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You'll need to make sure you have the correct set-top box and Smart TV

If you want to enjoy the best possible viewing experience for Stranger Things, Squid Game, Wednesday, Bridgerton, The Queen's Gambit, You, or any of the other must-binge boxsets that've broken out on Netflix over the years, you'll want to ensure Dolby Vision is enabled. First introduced by Dolby Laboratories back in 2014, Dolby Vision is supported by a slew of Smart TVs as well as laptops, game consoles, tablets, and others.

It's essentially an Advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) standard that bolsters the pictures on-screen by making the bright spots brighter, deepening shadows in the dark areas, and making colours richer. The result? Scenes look richer, more colourful, and more cinematic, with none of the detail lost in shadows or brighter parts of the screen. Expect to see a much sharper contrast between dark and light visuals too.

Some of that is also true of the other HDR standards — like HDR10, which you might've seen listed on streaming services or the box of your latest television, Blu-ray player, or console. But what makes advanced standards like Dolby Vision and HDR10+ a step-up is the use of dynamic metadata that adjusts this HDR effect for every single frame.

These adjustments are taking place multiple times every second to always ensure you're getting the ultimate viewing experience.

That might sound excessive, but it's important if you're watching something with very dark, gloomy scenes — or bright outdoor shots. One HDR grade won't work for both of these segments, so it needs to be tweaked continuously.

Only when you're viewing an advanced HDR image on a television that supports the standard will you see all of the detail that filmmakers intended when shooting the darkest scenes with Vecna in the Upside Down in Stranger Things or the vibrant costumes and backdrops in Bridgerton.

On its website, Dolby describes its widely adopted standard like this: "Have you ever lost the thread of a TV or film story due to an overly dark screen or blown-out light? Creators continue to push the boundaries of visual art with lighting and colour, but until now, the technology that lets fans watch mind-bending drama and documentaries the way the creators intended has been limited. But now there’s Dolby Vision."

Unfortunately, watching in Dolby Vision comes at a price on Netflix.

The streamer locks this ultimate picture standard behind its top-of-the-line subscription tier, dubbed Premium, which costs £18.99 per month.

You'll also need to pay for this flagship tier if you want to enjoy Spatial Audio, the three-dimensional sound system supported on the latest generation of Apple AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds that recreates a surround sound-like experience in your earbuds.

Premium subscribers also benefit from the ability to watch on four devices at the same time, download on up to six different gadgets for offline viewing (handy if you have a commute without any signal or a long-haul flight coming up), advert-free viewing, and the option to let two extra Netflix users who don't live with you stream the full catalogue.

As long as you're watching on a device that supports the standard — like Apple TV 4K or Fire TV 4K Max — and a flatscreen with the capabilities to display Dolby Vision, then you're set. Both Dolby and Netflix recommend an internet connection speed of at least 15 megabits per second to stream titles available in Dolby Vision at Ultra HD 4K resolution.

To verify that you're watching your latest boxset in the best possible picture quality, press the Info button on your remote control, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Shift + D to see details of the streaming session on a Windows laptop.