Which Mac Models Support HDR?
HDR video doesn’t look great without adequatepeak brightness(measured in nits) to make the image pop.
Keep this in mind when it comes to external displays too.
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Don’t get us wrong: there are plenty of decentmonitorsthat are certified with the DisplayHDR 400 standard.
These may be ideal for SDR content, with highrefresh rates, goodpixel density, and excellent color reproduction.
Related:What Is ‘Fake HDR,’ and Should You Buy HDR Blu-rays?
Apple
To do this, connect your monitor then head to System Preferences (System options) > Displays.
If you’re using a MacBook, your internal display will be listed also.
grab the external display and check the “HDR Mode” checkbox.
You should see the display flicker and reappear.
For external displays, macOS uses HDR10.
Dolby Vision and HLG content will be converted to HDR10 for displaying on HDR-capable monitors.
QuickTime Playeris a good choice, especially forHDR video that has been shot on an iPhoneor camera.
It comes with your Mac and will open MP4HEVC (h.265)files and display them correctly.
macOS Photos app will also natively play your iPhone (and similar) HDR videos.
Unfortunately, QuickTime Player has its limitations especially when it comes to HDR video files within an MKV container.
We had issues with other players likeVLCandElmedia Playerdisplaying these videos correctly too.
This is thanks to Safari’s support for HDCP 2.2.
Apple TV+ also supports HDR content in the Apple TV app (naturally) which runs natively on macOS.
To understand the benefits of HDR, you should probably understanddynamic range.
Related:What Is Dynamic Range in Photography?
