The first generation Pixel phones now include support for YouTube HDR.
YouTube began supporting HDR playback in late 2016, but there were not compatible smartphones to play back the HDR content. Since that time, the , , Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and have all been released or announced with hardware-based HDR support. Now, it looks like last year's will be joining the party.
that the Pixel and Pixel XL now use software-based decoding in order to process HDR content, at least from YouTube. This leaves off other services like Netflix, which has been adding more and more HDR content lately.
Hardware-based decoding would perform better (and work with other services), but software-based decoding is a good way to support current devices. Android Police notes the will include hardware-based HDR decoding, so those would presumably work with Netflix and other services. YouTube doesn't have a ton of HDR content, but there for those with the right hardware.
Have you tried YouTube HDR? Let us know down below!
YouTube began supporting HDR playback in late 2016, but there were not compatible smartphones to play back the HDR content. Since that time, the , , Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and have all been released or announced with hardware-based HDR support. Now, it looks like last year's will be joining the party.
that the Pixel and Pixel XL now use software-based decoding in order to process HDR content, at least from YouTube. This leaves off other services like Netflix, which has been adding more and more HDR content lately.
Hardware-based decoding would perform better (and work with other services), but software-based decoding is a good way to support current devices. Android Police notes the will include hardware-based HDR decoding, so those would presumably work with Netflix and other services. YouTube doesn't have a ton of HDR content, but there for those with the right hardware.
Have you tried YouTube HDR? Let us know down below!