Thinking of buying a HDR OLED TV... does it need to be specific content or will generic shows still show a drastic improvement?

[Actual_Criminal]

I have recently got into OLED after properly looking into it in the last 3 months or so. As a result, I've actually switched out my gaming monitor for a HDR OLED one that should be arriving this weekend (Alienware AW3423DW).

 

I guess I will find out first-hand when I get my monitor, but I rarely watch TV. Maybe 4 hours a week at most. I currently use a Samsung 65" Curved LED 4K TV, but it was only around £699 when I bought it 2 years ago. So I think it would be classed as a 'low-budget' 4K Samsung TV. 

 

It is alright what I use it for, but I feel like when I get my OLED monitor, I will have no reason to watch/use the TV unless I have guests. 

 

So, if I just watch standard live programming (BBC1, ITV1 etc) Netflix and also some downloaded anime streamed from my PC (Would probably get Crunchyroll if I got one), would I notice a huge difference? In retail stores, they always have fancy wildlife and ultra-detailed tailored content playing, but i'm just wondering how this would actually look on an OLED / HDR TV and whether it is worth the premium.

 

I won't really be gaming on the TV, but might plug in an old console (X360 or Wii) for nostalgia. 

[Dukesilver27-]

HDR? Yes, depending on how the production team handled it, HDR videos needed to be color corrected, so if they don't prepare for HDR, then turning on HDR does not do anything, or make things worst.

But since OLED have true blacks, all videos or movies would look better, especially ones with dark or night scenes.

[seanondemand]

If you're watching SDR content (like broadcast content), on a quality OLED you'll see nice contrast. Once you get some HDR content going though, the brightness is really going to make it look super vibrant and nice, and that's where you'll see a more drastic difference. For example, The Mandalorian in Dolby Vision on Disney+ is really impressive, or Foundation in DV on Apple TV+. HDR10 also makes a significant improvement but not to the same degree, and unfortunately not every TV supports every HDR standard. 

[dalekphalm]

Broadcast TV is not in HDR (At least, I'm not personally familiar with any broadcast TV in HDR but I suppose it could be possible). An OLED will make it look better due to the way better black levels, but that's about it.

 

Netflix (and any source that supports HDR) will show a big difference (it varies based on source, some have better HDR than others).

 

Things to think about: What HDR version does it support?

There's the basic HDR10, which basically every HDR TV supports

HDR10+ is a Samsung tech based on the HDR10 spec. It's an "upgraded" format but with limited support.

Dolby Vision (DV) is considered the best HDR standard. Not every TV or content supports it due to a licensing fee involved.

 

Also, what does your player or the App (if built-in) support? Example, The Xbox One S supports DV but not for Disc Playback - only in apps like Disney+.