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DCI-P3 vs Rec. 2020: the gap HDR screens still have

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

A screen that matches DCI-P3 exactly covers 71.7% of Rec. 2020 in CIE 1931 xy, and 72.8% in CIE 1976 u'v'. A review's Rec. 2020 number tells you how far past P3 a screen gets.

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CIE 1931 xy chart with sRGB, Rec. 2020 and DCI-P3The curved outline holds every color people can see, with wavelengths in nanometers along its edge. Each standard is a triangle of its red, green and blue primaries. A larger triangle holds more saturated colors.
  • DCI-P3, the solid line
  • sRGB (BT.709): The web, most apps and SDR video. BT.709, the HDTV standard, has the same primaries.
  • Rec. 2020 (BT.2020): The range HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision carry. Monitors today cover only part of it.
DCI-P3 against each reference, in CIE 1931 xy
ReferenceCoverageArea
sRGB100.0%135.7%
Rec. 202071.7%71.7%

Coverage is the part of the reference inside the triangle, so it stops at 100%. Area is the triangle's size next to the reference, and it can pass 100%. Spec sheets don't always say which one they print.

Open this chart in the Color Gamut Visualizer. Check any standard, enter a monitor's primaries or spec sheet numbers, and switch between CIE 1931 xy and u'v'.
Edit in the full tool

Rec. 2020, also called BT.2020, is the color range of UHD TV and the one HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision carry. Its corners sit right on the edge of the chart. DCI-P3 sits inside it. The chart fills DCI-P3 and draws Rec. 2020 around it, so the space between the two is the color a P3 screen can't show.

Topic
DCI-P3 vs Rec. 2020
HDR color headroom
On the chart
sRGB, DCI-P3, Rec. 2020
CIE 1931 xy

How this is calculated

Rec. 2020's primaries are single wavelengths of light: 630 nm red, 532 nm green and 467 nm blue. A display has to make nearly pure light to reach them. RGB laser projectors get closest, and screens with quantum dots or QD-OLED panels reach part of the way.

HDR video is stored in Rec. 2020 but usually mastered on displays that cover about DCI-P3, so its colors rarely go past P3. That's why DisplayHDR and most reviews lead with P3 coverage. The Rec. 2020 number shows the headroom for content that does go further.

For scale, a screen that matches Adobe RGB covers 71.3% of Rec. 2020, and one that matches sRGB covers 52.9%. Rec. 2020 coverage always reads low next to P3 coverage, so compare it between screens, not against the P3 figure.

Verdict

Read DCI-P3 coverage first. It decides how HDR movies and games look today. Use the Rec. 2020 number as a tie breaker between two screens that both cover P3 well, since it shows which one has deeper primaries for the content that goes past P3.

More Color Gamut Visualizer scenarios

sRGB vs DCI-P3
DCI-P3 holds all of sRGB and reaches further into red and green. Here's how big the gap is, and when it matters.
View details
DCI-P3 vs Adobe RGB
Two wide ranges of about the same size, pointed different ways. P3 reaches further into red, Adobe RGB into green and cyan.
View details
sRGB vs Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB keeps sRGB's red and blue and moves green far out. Here's what that adds for photos and print.
View details

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What the entry tier asks of color.
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OLED vs QD-OLED
How quantum dots widen the color range.
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What nits mean for HDR
The brightness half of HDR.
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Frequently asked questions

Does any screen cover all of Rec. 2020?
It's very hard, since the primaries are pure single wavelength light. RGB laser projectors come closest. Monitors and TVs with quantum dots or QD-OLED panels reach a good part of it, but not all.
Is BT.2020 the same as Rec. 2020?
Yes. ITU-R Recommendation BT.2020 is the full name, and Rec. 2020 is the short form. Spec sheets use both.
Does HDR need Rec. 2020 coverage?
Not much of it. HDR video uses Rec. 2020 as a container, but most of it is mastered within DCI-P3. Good P3 coverage shows nearly all the color HDR movies and games use today.

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