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4K & HDR Movies on 11" iPad Pro ?
- Thread starter augustya
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Was this a feature from the 10.5 that was removed? In the October event it says Smart HDR for the new iPADs. What is this?
Skip to 58:42
I still haven't found a solid answer on this.
Just to confirm, are you saying the 10.5 can play HDR and the new 11 has a downgraded screen that cannot play HDR?
11-inch/12.9-inch 3rd gen iPad Pros can also play HDR (both Dolby Vision and HDR10) according to the specs. Also, if you go into the TV app on your iPad Pro, you’ll see that it says Watch in HDR at the bottom of the library tab.
Apple is being a little coy about this but I can confirm that it downloads and plays the HDR versions of iTunes movies where available. I think the spec is controversial and the iPad only barely meets the black level and brightness requirements. I do see a difference on HDR encoded movies.
Both the 10.5 and 11/12.9 can play HDR. Like others have said the performance is near the bottom end as far as HDR goes. But iTunes and Netflix accept the format on the devices.
If you open up the video app on the iPad (I’m using the 11”) it shows a certain subset of movies and says:
Watch in HDR
Watch in high dynamic range on this iPad.
The movie I watched appeared to be HDR to me, but it’s not as good looking as on my iPhone X or my TV obviously.
Watch in HDR
Watch in high dynamic range on this iPad.
The movie I watched appeared to be HDR to me, but it’s not as good looking as on my iPhone X or my TV obviously.
Are you talking about Smart HDR? Smart HDR is referring to the camera & video. Like the new iPhone Xs and Xr, the new iPad Pro & cameras can shoot smart HDR which unlike regular HDR with only 2 layers of underexposed and overexposed, layers multiple different exposures to get even more accurate photos & video where there are no blown out areas and there is more detail in shadows.
I have found the answers from Rene Ritchie:
Summary: Full HDR is also called HDR1000 to distinguish the full 1000 nits of brightness. If it has 600 nits then the iPad Pro can be considered HDR600, as some other display manufacturers label their displays. It really just depends on how bright the screen gets, because that dictates the color values possible.
In other words, it can not display the brightest, lightest red at 600 nits equal to a 1000 nit backlight.
If you had a red transparency, and shined it through a 1000 nit flashlight, which is super bright, it's going to be an even lighter red than the 600 nit flashlight.
And the quality of the pixels on the iPad Pro display is terrific. They're once again DCI P3, which means you get the much wider color gamut for richer reds and more vivid greens. But at 600 nits, it's still not quite bright enough for full HDR — high dynamic range — like the over 700 nits iPhone X Series. At least not completely.
If you're sitting in the pitch dark, the color space and brightness will get you most of the way there. If you're sitting out in the light, not so much. Some people quibble about all this. Apple seems to have simply settled into calling it EDR — extended dynamic range — instead.
Now, you can still download or stream HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats and it'll do a bang-up job displaying them, regardless of where or how you're watching, but the only way to get what everyone agrees is full-on, proper HDR is to use the new USB-C port — more on that in a cool minute — to output HDR10 or Dolby Vision to a full-on, proper HDR panel.
[Source]If you're sitting in the pitch dark, the color space and brightness will get you most of the way there. If you're sitting out in the light, not so much. Some people quibble about all this. Apple seems to have simply settled into calling it EDR — extended dynamic range — instead.
Now, you can still download or stream HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats and it'll do a bang-up job displaying them, regardless of where or how you're watching, but the only way to get what everyone agrees is full-on, proper HDR is to use the new USB-C port — more on that in a cool minute — to output HDR10 or Dolby Vision to a full-on, proper HDR panel.
Summary: Full HDR is also called HDR1000 to distinguish the full 1000 nits of brightness. If it has 600 nits then the iPad Pro can be considered HDR600, as some other display manufacturers label their displays. It really just depends on how bright the screen gets, because that dictates the color values possible.
In other words, it can not display the brightest, lightest red at 600 nits equal to a 1000 nit backlight.
If you had a red transparency, and shined it through a 1000 nit flashlight, which is super bright, it's going to be an even lighter red than the 600 nit flashlight.
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It will play hdr content. It just doesn’t look like true hdr. HDR+, Dolby vision requires a panel that gets much brighter than the iPad does for the highlights to truely pop and look amazing. I believe hdr+ is 1000 nits and the iPad can only get about half way there. With that said, it does support it and will attempt to show it with a higher dynamic range.
I made the comment recently that it doesn’t actually show hdr content in hdr cause truth of the matter is, it doesn’t look anywhere near as good as a nice tv displaying hdr with over 1000 nits of brightness. It’s just not capable.
So yes it does, but it’s a poor effort and really doesn’t look any better than standard hd content due to the panel not being capable of achieving the brightness required.
I made the comment recently that it doesn’t actually show hdr content in hdr cause truth of the matter is, it doesn’t look anywhere near as good as a nice tv displaying hdr with over 1000 nits of brightness. It’s just not capable.
So yes it does, but it’s a poor effort and really doesn’t look any better than standard hd content due to the panel not being capable of achieving the brightness required.
Here's an LCD panel that displays 1000 nits of brightness and achieves FULL HDR:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/philips-worlds-first-displayhdr-1000-panel-ships/
EDIT: Keep in mind we've been able to achieve Full HDR sooner with OLED due to better contrast ratio and brightness, but LCD can achieve it.
