Today, Netflix announced that Windows 10 users can finally stream the service in high dynamic range (HDR), which uses metadata from the video to product better contrast and color. The news comes over a year after the company announced 4K support for the platform.
Unfortunately, the requirements for HDR are the same as they are for 4K. You"ll need to be using either the Edge browser or the UWP app, which is available from the Microsoft Store. You also need a newer PC, one that has Intel"s seventh-generation "Kaby Lake" processors or newer, and you"ll need to be on the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update or newer. We"ve reached out to Netflix regarding compatibility with AMD chips, or the upcoming Qualcomm PCs, but haven"t yet received a response.
For the most part, HDR is limited to Netflix original content, which includes Stranger Things 2, Chef"s Table, and an upcoming movie called Bright, which stars Will Smith. The firm says that currently, there are over 200 hours of HDR entertainment.
Netflix has supported both 4K and HDR on Microsoft"s Xbox One family of devices for some time, and being a UWP app, PCs and Xbox should run similar builds, so you might be surprised that Windows 10 didn"t support HDR already. In fact, the Xbox One S supported 4K streaming even before that came to Windows 10 as well.