Samsung TVs Will Probably Never Support Dolby Vision - Here's Why

High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology delivers high-quality displays with brighter and more vibrant colors. Dolby Vision is widely considered the best HDR format, but while Samsung is considered the best smart TV brand in terms of customer satisfaction, none of its TVs support the technology. In fact, it likely never will. That's because Samsung has its own HDR technology: HDR10+. Samsung actually developed HDR10+ to get around using Dolby's proprietary software.

Companies that want to use Dolby Vision have to license the technology and pay a royalty on each unit they sell with it, a high cost for a company that sells as many TVs as Samsung does each year. On top of that, Dolby requires that manufacturers rigorously test their Dolby Vision devices to ensure they meet the company's high standards, presenting an additional cost. That's why Samsung introduced HDR10+ in April 2017 as a direct rival to Dolby Vision, which had been available on some TVs for about two years at the time.

Shortly after, Panasonic and 20th Century Fox announced a partnership with Samsung, though both have since started using Dolby Vision for their TVs and films, respectively. Unlike Dolby's tech, though, HDR10+ is an open standard, meaning companies that want to use it don't have to pay royalties, just a relatively small annual licensing fee of at most $10,000. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ have been around for around a decade now, and both recently unveiled major upgrades.

Comparing HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, some would say that the latter is "the golden standard" of HDR formats. Dolby comes out on top due to its ability to process 12-bit color compared to HDR10+'s 10-bit capability. It's also available on more platforms, including streaming services, a wide variety of TV brands, and the Xbox Series X|S. Though HDR10+ support has expanded, Dolby Vision's color potential and reach remain key advantages, while the only real draw to Samsung's tech is the lack of royalties, something that doesn't really affect the consumer.

In August 2026, Dolby and Samsung both rolled out new HDR technology: Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+ Advanced. As of this writing, HDR10+ Advanced is available for various Prime Video titles, albeit only when played on 2026 Samsung TVs. Meanwhile, Dolby Vision 2 is available on some Hisense TVs via a firmware update ahead of a wider rollout, though there's currently no content specifically optimized for it. Both use AI in different ways.

HDR10+ Advanced focuses on AI algorithms that enhance color accuracy, brightness, and motion smoothing. It can also make adjustments based on genre and specific scenes or frames and even has gaming-specific enhancements. Dolby Vision 2 makes similar advancements to brightness and color, but it prioritizes tools that let creators fine-tune images for more creative control. Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+ Advanced are designed for those who want the most cinematic experience possible from a home theater, while the average consumer probably won't notice or care much about the difference.