What is HD HDR?
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and is the next big step forward for BT Sport following 4K UHD. Put simply, HDR will provide the highest quality TV pictures ever seen.
While 4K UHD provides stunning ultra-high definition with more pixels than ever before, HDR provides the same but with even ‘better pixels’.
Higher contrast between light and dark, more vivid colours and brighter images on screen are offered with HDR, which means an overall enhanced viewing experience.
Like an HDR camera, HDR resolution will produce images that have a greater contrast between light and dark. But unlike a HDR camera, it will not need to combine several separate photos.
Instead HDR provides a truer rendering of colour using better camera technology to capture the footage in the first place.
In a standard display, everything below a certain brightness is the same shade of black. In HDR TV, the display range is broader, meaning that you can tell the difference between those different shades of black.
It preserves the finest details in the darkest and brightest areas of a picture and creates colours that are closer to how we see them in real life.
And it’s also great news for fans of watching TV on a mobile device. HDR is a perfect fit because it delivers an improved viewing experience even on smaller screens – while 4K truly requires large screens to tell the difference.
Jamie Hindhaugh, BT Sport's chief operating officer, said: “BT Sport continues to offer our customers unrivalled choice, with the best content, the smartest devices and the latest technology, through partnerships with the world’s most innovative companies.
“The launch of HDR maintains BT Sport’s leadership in bringing fans the very best pictures and sound following its debut as Europe’s first 4K broadcaster in 2015 and its worldwide debut of Dolby Atmos sound in 2017.”