YouTube has rolled out its High Dynamic Range (HDR)
feature to select mobiles.
This feature, which was rolled out, last year in HDR
television sets, has now come to Android mobile phones. An update has not been
seen in iOS yet.
Android phones for which the rollout has been made
are the Google Pixel, Xperia XZ Premium, Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Galaxy Note 8
and the LG V30.
However, reviews on this new update are not quite
positive. In a Reddit thread, users who have updated YouTube have complained
about stuttering videos and of no longer having the full screen mode option.
Rather, it directly moves to landscape mode. Another complained about no option
of returning to previous resolutions, which was an option provided at the
bottom right corner of the video.
Moreover, some claim that the new feature blocks the
option of adjusting the brightness level, which often drains battery life.
Meanwhile, a YouTube spokesperson, who wrote to
Digital Trends in an e-mail said, “We’ll continue working with partners in
mobile industry to bring HDR playback to more devices.”
HDR videos support a wider gamut of colours as
compared to regular videos. The shadows contain more details and the colours
pop out more. The overall image appears more vibrant. Overall, the picture is
meant to be a more accurate representation of what the human eye can see.
This facility is available through the latest
Chromecast Ultra, or natively in the new range of Samsung SUHD or UHD devices.
Meanwhile, with an aim to provide great video
quality while using less bandwidth, global video streaming service Netflix will
soon support HDR technology on mobile devices. "Starting with the LG G6
phones that support both Dolby Vision and HDR 10 streams, Netflix would be
supporting HDR on mobile devices," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings had told a
gathering during a session at Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year.
