I witnessed how Dolby Vision 2 Max will quietly improve new TVs this year

Earlier this week, I was in attendance at TP Vision's "Unboxed" event in Berlin – that's the brand behind Philips TVs in the UK and across Europe (the models aren't available in the USA) – to check out what 2026 will bring.

But it wasn't only the news of Philips' incoming OLED 911 with Bowers & Wilkins sound system that impressed, but also a demonstration of Dolby Vision 2 Max – and how, later this year, the new high dynamic range (HDR) format will quietly improve new TVs for us all.

That's the thing about Dolby Vision 2: creators will need to encode their movies and TV shows to conform to the new format and gain from its benefits. But I already feel like I've seen the future, as the new Dolby Vision version addresses some key issues that I know frustrate many people today.

Hold up! What is Dolby Vision anyway?

First, though, a quick overview of what the original Dolby Vision intended to deliver. This HDR format was designed to deliver content 'as the creator intended', on compatible products (from TVs to tablets to phones), with real-time dynamic metadata that runs alongside to optimise the output, scene by scene.

Dolby Vision 2 brings four key components, tuned to a given product's capabilities: upgraded precision blacks; even more controlled tone mapping; further optimisation for sports; and an easy-to-use 'intensity control' so users can choose their favoured level of adjustment.

The step up Dolby Vision 2 Max variety includes all of the above, with an additional three elements: new authentic motion; next-gen ambient light sensing for automated picture adjustment; and a pro reference mode for high-end users to tune output for a given panel.

1. Better Motion

Just as I'd said of Samsung's equivalent technology, HDR10+ Advanced, of all those new features it's the natural motion one that I think delivers the most. It'll be almost 'unseen', I suspect, as so many things doing their job are, which is why it's a quiet but critical update.

The demonstration I witnessed, showed how Dolby Vision 2 Max encoded output would follow metadata on a scene-by-scene basis – behind the scenes it's jumping between a stepped adjustment of 0-5 – and cleverly avoids 'the soap opera effect' of hyper-smoothing, but also the inherent judder that's typical of extra-bright panels.

That's the thing about the best TVs: they keep getting brighter and brighter, which exacerbates the appearance of judder even more. And with Mini-LED being increasingly backed, that enhanced technology is only going to pull the rug out from under its own feet – which is why Dolby Vision 2 Max and HDR10+ Advanced are so critical.

Now, this isn't some kind of magic that will suddenly rain down on all content, of course. Original Dolby Vision encoded content won't have the fuller metadata to deliver Dolby Vision 2 Max's authentic motion, for example. Creators will have to revisit their work to update the metadata to be compliant with the new HDR offering.

That could mean it'll be a little slow for some TV shows and movies to uptake and offer the best at-home viewing, as creators play catch-up to deliver upon what will be available in the market. But this isn't an overnight solution anyway: we're looking at later in 2026 for initial product offerings, and you'll need to buy a Dolby Vision 2 Max certified product to gain the best visuals anyway.

Right now, it appears that certification is only likely to be achieved from higher-end chipsets, which means higher-end products. For TVs that means MediaTek's Pentonic 800 only at the time of writing (doubtless with more to follow), which isn't going to be found at the lower end of product ranges for now.

Availability will surely trickle down over time, but this does go some way in explaining Dolby's multi-tiered approach. Dolby Vision 2 is the catch-all, for TVs across a wider range of budgets, while Dolby Vision 2 Max is for higher-end sets.

2. Better Auto-Adjustments

This demonstration was also the first time I've seen the new so-called 'Light Sensing 2' technology in full effect. This is the next step beyond Dolby Vision IQ, relevant to products with built-in light sensors that can adjust the picture's output in real-time, relevant to the light that's entering a room.

This will fix one of the biggest bugbears that many have with original Dolby Vision and, indeed, any HDR format: that content can look too dark. That's not the content's 'fault', per se, it's your viewing scenario. Watch in a cinema room with little to no ambient light and things would look ideal, but few of us have that option.

The human eye is very sensitive, so what I'm pleased to see Dolby Vision Max 2 be so on the money in how delicately adjustments are made in real-time – there's no 'jumping' between light levels, nothing looks forced in the image, so you won't even notice that anything's happening. You'll just get to experience a better image at all times – none of that squinting to see the dark bits any more.

3. Better Colour

The final aspect of Dolby Vision 2 (including the Max variant) is the nuance in how this latest HDR format can squeeze that bit extra out of a picture. It'll make the most of higher-brightness sets with broader colour gamuts, which is increasingly the norm as technologies improve.

I was able to see this with my own eyes: the third Paddington movie looked resplendent in side-by-side demonstrations (of Dolby Vision original versus Dolby Vision 2), with a richer palette that avoided hyper-saturating output, yet delivered a more vivid image that remained on the correct side of 'natural'.

That, paired with greater dynamics in the peak whites and deep blacks, and coupled with real-time ambient light sensing adjustment, creates a more balanced picture. In isolation, I doubt you'd even notice – but that's the magic of Dolby Vision 2, in that it'll quietly do its job in the background, stepping HDR content to the next level without you having to do anything more than enjoy it.

Which TVs have Dolby Vision 2?

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At the time of writing, there are no Dolby Vision 2 or Dolby Vision 2 Max TVs on the market – but they're imminent.

Hisense was first to announce, with the 2026 UR9 model and other sets compliant with the new HDR format. TCL is also backing the tech, so expect imminent announcements on what to expect there.

Philips is ahead of the curve in revealing the first OLED panels to offer the format in its 2026 range, but others are expected to follow that approach, too.

By the end of 2026 we'll therefore have older Dolby Vision sets, plus Dolby Vision 2 ones. Dolby Vision 2 Max will only be at the higher-end of the market, where its additional skills bring benefit to more advanced panels (with built-in light sensors).