Samsung and Prime Video are expanding their long-running partnership with the introduction of HDR10+ ADVANCED, a new version of the HDR10+ standard that will debut exclusively on Samsung’s 2026 TV lineup before rolling out more broadly across future compatible devices. The feature will begin appearing on supported Prime Video titles worldwide later this month, marking the first commercial streaming deployment of the upgraded format.
The launch reflects the next phase in the evolution of high dynamic range video as television hardware continues to advance. Modern premium TVs have pushed brightness, color accuracy and processing capabilities well beyond the limits of earlier HDR standards, creating demand for formats that can better take advantage of those improvements without sacrificing creative intent.
HDR10+ ADVANCED introduces two headline features designed to improve picture quality for compatible displays. Enhanced Overall Brightness uses expanded dynamic metadata to optimize HDR performance across the entire brightness range, aiming to produce brighter highlights while retaining detail in darker scenes. Samsung says the system also incorporates AI-assisted tone mapping to improve contrast and preserve shadow detail, particularly in demanding content such as live sports and fast-paced action films.
The second addition, Intelligent Motion Smoothing, uses scene-specific metadata to guide motion processing on supported televisions. Rather than applying a single approach to an entire program, the system adjusts motion handling scene by scene, with the goal of maintaining the cinematic appearance of films while reducing blur and improving clarity during high-motion sequences.
Prime Video will be the first streaming platform to support the new format, continuing a relationship that dates back to 2017 when Amazon became the first major streaming service to deliver HDR10+ content. That initial rollout brought dynamic HDR metadata to Samsung televisions at a time when Dolby Vision and HDR10 were competing to become the dominant premium video formats. Nearly a decade later, HDR remains fragmented across multiple standards, with manufacturers and streaming providers continuing to back different technologies depending on licensing, hardware support and ecosystem priorities.
Samsung says HDR10+ has grown significantly since its launch, with more than 180 participating companies and over 22,000 certified products now supporting the standard. While those figures illustrate broader industry adoption, widespread availability of HDR10+ ADVANCED content will ultimately depend on whether additional streaming services, studios and hardware manufacturers choose to implement the updated specification.
The rollout begins with Samsung’s 2026 television range, with compatibility planned for future products as the ecosystem expands. One limitation at launch is that HDR10+ ADVANCED will not operate when Filmmaker Mode is enabled, meaning viewers may need to choose between preserving a director’s preferred presentation and enabling the format’s new brightness and motion enhancements.
As streaming platforms increasingly compete on picture and audio quality alongside exclusive content, improvements to HDR technology are becoming another area where manufacturers and services are looking to differentiate their premium viewing experiences. Whether HDR10+ ADVANCED gains traction beyond Samsung’s ecosystem will depend on how quickly content providers and competing TV brands decide the additional capabilities are worth adopting.
