Player-led vs TV-led Dolby Vision – HDfury Vertex glossary
Dolby Vision comes in two kinds: the TV does the work (TV-led) or the player does it (player-led, LLDV).
Dolby Vision can be done in two ways. In TV-led, the TV does the Dolby Vision work. In player-led, the player does it.
It is like baking a cake: you can send the ingredients and let the TV bake, or bake it in the player and send the finished cake.
The player picks the way by reading what the TV says it can do.
Does the HDfury Vertex work with player-led and TV-led Dolby Vision?
PARTLYPartly. TV-led Dolby Vision passes through: connect the TV to the BOTTOM output (TX0) and use No Scaling. For player-led (LLDV) there is no built-in EDID; you upload an LLDV EDID into CUSTOM 4–10.
How to use it with the Vertex:
- Connect the Dolby Vision TV to the BOT output (TX0); the Vertex reads its DV string there (p.36).
- Set the SCALE switch to No Scaling/Passthru so the hidden DV data is not changed (p.12).
- TV-led DV shows as RGB 8-bit on the OLED; the manual says that is normal (p.113).
- For LLDV: upload an LLDV EDID into CUSTOM 4–10 in EDID MANAGER and select it (p.15, p.29).
What it is
TV-led (also called standard or display-led) Dolby Vision sends the picture plus Dolby's scene data hidden inside the video, packed in an RGB 8-bit signal. The TV unpacks it and fits the picture to its own brightness. Because the TV knows its own limits best, this usually gives the most accurate result.
Player-led, also called LLDV (Low Latency Dolby Vision), lets the player fit the picture to the brightness the display reports in its EDID. The player sends a finished HDR signal, usually YCbCr 4:2:2 12-bit, without Dolby Vision data. As the name says, it was designed to keep the delay low.
Which one the player sends depends on the Dolby Vision block in the display's EDID. Some players also let you choose in their own menu.
On the Vertex
For TV-led Dolby Vision, connect the Dolby Vision TV to the BOTTOM output (TX0): the Vertex reads and stores the TV's Dolby Vision 'mandatory string' from that output (p.36, p.113). The Vertex OLED then shows RGB 8-bit; the manual says this is normal for Dolby Vision (p.113). Keep the scaler on No Scaling so the hidden data is not changed.
Automix has flags for Dolby Vision: DV Force Metadata, DV Remove and DV Limit 300MHz (p.28). The preloaded tables CUSTOM 2 [FULL + LG DV] and CUSTOM 3 [FULL + Vizio DV] include Dolby Vision (p.15).
For player-led (LLDV) there is no built-in table; you upload an LLDV EDID into CUSTOM 4–10 (p.15, p.29). See LLDV for the full steps.
Common questions
Which is better, player-led or TV-led?
On a real Dolby Vision TV, TV-led is usually more accurate, because the TV knows its own brightness. Player-led is useful for displays without Dolby Vision.
Why does the Vertex show RGB 8-bit when I play Dolby Vision?
TV-led Dolby Vision travels in an RGB 8-bit container. The manual says this reading is normal (p.113).
How do I know which one my player sends?
TV-led shows as RGB 8-bit; player-led usually shows as YCbCr 4:2:2 12-bit on the Vertex OLED signal line (p.19, p.113).