One would hope the PS5 would support the latest HDR standards. The console is HDMI 2.1-capable and should be equipped to handle HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG. Unfortunately, things are a bit complicated when it comes to how the PS5 handles High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut standards.
Is the PS5 compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG?
The PS5 is not currently compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, or HLG. The only form of HDR that the console can use for video or games is standard HDR10. Sony may add support for other HDR standards with a future firmware update (if the hardware allows for it). However, like with VRR and ALLM, Sony hasn’t made any statements concerning this.
The future of HDR content isn’t exactly written in stone right now. HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log-Gamma are all being used by various content providers. HDR10+ is backward compatible with HDR and is primarily supported by Samsung, Panasonic, and Amazon. Dolby Vision is available on 4K Blu-Ray, and most major streaming providers offer at least some titles with that HDR format. HLG is the rarest of these three and is primarily used by YouTube, DirecTV, and BBC iPlayer.
With these competing standards, it makes sense that PS5 owners would want a future-proof console that is compatible with all three. However, Sony went the opposite way and decided to support none of them. This decision, paired with the fact that the console launched without support for its internal SSD expansion bay, gives the PS5 an unfinished feeling. This isn’t the first time Sony has cut corners on a console, though. Despite being touted as 4K-ready, the PlayStation 4 Pro lacks a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive, a feature that Microsoft equipped its rival, the Xbox One X, with. Hopefully, Sony will address the PS5’s launch shortcomings sometime soon.
