So I’m curious about something. When you stream the new master from iTunes/Apple TV on an 1080p SDR monitor, what are you actually watching? I get that the 4K would just be downscaled to 1080p, but what about the HDR? Is there some kind of tone mapping being done, or does Apple already have a 1080p SDR version of the new master that automatically streams if they detect you’re using a non-HDR screen?
I’d assume all streaming services have an HDR and SDR version of films, and just give you what your monitor supports.
That’s what I’d assume also. But the 1080p/SDR version of the new LOTR masters hasn’t officially been released yet (a release is scheduled for this summer), so if Apple does indeed have the SDR versions, we’re getting a preview of what those are going to look like.
stwd4nder2 said:
Tone mapping HDR to SDR is very resource intensive and not very accurate, while storage is cheap.
Perhaps. But my Nvidia Shield does HDR to SDR tone mapping on the fly, as does Plex, and the results are actually pretty impressive.