What’s happened? Disney+ has enabled HDR10+ streaming for select titles, but only on Samsung TVs for now. The launch covers Crystal UHD, Neo QLED, QLED, OLED, and The Frame models from 2018 onward (and some Smart Monitors) and initially gives access to 1,000+ Hulu titles in HDR10+ via the Disney+ app.
- Samsung says HDR10+ will deliver brighter highlights, deeper contrast, and richer colors on Disney+, helping content look closer to how creators intended.
- The move comes amid broader HDR10+ adoption, since services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV already support it. But Samsung TVs have historically played only HDR10.
- At launch, other platforms and devices, such as the Apple TV 4K and Amazon Fire TV, cannot yet access HDR10+ for Disney+ content.
Samsung
Why this is important: HDR10+ is a royalty-free HDR format developed in part by Samsung that uses dynamic metadata to light-map picture scenes more accurately than base HDR10. Since Samsung TVs don’t support Dolby Vision, HDR10+ becomes their best route to high-end HDR. This step by Disney+ gives Samsung viewers access to richer visuals in more titles. Additionally, it also emphasises that content-format access depends on hardware.
Phil Nickinson / DIgital Trends
Why should I care? HDR10+ isn’t just another buzzword; instead, it directly affects how good your favourite shows look. With brighter highlights, deeper contrast, and more realistic colour handling, Disney+ content should look closer to a premium UHD disc than ever before. And since Samsung TVs still don’t support Dolby Vision, HDR10+ becoming more widely available helps close a quality gap that puts Samsung owners at a disadvantage. It also marks a shift in streaming priorities: if Disney keeps pushing HDR10+, more platforms and TVs may follow. For now, though, Samsung owners are the only ones benefiting, which could annoy anyone using an Apple TV, Fire TV, or a TV from LG or Sony.
Chris Hagan / Digital Trends
Okay, so what’s next? Disney hasn’t confirmed when HDR10+ support will be available on other platforms, so for now, Samsung owners are getting the early win. If you’re on the Disney+ Premium plan with a supported Samsung TV, you can already stream in HDR10+ today.
Interestingly, FlatpanelsHD notes that the Disney+ app on Apple TV 4K already displays HDR10+ tags in some areas, which could be a sign that a broader rollout may simply be awaiting Disney’s activation. If the company continues expanding HDR10+ support, it could push more TV makers to embrace the format more aggressively, which lines up neatly with Samsung’s long-standing strategy to favor HDR10+ over Dolby Vision. As for how this affects owners of LG, Sony, TCL, or streaming boxes like Apple TV and Fire TV, that’s still unclear. For now, everyone else is stuck watching from the sidelines.
