Compatible HDR file formats

A non-exhaustive list of compatible HDR assets

Brett avatar
Written by Brett
Updated over a week ago

We have researched various platforms to determine which outputs are compatible with Frame.io's HDR support. While we researched common workflows, this list is not exhaustive.

For a file to playback in HDR on Frame.io, it needs to:

  • Be Rec.2020 or P3D65

  • Have an ST.2084 (PQ) or HLG transfer function (or EOTF)

  • Have its color primaries defined; these need to be carried in metadata flags in the uploaded asset.

What HDR support means here is that the files are flagged as BT.2020 PQ, and so the uploaded files can be recognized by Frame.io as HDR and thus be correctly encoded for HDR playback. If you have files from other platforms not on this list, a good idea is to read the metadata using the fantastic free software Mediainfo from MediaArea and check these values:

  • Color primaries = BT.2020 or P3-D65

  • Transfer characteristics = PQ (aka ST.2084) or HLG

💡 Frame.io Pro Tip
While H264 is an 8bit format, there are cases where having a lo-fi proxy (which renders faster) is useful. Because H264 carries the metadata flags and encodes properly, it can be a useful tool to quickly share HDR content for review when color accuracy is not the primary concern.

NOTE: HDR assets uploaded previously to the release of HDR support will not playback in HDR. Please upload these assets again to see them play back in HDR.

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For more information on HDR and Frame.io, please visit frame.io/hdr.

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