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New Vivid app doubles brightness of mini-LED screens for Mac

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The new app Vivid can just about double screen brightness on mini-LEDs for Mac (but not iPad).
The new app Vivid can just about double screen brightness on mini-LEDs for Mac (but not iPad).
Photo: Jordi Bruin

When you watch HDR videos on the mini-LED screens of a Pro Display XDR or a 2021 MacBook Pro, the displays can crank out up to 1,600 nits of brightness. But under most conditions, they’ll emit about 500. So a new app called Vivid, by developers Jordi Bruin and Ben Harraway, now offers to double usable screen brightness under all conditions.

“Full Brightness, System-Wide,” reads the app’s tagline.

Bring vivid HDR effects to your photos with one click [Deals]

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Photomatix Bundle
With one-click presets, HDR styles and streamlined settings, this HDR software bundle makes image enhancement easy.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One of the easiest ways to make any photo pop is to process it with High Dynamic Range, or HDR. Basically, it combines high and low exposures so that your photo represents a wide spectrum of light and color. HDR gives you a ton of creative options, which you can easily explore with the three Mac apps and plugins in the Photomatix Pro Plus Bundle, which we’re currently offering at an unbelievable discount.

Apple’s USB-C AV dongle gets a 4K HDR upgrade

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Apple-USB-AV-dongle
It's finally fit for 2019.
Photo: Apple

Apple this week upgraded its official USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter to support 4K HDR video at up to 60Hz.

The newest model, numbered A2119, boasts HDMI 2.0 connectivity. That means you can enjoy HDR10 and Dolby Vision content when outputting video from a compatible Mac or iPad Pro.

Watch HDR YouTube videos on your iPhone X

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Displaying an HDR YouTube video on a non-HDR screen is impossible.
Unfortunately, displaying an HDR YouTube video on a non-HDR screen is an exercise in futility.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There’s a whole YouTube channel devoted to HDR videos, and the iPhone X can now display them as they are meant to be seen.

High Dynamic Range offers a greater span of colors that most screens can display. The OLED display in Apple’s flagship device is up to the job, though.

Nvidia unleashes 65-inch TVs fit for gaming

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NVIDIA gaming TV
NVIDIA's BFGDs bring ultra-fast gaming to the big screen.
Photo: NVIDIA

CES 2018 bugNvidia has unleashed the world’s first lineup of big-screen TVs fit for gaming.

They’re called BFGDs (Big Format Gaming Displays) and they’re capable of displaying 4K content at an ultra-fast 120Hz. They boast support for Nvidia G-Sync and HDR — and they have a Shield TV built right in.