Also, please read my comment posted moments before yours explaining the iPad Pro's HDR limit.
No expert, but I think it does supposedly display better than standard HD content. It still has a DCI P3 panel which standard screens don't have. You could say it's in between a standard panel and full HDR1000.
So Guys does HDR movie look hundred times better than say 1080P Full HD movie ?
Does 4K Movie look wow to the eyes or HDR ?
So we are saying the 2018 iPad Pro the 11" and the 12.9" does play 4K and HDR stuff, it is just not as wow an effect as on a HDR or a 4K dedicated Panel ? is it ? I have never in my life ever watched a 4K or a HDR Content so don't know how it looks like ??
Does 4K Movie look wow to the eyes or HDR ?
So we are saying the 2018 iPad Pro the 11" and the 12.9" does play 4K and HDR stuff, it is just not as wow an effect as on a HDR or a 4K dedicated Panel ? is it ? I have never in my life ever watched a 4K or a HDR Content so don't know how it looks like ??
To put it simply:
4K and HDR are two separate things.
1. The iPads do not show 4K because their resolution is not 4K...but they can still show sharp images that is good enough for their size. They don't need to be in 4K because at their available sizes, you won't really notice the added sharpness from what they are now...they are sharp enough.
2. HDR on video simply highlights the bright objects in a scene, making them look like real-life bright objects. A good example is the headlights of a car. I'm sure you already experienced a car driving the opposite direction that is on high beams...don't you hate it when these lights almost blind your vision? Well, the HDR effect mimics this. On a non-HDR set, these bright lights do not impact your vision because of their limited brightness capabilities. HDR sets have high brightness levels (although they still vary by model...the pricier TV's get more brightness), and they greatly enhance your experience. Couple this with deeper blacks (especially on OLEDs) and the experience is true to life. The new iPads can somehow exhibit HDR but they are not the brightest so you will want to max the brightness level and watch in a pitch dark room to get the best out of them.
I hope this helps a bit.
But whatever little that I understand in reproducing a Colour especially a Moving Picture,Cinema, it is just not the brightness that makes the scene look gorgeous it is also the True,Vivid Colours that make it look surreal. How is only having a bright Picture without that Intense Looking, Vivid, Dark Colours gonna help a movie look better in terms of Picture Quality ?
You are correct that a wider colour gamut is a component of the HDR spec. The current (and some[all?] previous) iPad Pros are capable of displaying the DCI-P3 colour space, and covering 90% of that space is that one HDR component. As others have said the black levels and maximum brightness are very important as well, and the iPad Pros get there if only just by OLED standards.
While LCD is not currently an ideal display technology, OLED isn't either. OLED displays have their own share of issues. The iPad Pros from 2017 and 2018 have very similar displays and in my experience are excellent all around.
While LCD is not currently an ideal display technology, OLED isn't either. OLED displays have their own share of issues. The iPad Pros from 2017 and 2018 have very similar displays and in my experience are excellent all around.
That’s why some panel manufacturers that include HDR also include ‘Wide Colour Gamut’...just like the new iPad Pros. But remember, these are two independent features.
- If you can go see the 10.5" iPad Pro, they have the same panel quality as the 2018" iPad Pro. You'll notice the colors are vibrant and look great! 2017 and 2018 iPad Pros are HDR, just not as super-bright as some other displays are.
- It is not 4K. 4K means the amount of horizontal pixels is around 4,000 pixels; although the 12.9 iPad Pro is close to 3,000 pixels wide, so you can call it 3K. It really does't matter at that size, it's a beautiful, sharp display and can play 4K content, just downscaled. At that size, it wouldn't matter if the iPad was 10k or 20k or 100k; you wouldn't tell the difference unless you used a microscope.
- 4K and 5K only matter when the screen is big, like at 27" for the LG 27" Ultrafine for Macs. Not 12.9"
- Good thing, because if the display was 4k, it would slow the GPU without getting any benefit. 264 pixels per inch (ppi) is good enough. And it's generating pictures at the speed of 120Hz. If you make the GPU work harder, you're slowing it down, and using up battery life.
- So I conclude the iPad Pro to be one of the best displays on the market, and Apple got the balance just right. I mean, even our $3,000+ MacBook Pro's only display at 60Hz. I would kill for 120Hz IPS displays but our laptop GPUs are a disgrace, and Apple has to set the standard according to Intel's Integrated GPU.
- So feel confident about the iPad Pro's display/picture quality. The only way it could get better, to any significant degree, is if and when they switch to OLED, which may not be another 6 years.
Apple may go to MicroLED (µLED) since it is inorganic (better lifetime than OLED phosphors) and more efficient. Hopefully no image retention issues.
I said “may not be.” I don’t think that’s hyperbole since
1. OLED is expensive. It may be 3-5x more expensive since the display is 3-5 larger depending on model.
2. OLED doesn’t do 120Hz, only LCD does. May be awhile before they figure that out in a cost effective way. Notice how the $1,000 iPhone doesn’t have 120Hz yet.
So it may not be. It’s possible we get OLED next year, or in 3 years, but it may not be up to 6 years before we do.
Another possibility is Apple creates an even more expensive tier, like the iPad Pro X, that is extra expensive and includes OLED. But not even MacBook Pros have OLED and you would think those would get it first.