It seems that Dolby Vision 2 is basically Dolby’s attempt to fix the real-world problems that have been bugging people about HDR for years. The biggest change is something called “Content Intelligence” which sounds fancy but really just means the TV will actually be smart about what you’re watching and where you’re watching it. If you’ve ever been annoyed that dark scenes in movies are basically unwatchable unless you turn off every light in the room, their new “Precision Black” feature promises to make those scenes clearer without making everything look washed out. They’ve also added “Light Sense” which automatically adjusts the picture based on how bright your room is, using data from the original content to know how it should really look.

The other big improvement is bi-directional tone mapping, which lets content creators take advantage of how much brighter and more colorful modern TVs have gotten. Instead of just cramming HDR content onto whatever display you have, this actually lets filmmakers optimize their work for high-end displays while still looking good on regular TVs. They’re also introducing “Authentic Motion” for better motion handling and specific optimizations for sports and gaming. Hisense is the first company jumping on board with actual TVs, and CANAL+ will be creating content for it. It sounds like they’re finally addressing the gap between what HDR was supposed to do and how it actually works in your living room.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Coincidentally, new Apple TV hardware is rumored to be coming soon, and I’m guessing we’ll see Apple tout this as a key new feature to steer upgrades.