Vudu Launches HDR10 Support (1 Viewer)

[Todd Erwin]

Todd Erwin

Vudu Launches HDR10 Support

In an effort to expand the number of devices capable of streaming movies in UHD, Vudu added HDR10 support to their service on November 16, 2017. Vudu previously only supported Dolby Vision for high dynamic range, which was only available on a handful of devices when compared to the number of devices that support HDR10. According to an article posted on Vudu’s blog site, “With complete HDR support across both HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats, Vudu customers have more device choices from which to enjoy the latest in digital video technology. Users will automatically get the format that is compatible with their 4K + HDR TV or streaming device for the best possible picture.”

Of course, your device does need to be Vudu-certified for 4K and HDR playback. Current certified devices include:

4K Ultra HD Playback only
Roku 4
Roku Premiere
Roku 4K TVs (without HDR support)
Samsung KS-Series 4K TVs

VIZIO P-Series & M-Series 4K HDTVs (Non-SmartCast)

4K Ultra HD + HDR Playback
Google Chromecast Ultra
LG 2016 & 2017 UHD, Super UHD and OLED TVs
Nvidia Shield TV
Roku Streaming Stick+, Premiere+, Ultra
Samsung Q & MU-Series 4K TVs
Samsung Blu-ray Disc Player UBD-M9500
Roku 4K TVs with HDR support (e.g. TCL P & C-Series)
VIZIO 2016 & 2017 Smartcast P & M-Series 4K TVs

Xbox One S, One X

Noticeably absent from that list are Sony UHD TVs, Sony and LG UHD Blu-ray players, Sony Playstation 4 Pro, Apple TV, as well as any UHD TV that is running Android TV as its smart operating system. On Sony’s support forum, a user has posted that, according to a customer service rep he spoke with at Vudu, Sony TVs (model year 2017 and newer) will get an updated Vudu app that will be 4K UHD and HDR capable when the television manufacturer rolls out the Android 8 operating system as an update. Neither Sony nor Vudu have officially confirmed this at press time.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, I posted this HDR10 announcement in three different threads the other day.

 

[Dave Upton]

Yeah, I posted this HDR10 announcement in three different threads the other day.

Yes, but not on the front page, Todd is helping to post news for us now

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes, but not on the front page, Todd is helping to post news for us now

Noted!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I tried my Roku Ultra yesterday with a title that is now available in HDR10 on Vudu -- Unforgiven -- and I was not able to get it to play in HDR, even though Vudu shows that I own the UHD version. Not sure if there are still some bugs to be worked out with the new OS8 on the Ultra, or if the Vudu app needs an upgrade on the device. The device does provide HDR10 when I play an appropriate title on Amazon Prime.

EDIT: It turns out that Unforgiven is NOT available in HDR10 yet on Vudu, which is why I couldn't get it to work. From a list posted elsewhere, it appears I do not currently own any titles that are in HDR10.

 

[Tino]

Can anyone see difference between Dolby Vision and HDR10?

I can’t.

 

[Tino]

Btw for shits and giggles I tried contacting iTunes support to see if they have a fix and went through three reps who didn’t understand what my issue was and hung up waiting for the fourth supervisor after being on hold for 40 minutes.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Can anyone see difference between Dolby Vision and HDR10?

I can’t.

I really do not have a way to do a proper "apples to apples" comparison. The only way I can play something in Dolby Vision is via the Vudu app on my Vizio display. My Sony UHD player does not support DV.

I did just purchase the UHD version of Wonder Woman, though (I was planning on buying the UHD disc when the price dropped, but Vudu was selling the digital version for $10), so I probably can compare the DV stream via my Vizio versus the HDR10 stream via my Roku Ultra. I did verify that Wonder Woman plays properly as HDR10 via my Ultra, but I haven't watched the entire film yet -- I just started it to see if the HDR10 worked.

EDIT: I notice in Todd's original post that Vudu also supports HDR10 on the 2016 Vizio M-Series displays, which is what I own. I'm not sure how to switch between Dolby Vision and HDR10 on the Vizio's Vudu Smartcast app, but it may be an interesting experiment when I have some time.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I tried my Roku Ultra yesterday with a title that is now available in HDR10 on Vudu -- Unforgiven -- and I was not able to get it to play in HDR, even though Vudu shows that I own the UHD version. Not sure if there are still some bugs to be worked out with the new OS8 on the Ultra, or if the Vudu app needs an upgrade on the device. The device does provide HDR10 when I play an appropriate title on Amazon Prime.

EDIT: It turns out that Unforgiven is NOT available in HDR10 yet on Vudu, which is why I couldn't get it to work. From a list posted elsewhere, it appears I do not currently own any titles that are in HDR10.

Yeah, I was getting ready to answer you now as I sampled several UHD titles on Vudu today with my Roku Ultra and it didn't have any problems displaying HDR.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Can anyone see difference between Dolby Vision and HDR10?

I can’t.

I can't tell any difference.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yeah, I was getting ready to answer you now as I sampled several UHD titles on Vudu today with my Roku Ultra and it didn't have any problems displaying HDR.

Thanks, Robert. I did pick up the UHD of Wonder Woman earlier today, as Vudu had it on sale for $9.99 (decided to not wait to see if I could get a Black Friday deal on the disc). That title does activate HDR10 via Vudu and my Roku Ultra, so all appears well. I think that is the only UHD title I have in my digital library that Vudu has available in HDR10 right now.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks, Robert. I did pick up the UHD of Wonder Woman earlier today, as Vudu had it on sale for $9.99 (decided to not wait to see if I could get a Black Friday deal on the disc). That title does activate HDR10 via Vudu and my Roku Ultra, so all appears well. I think that is the only UHD title I have in my digital library that Vudu has available in HDR10 right now.

I bought Wonder Woman 4K disc from Best Buy for $9.99.

 

[Tino]

I bought Wonder Woman 4K disc from Best Buy for $9.99.

I redeemed the UHD code thru Vudu and it ported to iTunes in 4K. Just a FYI. Hope it still does that.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I bought Wonder Woman 4K disc from Best Buy for $9.99.

They were out of stock online when I checked, and I couldn't get to a store. So this was the next best thing.

 

[Robert Crawford]

They were out of stock online when I checked, and I couldn't get to a store. So this was the next best thing.

BB is known for showing out of stock prior to BF then having stock Thanksgiving morning shorty after midnight. Also, free shipping so you don't have to go actually go to a store.

 

[Robert Crawford]

BB is known for showing out of stock prior to BF then having stock Thanksgiving morning shorty after midnight. Also, free shipping so you don't have to go actually go to a store.

By the way, Amazon is price matching several of Best Buy's titles. Wonder Woman is not one of them though as the best price they're offering is less than $20.

 

[Todd Erwin]

So, I asked Sony again today why there is no 4K playback on Vudu on Sony devices. This was their response:

In order to access the 4K content on an app, both the app functionality and the Products functionality should coincide. It has to be segregated in such a way that it would not effect any other functionality of the device when updated. Also the output resolution should be of exact as it expected to be.

Can anyone decipher what the support rep was trying to say?

 

[Sam Posten]

"get lost"

 

[Sam Posten]

So the sheepdips at Vudu have reorganized their pages and have now eliminated the ability to filter your collection by which titles you own in SD, HDX and UHD. This is dumb. Unless they are planning to make everything UHD, which I doubt.

 

[Tino]

So the sheepdips at Vudu have reorganized their pages and have now eliminated the ability to filter your collection by which titles you own in SD, HDX and UHD. This is dumb. Unless they are planning to make everything UHD, which I doubt.

I’ve never had that option.