I’ve just achived a life-long goal: I’ve bought a new LG CX OLED TV.
A triumph of visual splendor, the LG CX offer offers support for every HDR Standard yet created, including the unmatched Dolby Vision.
So this got me thinking, does the PS5 actually support Dolby Vision?
Determined to know if Sony’s black and white box supported Dolby’s finest, I jumped on my computer and started to hunt for an answer.
This is what I found…
Will the PS5 support Dolby Vision? The PS5 does not currently support Dolby Vision for games, Blue-Rays, or apps such as Netflix. The only HDR formats the PS5 is currently capable of using is HDR10. However, the PS5 should receive an update in the future to use Dolby Vision.
Ok, now you know Dolby Vision isn’t included in the PS5. In the next section, I’ll take a look at why Sony didn’t include Dolby’s Vision and what other HDR options the PS5 has, and what HDR formats future updates will add.
Why Dolby Vision wasn’t included in the PS5?
The biggest reason why Dolby Vision was not included in the PS5 was, as always, down to money.
Dolby Vision is a proprietary technology made by Dolby. 3rd party companies such as Sony have to pay a license use to use Dolby Vision in their products.
The license isn’t too expensive: It’s around $4 depending on how many licenses you buy in bulk.
But this $4 dollars, multiplied by millions of units, adds up very quickly.
Think about it. If Sony sold 100 million PS5s, and early indications hint that it could be far more, Sony would have to pay Dolby 400 million dollars just in licensing fees.
So you can’t blame Sony for saying no to Dolby vision.
After all, Sony is already making a loss on every PS5 they make due to the hardware they had to squeeze inside it.
Dolby Vision was another expense they simply couldn’t afford to take on when selling the PS5. They will eventually pass the cost of the license to the end-user, you, when the PS5 is eventually updated to use Dolby Vision.
Ok, so you can’t use Dolby Vision for games. What about for apps and 4K Blu-Rays? Let’s take a look…
What about Dolby Vision for apps?
The PS5 is not just a console. It’s a media hub from which you can access all your favorite shows.
Apps for Netflix, Disney+, AmazonPrime Video, and other major streaming providers are accessible through your PS5. All of which offer dazzling 4K Dobly vision.
However, due to the PS5 lacking Dolby Vision capabilities, and a Dolby Vision license, apps that can normally use Dolby Vision can’t on PS5.
Instead, shows that normally use Dolby Vision revert back to standard HDR10 for HDR images.
What about Dolby Vision for Blu-Rays?
The PS5 is an extremely capable 4K Blue-Ray player. And, as a self-professed connoisseur of TV visuals, I can tell you right now that no stream, however much Netflix would have you believe, comes close to the pure brilliance and clarity of an uncompressed 4K Blue-Ray image.
But, there’s a problem. Because the PS5 doesn’t support Dolby Vision, 4K Blu-Rays, though Dolby Vision ready, can’t use the standard and must revert back to boiler-plate HDR10.
For now, if you want a full Dolby Vision enabled 4K Blu-Ray experience, you’ll have to buy a different 4K Blu-Ray player.
But what about other HDR formats? Surely the PS5 supports something other than bog-standard HDR10?
Well, let me put it this way: it ain’t lookin’ good…
What about other HDR formats?
Unfortunately, the only form of HDR the PS5 currently supports is regular HDR10.
You already know that the PS5 doesn’t support Dolby Vision
But it doesn’t support other HDR formats either.
For example, there is a competing standard to Dolby Vision’s dynamic HDR called HDR10+.
This new format, developed by Samsung and Panasonic, actually has greater potential than Dolby Vision and offers even greater levels of color and contrast.
Hybrid Log-Gammer is another competing HDR standard. Unlike Dolby Vision and HDR10+, it’s not dynamic.
However, Hybrid Log-Gammer is designed for low bitrate broadcast signal and does not offer as a high quality high dynamic range as normal HDR10.
So Sony didn’t bother to include it. For now anyway.
That brings me nicely on to the next question: What are the chances of any of these HDR formats being included in a future PS5 update? Let’s take a look…
The future.
So the only HDR formate implemented on the PS5 is HDR10.
But what are the chances that other HDR formats will be included in future updates? Well, let’s take a look at each formate:
Dolby Vision
Sony could include a Dolby Vision in a future update. However, you would need to buy a license separately for each PS5 that you use for Dolby Vision.
As Sony is essentially buying a license then selling it on, acting as a middle man, you can expect to pay more than what Sony would have to pay.
After all, they are a mega-corp and they need to make a profit, right?
So expect to pay at least $15 when Sony enables Dolby Vision on the PS5 in the future.
Hybrid Log-Gamma
HLG is not as high quality a standard as HDR10. Plus, HLG is only used for broadcasts at the moment. Its broadcast orientated development makes it a better option for a cable box than a PS5.
Don’t expect it to be included in a PS5 update any time soon, if ever.
HDR10+
HDR10+ is a creation of a collaboration between Samsung and Panasonic and offers truly next-gen image quality.
This, like normal HDR10, is royalty-free. So it could be included in the PS5 in a future update.
Sony’s own HDR formate
Sony has some stunning HDR-enabled OLED TVs on the market. To take advantage of these assets, I could see Sony leveraging their console market position to further enhance their Sound and Vision division by creating their own HDR standard.
Of course, they have a history of creating their own formats. For example, they’ve created the Tempest 3d sound engine, Mini-disks, BetaMax, and Blu-ray. So they know how to make a new format. Even if some of them failed to capture the consumers’ long term love.
Conclusion
Right then. It’s that time in the article where I give you a lovely summary of everything we’ve talked about:
- PS5 doesn’t support Dolby Vision
- Dolby Vision is not included because
- Sony would have to pay a license fee for every PS5 sold to use Dolby Vision
- This could cost Sony hundreds of Millions of dollar over the PS5’s life
- Dolby Vision doesn’t work with PS5 4k Blu-Rays
- Dolby Vision doesn’t work with apps such as Netflix and Disney plus
- In the future Sony could:
- Update the PS5 to use Dolby Vision but you’d need to pay for a license
- They won’t use Hybrid Log-Gamma
- HDR10+ is a royalty-free option that could be used
- They may end up creating their own HDR standard just like they create their own 3d sound standard with the tempest engine
- In the future Sony could:
What Next?
How do I charge the PS5 controller? The PS5 controller is charged using a USB-C cable. Check out my “How to charge the PS5 controller” to see the best way to keep your controller juiced.
Can the PS5 be laid on its side? Yes, the PS5 can be laid on its side. Take a look at my article here and follow the instructions within.
Thank you
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you get as much use out of it as I got joy from writing it.
If you want to, please feel free to leave a comment. I’ve gotten rid of the pesky little need for you to input your email. So fire away with your questions, criticisms, witticisms.