Why MiTV Cannot Display HDR (High Dynamic Range) Pictures?

 28 December 2019 update

Does the New MiTV5 Pro with QLED has HDR?

In December 2019,  Xiaomi came up a new model called MiTV5 Pro that has HDR+.  This TV has QLED panel.  This time, Xiaomi did not has such HDR qualification about TV supporting only HDR. Nonetheless, the brochure did not say what is the brightness level.
15 May 2019

#MiTV, HDR,  HDR10, bt2020,bt709   https://tinyurl.com/y3znhsb5

Many Chinese made TV like Hisense,  SkyWorth,  ChangHong, Konka, Philips, TCL, MiTV including some model of SONY are all claiming their TVs has [4K+HDR] but if one starts to play YouTube or Netflix movies,  one will find that these TVs cannot display the HDR pictures on the screen.  

Why?

To play HDR picture on the screen,  one must have 2 components

1.   The HDR decoder

2.   The HDR screen

Most of the Chinese made TVs,  like MiTVs,  have only HDR decoder.  However, they do not have the correct  LED screen to display HDR pictures.  Some TVs have specified  neither components but they also claimed that they could display  HDR pictures

Are they Cheating?

Many have claimed that the manufacturers are cheating but if one look carefully at their advertisement,  one will find that they are deceiving and not cheating

For example,  Xiaomi clarified in smaller characters that their TVs support HDR and added that the TVs  have only the decoders.  

What is HDR?  

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.   It is a recent technology initially created for cameras but subsequently developed also for other display devices such as TVs.  HDR will enhance color display of playing devices resulting in deeper and richer colors as  shown in the following picture

. 

How do we know TV has HDR?

1)  Check the Specification of the TV sets

HDR TV is those TV that has peak brightness  greater or equal 800 cd/m2 according to the CESI/TS 008-2016 standard as shown below 

Standard	Description	Brightness (cd/m2)
CESI/TS 008-2016	HDR specification	Peak Brightness		HDR Support(1.0)	HDR (1.0)	HDR Support (2.0)	HDR (2.0)
			LCD	>=500	>=800	>=600	>=1000
			OLED	>=400	>=540	>=450	>=500
		Black color Brightness	LCD	<=0.1	<=0.05	<=0.1	<=0.05
			OLED	<=0.0005	<=0.0005	<=0.005	<=0.0005

One could easily find that MiTV does not have HDR display as  it never disclose the following HDR specifications

1)  Rec 2020 

2)  Peak Brightness

In the above example,  LG and Sony are also not fully complying with the HDR requirement.  They claimed that their TVs could display about 70% and not full HDR under the row  [Rec 2020]

2)   Play the Movies in YouTube or Netflix

In Netflix,  if a playing device can display HDR,   the heading of the Netflix will display the word [HDR]

In YouTube,  it will display the following details when [Stats for Nerds] button is pressed

If the movie is running HDR,  one should read [bt2020] instead of [bt709] as shown  under the Color section, .

One can ask the vendors to show that their TVs can display HDR properly before buying..

What are Rec 2020,  bt2020 and bt709?

They are simply a [color space] or pattern drawn in a color diagram called Chromaticity Diagram. Bt20202 is an abbreviation for Rec 2020 which means the picture is in 10-bit HDR mode.  Bt709 will mean picture is just in 8-bit ordinary high definition mode.  

What is  CESI standard;  Is it Reliable?

CESI stands for  China Electronics Standardization Institute; it is one of the testing body in China.  Even SamSung also asked them to do testing work for them

Can I get HDR Picture Using MiBox S or Shield?

The answer is No.   If the TV cannot display HDR,  having a MiBox S or Shield that has the HDR decoder will not be able to display HDR on TVs that do not have HDR LED panels..

Aren’t there other Standards for HDR?

There is the VESA (Video ElectronicsStandards Association)  certified DisplayHDR standard

VESA also  have a HDR Display testing tool but it can onlybe  played on Windows 10

Power Consumption of HDR

HDR is a good to have feature for better TV picture quality but  it has the disadvantage of having to  consume 50% more energy to watch a movie.   Because  of the higher brightness and power requirement,  the ordinary type of LED panel might not be expected to last longer than similar LED panel without HDR.