Dolby has announced Dolby Vision 2, an updated and upgraded version of its proprietary HDR format that's found in several of our picks for the best TVs of 2025. The highlights include, well, the promise of better highlights, plus easier playback and other improvements.
But don't worry -- your TV's not going to go dark. This isn't a format replacement. In fact, if your TV is Dolby Vision compatible now, you shouldn't notice any changes. DV2 brings a few behind-the-scenes upgrades on the production side, along with changes to new TVs that will carry the Dolby Vision 2 branding. Those updates could be pretty interesting, as I'll explain below.
Since this was just announced, we've only got basic info, but we'll talk about this more as we start getting our hands on DV2-compatible TVs.
Dolby Vision 2
GettyImages/Sergeyryzhov
At the core of DV2 is a "redesigned and even more powerful image engine." What that means isn't entirely clear, but the idea seems to be that it takes advantage of how much brighter and more capable TVs have become since Dolby Vision first launched. DV2 seems to be designed to take advantage of that greater performance with new tone mapping, among other improvements. Helping creatives take better advantage of the capabilities of modern TVs is part of the behind-the-scenes upgrades as well.
The biggest change with DV2 is "Content Intelligence," which "introduces new tools to better bridge the creative suite to the viewer's living room." As in, what you see at home is closer to what the creative team behind the show or movie you're watching wanted you to see. Broadly speaking, this aspect is to help HDR content look better on a wider variety of screens and viewing environments. There are three aspects to this. Here's how Dolby describes them:
Precision Black aims to reduce the frustration that an image is "too dark," making it clearer and easier to see in any environment without compromising artistic intent.
Perfect Black is intriguing. In my reviews, I've often found that displays with poor HDR performance actually look brighter and better with HDR turned off -- projectors especially. How Precision Black will work remains to be seen, but hopefully this is more than just automatically adjusting the brightness. I think Dolby's use of the words "clear" and "clarity" here are more in the vernacular sense, not related to detail or sharpness.
Light Sense adjusts picture quality using advanced ambient light detection and reference lighting data from the content source, optimizing your TV for the best viewing experience.
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