Summary
- Dolby Vision 2 uses AI Content Intelligence to analyze content and auto-adjust picture and room lighting.
- Precision Black, Light Sense, and Sports/Gaming optimizations auto-fix dark scenes, glare, motion, and white points.
- Dolby Vision 2 Max (high-end sets) adds Authentic Motion to tweak motion per shot; adoption will begin on premium TVs.
There are certain aspects of buying a new device that you have to pay attention to if you want a top-notch experience. There’s a ton of jargon and buzzwords when it comes to advertising consumer tech, so it can be hard to understand which words to ignore and which ones to pay attention to. The words ” spatial audio“, for example, end up being a game changer for anyone who wants a more immersive sound experience with headphones.
For TV owners, paying attention to HDR can vastly improve your picture quality. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, which makes the dark colors seem darker and the brighter colors seem brighter, giving you a more accurate depiction of what the director intended. Dolby has been one of the pioneers in the HDR space with its tech known as Dolby Vision, which takes into consideration the brightness of a room and modifies its display based on that.
This week, Dolby announced the invention of Dolby Vision 2 as well as Dolby Vision 2 Max. These advanced technologies are aiming to use AI to “fix” any issues people have with the visuals on their TVs. It’s also going to affect the way you watch TV and movies because it’s takes the settings out of your control and handles them itself.
Dolby Vision 2 will use AI to better adapt
If you have the tech, why not use it?
Dolby Vision 2 will take Dolby Vision a step further and will eventually replace it and the Dolby Vision IQ variation. It introduces a new image engine called Content Intelligence, which goes beyond simply adapting content to your TV’s specs — the core function of Dolby Vision. As TVs continue to evolve with improved backlighting, better panels, and smarter processing, manufacturers are pushing to improve the overall viewing experience.
Content Intelligence will utilize AI to diagnose the content you’re watching in real time and dynamically adjust your TV for the best possible image. This doesn’t just take the room that you’re sitting in into consideration — it actually analyzes what you’re watching and will adjust your TV to make sure it looks the best.
Content Intelligence has a few new key features, all of which are going to make your viewing that much more robust:
- Precision Black will improve images that might come across as too dark.
- Light Sense is going to do that adapting to the room that you’re in and adjusting the brightness, but it will also cross-reference the lighting in the room with the lighting of the content, providing an improvement on Dolby Vision.
- Sports and Gaming Optimization will also be included, and they will offer new white point adjustments and enhanced motion controls.
What do these mean for your viewing experience?
These upgrades are going to be major improvements
For any Game of Thrones fan, the final season’s “The Long Night” was supposed to be the biggest battle the series had ever produced. It took place in the pitch black darkness of night and featured men fighting dragons and zombies. When the episode aired, thousands of people complained that it was impossible to see anything on the screen. Because the setting was so dark, it didn’t matter if you were also watching in pitch darkness, either — it was hard to make out almost any detail of certain scenes.
Using a feature like Precision Black would automatically adjust the TV screen to make that content more viewable. Fans wouldn’t have to do anything to their TV. Rather than trying to fumble with your remote while you’re watching something live, it will do it for you. Light Sense also makes sure that you can watch content at any time of day. So, it won’t matter if you’re dealing with glare since the TV will adjust it all on its own.
What I’m really intrigued by is the Sports and Gaming Optimization — anyone who has heard of motion smoothing knows that it’s meant for watching sports and to keep up with the constant movement of a game. It eliminates any blur, thanks to video interpolation. A lot of the time, people will have smart TVs that offer different modes that you can use to adjust how your TV looks for certain content. This could be gaming mode, sports mode, filmmakers mode, and more. They all look a bit different and adjust the video controls slightly.
With Sports and Gaming Optimization, as well as all of Content Intelligence, it eliminates the need to use specific modes. The TV will just handle it for you, which is a welcome sight for any cinephile.
Dolby Vision 2 Max adds even more
These are only available on higher-end TVs
As of now, only Hisense has announced that it will carry Dolby Vision 2. But, as many other brands currently produce Dolby Vision TVs, that will likely change.
Dolby also announced that Dolby Vision 2 Max will also be coming out. This takes the advancements that Dolby Vision 2 makes and pushes them further, allowing tech enthusiasts to experience some more extended features. Of course, Dolby Vision 2 Max will be available on some of the higher-end TVs available, which means plenty of them haven’t even been invented yet. Since next year will see the rise in RGB mini LED TVs, those are the types of TVs that are going to have Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max.
Dolby Vision 2 Max will also introduce Authentic Motion, which allows motion to be adjusted on a shot-by-shot basis (rather than applying a blanket setting across an entire film or show). Instead of simply relying on Filmmaker Mode, Authentic Motion adapts that intent dynamically and will provide a more precise interpretation of how a filmmaker may have envisioned each scene.
This feature is even better than just preserving the director’s vision — it actively evolves with the content, giving you a look at how someone might have conceptualized a scene in their mind. This could also influence how filmmakers shoot in the future, knowing their work will be viewed in certain ways at home. Dolby describes it as “the world’s first creative driven motion control tool.”
Tech like this will likely be adapted for CES 2026 and debut there, as consumers can understand how this massive change in technology will affect the broader world. What this means for them is that the standards for watching things at home are changing. Initially, it will be more expensive, but over time, it’ll become more affordable — and likely what you’re bringing into your home.