision HDR up to 30 fps, while this is 60 fps with all other models. Doubling the number of frames to 60 fps makes videos look smoother. You can’t film videos in Dolby Vision HDR with the iPhone SE. This applies to all SE series models.

How does Dolby Vision work on iPhone?

Dolby Vision is one of the most important formats for high dynamic range (HDR) videos. It is a proprietary format developed by Dolby, as a competitor to HDR10. With streaming video services you increasingly come across content that is offered in Dolby Vision quality and with the iPhone you can also make it yourself.

Until now, it was mainly professional film studios that used Dolby Vision. In addition, the color adjustments in films are made afterwards in post-production. This requires powerful computers and the post-processing often takes a lot of time. The result is that the images have a richer appearance and more color and everything looks more natural, with deep colors and the deepest blacks possible.

It is therefore special that Apple has succeeded in applying this in the iPhone in real time, while you are filming. This is ensured by the Neural Engine, which analyzes the filmed images at lightning speed and adjusts the color reproduction accordingly.

Here’s how it works: the iPhone captures two exposures, then the image processing processor (ISP) creates a histogram from them. This shows the distribution of the light intensity per frame. Subsequently, the data for Dolby Vision is derived from this, which is applied in real time. It may sound complicated, but you don’t have to make an effort yourself. It happens automatically if you have enabled Dolby Vision.

Enable Dolby Vision HDR

Here’s how you can enable Dolby Vision:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Go to Camera > Record Video.
3. Turn on the switch for HDR video.

In addition to the Camera app on the iPhone (where Dolby Vision is enabled by default), you can also film using apps such as FiLMiC Pro, Manual Camera, ProCamera, ProCam 8 and more.

Specifications of the Dolby Vision HDR videos

The videos you make with the iPhone are stored in a codec that is aimed at consumers. In this case it is HEVC. Here are the specs in case you are a video professional and want to get into editing:

• Codec/Format : HEVC Main10 video in Apple Quicktime container (.mov)
• HDR format: Dolby Vision with HLG base layer (Profile 8.4)
• Transfer characteristic: HLG (ITU-R BT.2100-1)
• Color primaries: BT.2020
• Chroma sampling: 4:2:0
• Bit depth: 10 bit

Watch Dolby Vision videos

Do you want to see what it has become? This can be done in two ways:

• Via the Apple TV 4K on a television that supports HDR 4K
• On iPhones with OLED screen

After filming, you can stream the images in high quality via AirPlay to your Apple TV 4K on a suitable television that also supports HDR 4K. You will see that High Dynamic Range (HDR) provides more striking colors, without compromising the deep black. You notice this especially in scenes with a lot of color. There is a stronger contrast between dark and light parts of a scene, whereby you can still see a lot of detail in the dark parts. See also our tip about 4K HDR on the Apple TV.

You can also play the images on your iPhone. All iPhones with OLED screen (from the iPhone X) support Dolby Vision HDR playback. On iPhones and iPads with an LCD screen, the content is supported, but you don’t get the best possible display. This applies, for example, to the HDR display on the iPhone XR. You can also watch the videos on all kinds of other devices: the content is then automatically converted, but the quality is not maximum.

Edit HDR videos on your iPhone

What is special is that you can not only record videos in Dolby Vision, but that you can also edit them directly on the iPhone. You can use the following apps for this:

• Photos app
• iMovie
• clips

You can also get started on the Mac with the paid software Final Cut Pro. For professional video editors, you will find more information on the Dolby website on how to handle content that you have filmed with the iPhone.

Dolby Vision vs HDR10

There are two major HDR formats, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Filmmakers often offer their content in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, because the basis is the same. There are some differences. HDR10 is the simplest variant and in itself already provides a better viewing experience than the standard display. It is also open source and costs nothing to support it. For Dolby, filmmakers have to pay a license.

Another quality of HDR10 is that it is a static format, with global settings that apply to the entire movie or TV series. Dolby Vision is dynamic: it has metadata for every scene and even every frame. A display that can play Dolby Vision then knows how to display the content. Dolby Vision delivers clearer images and a wider color gamut. While HDR10 has a maximum color depth of 10-bit, Dolby Vision has a maximum of 12-bit. However, Apple has opted for a ‘simpler’ 10-bit version that still allows 700 million colors.

If Apple had opted for 12-bit, 67.8 billion colors would have been possible. But this doesn’t make much sense at the moment. Not all Dolby Vision screens can display 12-bit content, so it would have been overkill.

If you want to make an artistic film in which the colors are specially adapted to the atmosphere you want to convey, you can still do post-processing. But you don’t have to: the nicer and more realistic color reproduction is already arranged for you by the iPhone.

Also read everything about 4K HDR on the Apple TV and why you would want it.