Dolby Laboratories introduces Dolby Vision 2 HDR standard

Dolby Laboratories has introduced Dolby Vision 2, a next-generation HDR standard available in two tiers: Dolby Vision 2 Max for premium hardware and a standard version designed for budget-friendly televisions. The standard version aims to democratize high-quality HDR by offering a more affordable licensing option for manufacturers, potentially providing a better cost-to-performance ratio than upgrading physical display panels.

To ensure content availability, Dolby is utilizing an automated process powered by machine learning to upgrade existing Dolby Vision libraries—estimated at 33,000 titles—to the new standard. While most features can be automated using existing mastering data, certain high-end capabilities like ‘Authentic Motion’ and ‘Precision Black’ still require manual human intervention to maintain creative integrity.

Hardware adoption is currently mixed. Hisense has begun rolling out firmware updates for select 2026 models, such as the UR8 series, utilizing the MediaTek Pentonic 800 chip. However, Sony has indicated it does not plan to provide Dolby Vision 2 updates for its current lineup of 4K Blu-ray players, despite the technology being theoretically compatible with existing hardware via HDMI transmission.