Demystifying Dolby Vision - Profile Levels, Dolby Vision levels, MEL & FEL

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For those who are still confused with the DV Profile layer - i.e. single vs dual layer. Just remember the following are single-layer profiles while the rest not listed here are dual-layer.

  • Profile 5 single layer with Dolby Vision-only support
  • Profile 8.1 single layer with HDR10 + Dolby Vision compatibility
  • Profile 8.2 single layer with SDR compatibility

For MKV media encoded by MakeMKV, most of the clips conforming to the single-layer DV Profile will work well with LLDV-based sources like Zidoo Z9X. The issue lies with dual-layer which contains both the base layer (BL) and the enhancement layer (EL). The EL portion with Full layer (or FEL) can be problematic for most LLDV sources. Hence, most encoding will be done at single-layer DV Profile as far as possible.

Comparison_of_dolby_vision_profiles
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The most common type of dual-layer DV Profile is Profile 7 with either MEL or FEL. If it is FEL, then it might pose a challenge for LLDV source to playback properly. The issue is most of us prefer to do a 1:1 rip, This method of 1:1 ripping is the easiest as it retains all content in its entirety with the disc structure intact. It has been tested that Profile 7 with MEL is less problematic. An investment in HD Fury Vertex 2 (EDID manager) may help to resolve all these complicated issues with various EDIDs working to be compatible with the various DV Profiles. The Vertex 2 primary role is to spoof EDID to the LLDV-based sources to get the best PQ that a display can throw out. So if your TV or your sources are having a hard time getting a 4K HDR/DV encoded MKV files to work, you may wish to consider investing in a Vertex 2.

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