Peacock is the first streaming service to enable Dolby’s latest video and audio technologies widely across movies, dramas, and live sports, emphasizing its technological leadership.  

We will begin rolling out Dolby Vision, HDR video, and Dolby Atmos sound during live coverage of Saturday Night Football, NBA, and MLB games, with this rollout taking place incrementally through 2026. Additionally, Peacock plans to introduce the next generation of Dolby Vision 2 Peacock later this year, with more details on launch dates to follow.  

Peacock and Dolby also confirm that the service will use Dolby AC-4 technology, which offers audio personalization and enhanced dialogue clarity, ensuring viewers can hear every word, even amid intense background noise.  

Peacock’s comprehensive partnership with Dolby for its 2026 sports coverage aligns with a recent Dolby survey, which found that:  

• 90% of sports fans value video quality for replicating an in-person experience  

• 85% value sound quality for the same reason  

Peacock’s Dolby Enhanced Sports footage will feature brighter, more vivid colors, enhancing detail and depth. Dolby Vision 2’s advanced image and balanced balancing aims to eliminate complaints about dark HDR sports. HDR sports broadcasts deliver optimal motion performance, reducing both judder and unnatural oversmoothness during motion and camera pans.  

Why Peacock Launched First? 

Peacock became the first streaming service to launch Dolby Vision 2 for the following reasons:   

The Dolby Atmos streaming delivers immersive sound, capturing the full atmosphere of the crowd, including cheers and boos, beyond the limitations of standard TV speakers.  

Your experience with Peacock’s Dolby Enhanced Sports Coverage depends on your AV equipment. Your TV should support Dolby Vision (preferably Dolby Vision 2), and your audio system or soundbar should support Dolby Atmos. Most leading TV and studio brands already offer many of Dolby Vision’s advanced features, and the number of compatible products is expected to increase as these enhancements become more widely available.  

Peacock is raising the bar for what streaming entertainment can be, says John Kooling, senior vice president of entertainment at Dolby Laboratories. This partnership reflects our vision to push the boundaries of live sports and entertainment, delivering experiences that truly stand apart. With Dolby, Peacock stands as the premier destination for viewers who expect nothing less than exceptional entertainment at home.  

Senior Vice President of Global Video Engineering at NBC Universal, David Bohunek, meanwhile, adds that Pick Up delivers the most compelling content with the highest quality experience and unparalleled reliability. Our partnership with Dolby ensures that, whether our subscribers are streaming a thrilling playoff game, the latest Universal blockbuster, or a critically acclaimed Peacock original, they’re experiencing it exactly as the creators intended, with breathtaking picture and immersive sound that bring every moment to life.  

Peacock has not announced specific dates for the rollout of new Dolby features. However, after its CES 2026 announcement, Peacock hosted an NBA watch party that live-streamed the game in Dolby Vision HDR. With Dolby Atmos sound.  

What is Dolby Vision 2? 

Announced in late 2020-25, Dolby Vision 2 is the next generation of Dolby’s high dynamic range (HDR) technology. It launches an AI-powered content intelligence engine that optimizes picture quality for specific content types and viewing environments. Features such as precision black and light sense help align creative intent with modern TV capabilities, delivering refined detail, color, and contrast on compatible displays.  

Content Intelligence is an AI-driven system that analyzes both content and room lighting to change settings in real time. It provides:  

• Dark scene clarity  

• With precision black  

• Adapts to ambient light with Light Sense  

• Optimizes fast-moving action with Sports and Gaming Optimization  

The redesigned image engine uses advanced creative tools. It creates more detailed scene-by-scene metadata. This enables TVs to more accurately reflect the creators’ vision.  

Bi-directional tone mapping enables high-performance TVs to extend brightness and color beyond Dolby Vision v2 mastering while preserving creative intent, according to Dolby’s newsroom.  

Authentic motion found in premium versions gives filmmakers shot-by-shot control of motion handling, reducing distracting judder and avoiding the unnatural look known as the soap opera effect, as noted by The Verge and PCMag. This means smoother, more cinematic motion for viewers.  

The expanded ecosystem supports a wider range of content, including movies, TV shows, live sports, and games. It fully leverages the upgraded technology, as reported by Business World and ZDNet.  

How It Compares to Dolby Vision? 

Dolby Vision 2 is a significant upgrade featuring an AI-powered engine with content intelligence, 12-bit color, bi-directional tone mapping, and creative tools like authentic motion. These updates ensure more adaptive and immersive visuals, aligning creator intent with viewer experience. Dolby Vision 2 also improves detail in dark scenes, brightens highlights, enriches colors, clarifies motion, and includes premium options like Dolby Vision 2 Max.  

Key improvements in Dolby Vision 2 

AI-powered content intelligence: The AI system automatically modifies picture quality based on content as well as surrounding illumination conditions.  

The 12-bit color depth: supports over 68 billion colors compared to 10-bit’s 1 billion, delivering smoother gradients and more accurate colors.  

Bidirectional tone mapping enables TVs to maximize brightness and color while matching the creator’s intent, enhancing detail in both dark and bright scenes.  

Authentic Motion provides filmmakers with shot-by-shot control over motion judder to preserve cinematic intent.  

Next-Gen Image Engine: A More Powerful Processor with the TV Handles Advanced Metadata.  

Specialized tiers:  

• Standard Dolby Vision 2 (targeting mainstream devices)  

• Dolby Vision 2 Max (offering advanced motion control and brightness for premium models)  

Dolby Vision 2 relies on Content Intelligence to adjust brightness and contrast for your room, tailoring visuals to the viewing environment. In contrast, HDR10+ uses AI to boost brightness based on the display’s specifications.