4K/HDR Content

rstark18

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Aug 29, 2007
59
23
It's nice to see Planet Earth 2 on ch540 but when are we going to see a dedicated channel or certain channels that make the switch to 4K completely?
Also, is it possible for the Hopper 3 to be software upgradable to HDR or does it not have the correct hardware?
 
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Also, is it possible for the Hopper 3 to be software upgradable to HDR or does it not have the correct hardware?
That's an interesting question in the light of Samsung turning their non-HDR Series 6 models (made in 2016) into HDR capable with a software update last fall.
 
in terms of more 4K content..I'm with you. They obviously have the space for at least one channel full time..540 is in 4K all the time with the Planet Earth placard. They could loop in some demo content or make some deals for some sports content. At this point it's obviously as much agreements as it is space on the satellites

for HDR--HDR10 should be capable with a software upgrade. Dolby Vision requires a hardware chipset, so it will never be DV capable. It should be pointed out that HDR requires more bandwidth, so they may not be able to squeeze enough space on the satellites for HDR content (although it'd be nice to get HDR from Netflix/On Demand)
 
in terms of more 4K content..I'm with you. They obviously have the space for at least one channel full time..540 is in 4K all the time with the Planet Earth placard. They could loop in some demo content or make some deals for some sports content. At this point it's obviously as much agreements as it is space on the satellites

for HDR--HDR10 should be capable with a software upgrade. Dolby Vision requires a hardware chipset, so it will never be DV capable. It should be pointed out that HDR requires more bandwidth, so they may not be able to squeeze enough space on the satellites for HDR content (although it'd be nice to get HDR from Netflix/On Demand)
true joseph dish could do like what directv did with foxsports and start broadcasting sports in 4k too
 
Hopper3 specs - HDR capable. We'll have to wait for HDR content to see it.
Has anyone tried playing any downloaded HDR content?

I tried streaming some sample videos over my home network but I just get a black screen with sound. I can't seem to stream any 4K content HDR or not) from my NAS to my Hopper 3. Not sure why. It's not a network issue because I can stream the same samples directly to my TV from my NAS.
 
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Dolby Vision software promises HDR on more of your devices
https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/25/dolby-vision-hdr-in-software/
I hope this changes things. I've read a lot about Dolby Vision. While much of it is speculation, there's a significant amount posted on forums that indicates getting Dolby Vision (DV) from say a Ultra Blu-Ray player through an AV receiver to a TV isn't predictable even if all devices support DV! Many manufacturers are denying DV support or at best a wait and see approach. Apparently, not only do devices need to support DV, the apps that run on them also need special tweaking. An engineer at Vudu indicated a while back that player and TV combinations are "hit and miss" -- and I infer from his tone it's mainly the latter.

I have an LG OLED65B6P that works great when streaming DV and HDR10 content directly. Unfortunately, audio from the TV is limited to lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and I'm hoping for something better. That would require a streaming box to pass DV to the TV and it needs to pass through a Pioneer Elite SC-LX701 AV receiver. Success looks iffy or at least a long way out.

With a "software" solution (no dedicated hardware), things may get better but it's still up to manufacturers to implement DV and pay the license fee to Dolby. They need to see a financial incentive to do so.

I have to keep reminding myself that all of the HDR world is pretty new and patience is needed. But HDR is the real Ultra HD improvement over HD. Extra pixels on a 65" screen at 8' is just noticeable but HDR is a big viewing improvement.