Native Eclipsa Video HDR support is now built directly into the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) as part of the June 30, 2026 Android 17 release. This update eliminates the inconsistent HDR rendering that has long affected AOSP-based custom ROMs and stock Android builds.
Prior to this integration, AOSP relied on static, device-specific tone mapping profiles for HDR playback. These profiles were calibrated exclusively for a single 1500-nit reference flagship display, per the official Android Developers Blog announcement. This one-size-fits-all approach produced variable brightness, color, and contrast across different display hardware.
Dark scenes were often washed out on small smartphone screens, while colors were oversaturated on large external monitors. For example, a horror film mastered for 1500-nit displays would have nearly invisible shadow detail on 600-nit budget devices, while a bright outdoor action sequence would produce uncomfortable glare on 4000-nit high-brightness tablets.
Eclipsa Video is an open HDR specification co-developed by Google, Apple, and NBCUniversal. It is aligned with the SMPTE ST 2094-50 industry standard published by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
Unlike prior static HDR approaches, it embeds dynamic, frame-by-frame HDR metadata directly into video streams. This removes reliance on device-specific processing to adjust brightness and color.
This embedded metadata ensures content is rendered consistently across any compatible display, regardless of the device’s maximum brightness or screen size. For example, a 600-nit mid-range smartphone and a 4000-nit flagship tablet will display identical shadow detail, highlight roll-off, and color saturation for the same Eclipsa Video stream.
Eclipsa Video’s alignment with the SMPTE ST 2094-50 framework means it uses the same dynamic metadata structure as other established dynamic HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+. This cross-compatibility ensures users can play back existing dynamic HDR content libraries without format conversion, as long as the content includes embedded SMPTE ST 2094-50 metadata.
The open, royalty-free nature of the Eclipsa Video specification imposes no licensing fees on device manufacturers or content creators implementing the standard. This removes the cost barrier that previously limited dynamic HDR support to premium devices and high-budget streaming services.
Native Eclipsa Video Support Lands in AOSP for Android 17
Native Eclipsa Video support is included in the Android 17 release, which carries API level 37. No additional OS-level modifications are required for ROM or app developers to enable the feature for AOSP-based builds.
The platform framework automatically handles adaptive brightness scaling using a shared HDR reference white point calibrated to 200 nits. This keeps standard text, app interfaces, and standard-range content readable without causing glare.
Highlight brightness is dynamically adjusted to match each display’s supported capabilities, with adjustments ranging from 1000-nit mid-range handsets to 4000-nit flagship models.
Prior to this integration, switching between HDR video and standard dynamic range (SDR) app content often caused sudden brightness jumps of 200–300 nits. These jumps could strain users’ eyes in low-light environments. The shared 200-nit reference white point used by Eclipsa Video matches standard SDR content brightness, eliminating these jarring transitions across all AOSP-based devices.
How Eclipsa Video Resolves Longstanding AOSP HDR Rendering Issues
Prior to the Android 17 integration, Android HDR implementations relied on static, device-specific tone mapping profiles calibrated exclusively for a single 1500-nit reference flagship display.
This one-size-fits-all approach produced inconsistent results across hardware: 600-nit budget phones rendered HDR content too dark to resolve shadow detail, while 4000-nit flagship tablets produced excessive glare in bright indoor environments.
For example, a horror film mastered for 1500-nit displays would have nearly invisible dark scenes on 600-nit budget devices, while a bright outdoor action sequence would be uncomfortably harsh on 4000-nit high-brightness tablets.
Eclipsa Video replaces this fragmented approach with a single open, metadata-driven standard aligned with SMPTE ST 2094-50. This creates a unified foundation for HDR playback across the entire Android ecosystem.
By carrying frame-by-frame creative metadata from content creators, Eclipsa Video preserves intended color, contrast, and mood far more accurately than static tone mapping approaches.
Developer Tools and Implementation Details for Eclipsa Video
For developers, Google’s ExoPlayer media library and Jetpack Media3 framework already include native support for Eclipsa Video metadata. No extra player configuration is required to play back compliant content for apps targeting API level 37 or higher, per the official ExoPlayer documentation.
This means existing media apps built on these frameworks will automatically render Eclipsa Video HDR content correctly on Android 17 devices, with no code changes required for compatibility.
The Android team has also released the open-source HDR Explorer utility. This tool lets developers inspect live SMPTE ST 2094-50 metadata and dynamic gain adjustment curves during playback to troubleshoot hardware-specific rendering issues.
The utility is hosted in Google’s public Android platform tools GitHub repository. ROM developers can modify and integrate it directly into custom build pipelines for hardware-specific testing of edge-case display hardware. This eliminates the need to build custom debugging tools for niche device form factors.
Practical Benefits for ROM Developers and End Users
The AOSP-level integration reduces development overhead for ROM and app builders, who no longer need to build custom HDR tone mapping logic for individual supported devices.
Specifically, developers of custom AOSP ROMs no longer need to maintain separate tone mapping profiles for devices with varying peak brightness levels, such as 1000-nit mid-range phones and 4000-nit flagship models.
Native support in ExoPlayer and Media3 also eliminates the need for separate player-side HDR implementation work for compliant content. HDR Explorer provides a dedicated tool for debugging edge cases on less common hardware.
For end users, the standard delivers consistent HDR brightness and color across devices with varying display specifications.
For example, a user watching the same Eclipsa Video HDR film on a 6-inch 600-nit budget phone and a 12-inch 2000-nit tablet will see identical shadow detail and highlight brightness. There will be no washed-out colors or overly bright glare on either device.
This consistency also eliminates mismatched color rendering when content is cast to external 4K TVs or monitors. It creates a more predictable viewing experience across all Android devices running Android 17 or newer AOSP-based builds.
Android Open-source ROMs: Frequently Asked Questions
- 1.Is Eclipsa Video support available for older Android versions?No, native Eclipsa Video support is exclusive to Android 17 (API level 37) and newer AOSP releases. Older Android versions will continue to rely on static, device-specific HDR tone mapping profiles.
- 2.Do custom ROMs based on AOSP get Eclipsa Video support automatically?Yes, because Eclipsa Video support is built directly into the AOSP platform framework for Android 17, no additional OS-level modifications are required for custom ROMs to enable the feature.
- 3.What displays are compatible with Eclipsa Video?Eclipsa Video is compatible with any display that supports the SMPTE ST 2094-50 HDR standard.
- 4.Will Eclipsa Video work with HDR content from third-party streaming apps?Yes, as long as the streaming service provides Eclipsa Video (SMPTE ST 2094-50) compliant HDR streams, the native Android 17 platform support will render the content consistently across all compatible AOSP-based devices. Bottom line: AOSP-based Android ROM and app developers can eliminate the need to build and maintain custom per-device HDR tone mapping profiles previously required for devices ranging from 600-nit budget handsets to 4000-nit flagship tablets. End users will see uniform HDR brightness, color, and shadow detail across all compatible displays when using Android 17 or newer AOSP-based builds.
