Do you know HDR vs SDR? What are the differences? Let's figure out the truth. It doesn't mean that you have a 4K TV you'll enjoy the fullest 4K quality. This is because there are two types of 4K Video - HDR and SDR. The similarity between the two is that they have 4000 lines of resolution. Although both have the same number of horizontal resolutions, their picture quality differs, however.

HDR VS SDR Comparison

Before we proceed, let's examine what SDR and HDR mean and their main characteristics.

HDR vs SDR: what shall you know?

HDR vs SDR: What is HDR?

HDR means High Dynamic Range. HDR has been used in still photography before making its shift to TVs, smartphones, computer monitors, and others. HDR promises a comprehensive color range and picture quality that resembles what's seen by the naked eye. From SDR to HDR, you will get increased overall image details that SDR doesn't promise. You might like 4K HDR TV if you want to watch HDR videos at your home theater system.

In terms of SDR vs HDR, it is important to understand there is a difference between the real effect and what we think. For example, HDR images aren't captured as the eye sees them. Images captured will be darker or brighter than what's visible to the eyes. If an image is overexposed, the appropriate color info on the brighter parts is lost. Similarly, when an image is underexposed, true color info on the darker parts is lost.

So SDR vs HDR differs in the amount of light in an image and the lost color information restored. Thus we get realistic images with enhanced detail and depth. The popular HDR standards are HDR 10 (introduced in 2015 and widely used), HDR10+ introduced in 2017, Dolby Vision (supports 12-bit color depth), and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), also known as broadcast HDR.

SDR VS HDR: SDR Explained

What does SDR stand for? SDR means Standard Dynamic Range. It’s the video standard you would have come across over your non-4K HDTV or cinema. Although there are some high-end SDR television sets that display excellent image quality they are no match for the contrast ratio that HDR offers. This is one of the biggest differences related to SDR vs HDR. High-end SDR comes close to low-end HDRs with no noticeable difference in image resolution.

Now that you know the SDR and HDR comparison, you can now prepare videos according to the 4K format that your television supports.

HDR to SDR Conversion with DVDFab UHD Ripper

One of the best ways to watch UHD movies over your 4K UHD TV is by subscribing to Netflix’s 4K UHD movies over Netflix. But if you already have 4k UHD Blu-rays lying around in your house, you don’t have to splash out cash subscribing to the Netflix premium plan. There is software knowing SDR vs HDR and able to convert HDR to SDR.

DVDFab UHD Ripper
DVDFab UHD Ripper, possibly the best 4K Ultra Blu-ray ripper software out there, can convert a 4K Ultra HD movie into MKV/M2TS/MP4 formats, with lossless 4K HEVC 10-bit or SDR video quality.

The 64-bit version of DVDFab UHD Ripper is capable of ripping 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays to a 4K format to enable you to watch a movie on your 4K computer monitor or 4K UHD TV without the need for playback over a 4K Blu-ray player. Note that you can enjoy a 30-day free trial of this powerful HDR to SDR converter.

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DVDFab HDR to SDR converter does this by ripping an unprotected 4K Ultra HD  Blu-ray movie and allowing you to use 6 different conversion profiles according to what your software media player or 4K TV could handle. Video quality is always a focus as in SDR vs HDR the latter is always the winner. If you need lossless quality that's no different from the UHD Blu-ray you're ripping, you'll have to opt for MKV Passthrough or M2TS Passthrough.

The Best HDR to SDR Converter

If file size is a concern and you can do with medium quality opt for MKV.4K.H265.10bit or M2TS.4K.H265.10bit. If you want to shrink your UHD Blu-ray movie further then go for MP4.SDR or MKV.SDR. Despite heavy compression, these two profiles will allow your video to maintain the natural color, brightness, and sharpness, among others. After comparing SDR vs HDR, which output format you want to convert HDR to SDR?

Best Solution for HDR to SDR Conversion

That said, here’s how to enjoy HDR10 video quality even if your TV doesn't support it. Changing from HDR to SDR content will also bring you a nice video image. By the way, if you want to watch the converted HDR to SDR videos on a home player, it's imperative to turn to the best 4K media player, DVDFab Player 6. Never let slip of such a versatile media player and media file manager!

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While through SDR vs HDR, HDR10 is the dream viewing experience of most movie fans, their television sets might not support it. If you would still like to enjoy quality close to HDR10, then DVDFab UHD Ripper can do the job for you by converting HDR video to SDR with no noticeable quality loss. All this is fine, but you may be concerned about the duration of the ripping and conversion process given the mammoth size of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray content. Don't worry it will be too long to convert HDR to SDR even if you don't own a top-end computer. Continue to read and find the reason.

The 4K Hardware Acceleration feature that comes with DVDFab UHD Ripper ensures that you save precious time on the ripping and conversion process. Want the job to be done within an hour after SDR vs HDR comparison? Put the latest hardware technology to use. Upgrade your computer with a video card capable of supporting 4K HEVC 10-bit decoding and encoding. To that end, you could check out NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1050 Series or higher and may even want to take a look at Intel’s Kaby Lake processor series or higher.

Another  Best Alternative You May Need: PlayerFab UHD Player

hdr vs sdr: PlayerFab UHD Player

Commercial movie discs, including DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray discs, have region codes that could be a potential problem if you are trying to play a disc meant for a specific region in another one.

With PlayerFab Ultra HD Player, however, you don’t need to worry about this issue, as it can play all the DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K Blu-rays, regardless of the countries and regions they are made in.

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Warm tips: When it comes to 4K UHD backups, you need to make sure your UHD drive is friendly. Otherwise, you need to downgrade the unfriendly firmware before copying or ripping UHDs. To achieve this aim, DVDFab UHD Drive Tool comes in handy. 

Conclusion

Now that you’ve learned enough about the capability of DVDFab UHD Ripper, why don’t you give it a try by downloading it for free today and undertake HDR to SDR conversion painlessly? In the final analysis, knowing HDR vs SDR is beneficial to better enjoy your video content. You can convert HDR to SDR with a professional 4K Blu-ray ripping program for downgraded playback but the lossless quality on non-4K TVs. How fantastic!