Dolby Vision Profile 8.1

What Profile 8.1 is

Dolby's Profiles and Levels specification (V1.2.93, 27 April 2018) defines Profile 8 as a 10-bit HEVC profile with no enhancement layer, and splits it by base-layer cross-compatibility ID. Combining profile 8 with ID 1 gives the "8.1" name: the base layer is CTA HDR10, which the spec describes as the SMPTE ST 2084 perceptual quantizer, 10-bit quantization, a BT.2020 color space, ST 2086 mastering display metadata, optional MaxFALL and MaxCLL, limited range, 4:2:0 sampling, with P3 gamut information sent inside the BT.2020 container. ID 2 is the SDR variant, often written 8.2. The 8.1 base-layer VUI is 16,9,9,0,0, and the spec requires VUI parameters for Profiles 7 and 8.1 because their base layers are not SDR. A third variant, 8.4, uses an HLG base according to OSMC. Wikipedia's profile table agrees on the family: Profile 8 is single-layer 10-bit HEVC with HDR10, SDR or HLG compatibility, where Profile 5 has none.

How Profile 8.1 works

One video track carries both the HDR10 picture and the dynamic RPU (reference processing unit) metadata. A Dolby Vision display reads the RPU and tone maps scene by scene; a non-Dolby HDR display ignores it and shows the base layer. That is the opposite of Profile 5, where there is no HDR10 base to show. MediaInfo identifies the stream with a line such as "Dolby Vision, Version 1.0, Profile 8.1, dvhe.08.06, BL+RPU," where the final number is the level ID. Dolby's level table makes level 06 3840 x 2160 at 24 fps (199,065,600 pixels per second, 25 Mbps main tier, 130 Mbps high tier) and level 09 3840 x 2160 at 60 fps (497,664,000 pixels per second, 40 Mbps and 130 Mbps).

The format has large headroom on paper. Wikipedia reports that the Dolby Vision format can represent up to 10,000 cd/m2 and Rec. 2020 color, and that Dolby Vision mastering displays require at least 1,000 cd/m2 peak, a black level of at most 0.005 cd/m2 (a contrast ratio of at least 200,000:1) and at least 99% of P3. OSMC adds that the format aims to re-create the 12-bit video the colorist graded, then tone map it to the user's display.

Profile 8.1 vs Profile 5 and Profile 7

Profile 5 is single layer without an HDR10 base, so it needs Dolby Vision hardware to look right. Profile 7 is dual layer with an HDR10-compatible base, which adds an enhancement layer that is either MEL or FEL. Profile 8.1 sits between: single layer like 5, HDR10 base like 7. OSMC states that a MEL is equivalent to Profile 8.1 and that a FEL modifies every pixel of the base layer, so a MEL disc and an 8.1 file hold the same picture information. The trade-off is loss of the FEL when converting, as covered in Profile 5 vs Profile 7.

Where Profile 8.1 lives and what plays it

Son-Video says single-layer Profiles 5 and 8.x are widely used by Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services, though Dolby does not publish which service uses which profile. Wikipedia lists x265 as an encoder with Profile 5, 8.1 and 8.2 support since version 3.0, MPC-HC with partial support for 5, 8.1 and 8.4, and Windows 10 and 11 built-in players (with the Dolby Vision Extension) for profiles 4, 5, 8 and 9 only. JellyWatch's June 2026 table says Profile 8 direct-plays as Dolby Vision on Apple TV 4K, NVIDIA Shield TV, Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Chromecast with Google TV, LG OLEDs and Roku Ultra (2022 and later), and plays as HDR10 on Samsung TVs, the Jellyfin Media Player on PC and in web browsers. OSMC adds that its Vero V passes 8.1 through with display management metadata so a TV can run in TV-led mode, and that iPhones record in Profile 8.4.

Converting to Profile 8.1

The open-source dovi_tool is the standard converter. Its documentation lists mode 2, which converts the RPU to Profile 8.1 and removes luma and chroma mapping for Profile 7 FEL, mode 1 for MEL compatibility, mode 3 for converting Profile 5 to 8.1, and mode 5 for 8.1 that preserves mapping. JellyWatch shows the workflow as extract the HEVC stream, run the converter in mode 2, then remux, and states plainly that you lose the FEL enhancement layer. OSMC notes software exists that merges a FEL into the base layer to produce an 8.1 file.

Common confusions

Profile 8.1 is Dolby Vision with an HDR10 fallback, not HDR10+; HDR10+ is a different dynamic-metadata format, covered in HDR10+. It is also not the same as player-led output: with a Dolby Vision TV in TV-led mode the display does the tone mapping from the RPU, while low-latency Dolby Vision is a separate mode in which the player does it. And a file labeled "Dolby Vision" can still look wrong if it is Profile 5 on a display that lacks Dolby Vision, so check the profile in MediaInfo. The last two digits of the string are the level ID: level 06 covers pixel rates up to 199,065,600 per second, which is 3840 x 2160 at 24 fps, while 4K60 content needs level 09 (497,664,000 per second). Next: Dolby Vision, HDR10 and the streaming device guide.