Years after its competition, Hulu begins broadcasting in HDR

HDR has been a standard feature of new TVs for years, and you’d be hard pressed to find many 4K TVs that don’t support HDR. But even though Netflix, Amazon, Disney +, HBO Max, and others have rolled out HDR support for some content, Hulu hasn’t. That eventually changed, with a support page on Hulu’s website announcing HDR support for certain programs and devices.

Here are the devices on which Hulu says it now offers HDR streaming:

• Roku (HDR compatible models)
• Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube devices (HDR compatible models with Fire OS 7 or later)
• Apple TV 4K (5th generation or later)
• Vizio (HDR compatible models)
• Chromecast Ultra (HDR compatible models)

Hulu says supported formats include HDR-10, HDR-10 +, and Dolby Vision. Content that supports HDR will carry a special badge so viewers know what they’re getting.

However, the content available is limited. At this time, the badge only appears on select Hulu original series and movies. They understand The Handmaid’s Tale, High fidelity, Socket-22, The happiest season, and We work, among a handful of others.

Hulu has supported 4K for some time, although it has also jumped after its competition. And 4K came in spurts: some devices got 4K support, then lost it, then picked it up again.

4K increases the number of pixels compared to HD, resulting in a sharper picture. But a lot of people don’t have TVs big enough or close enough to their seats to really see this difference. On the other hand, HDR can be seen at any reasonable viewing distance. It increases image vividness, contrast between light and dark spots, and color depth in a way that we believe is more impactful than 4K.

Hulu was one of the last services to support HDR, and the overwhelming majority of its library is still streaming in standard dynamic range.