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[nkarafo]

I recently got a 42 inch Samsung 4K LED TV and it's HDR compatible. Though i mainly play on my 240hz monitor, i still use the bigger TV for slower paced games or the ones that i can't run faster than 60fps.

First game i tried HDR with was Resident Evil 2 Remake. This game looks washed out regardless the settings so i thought maybe it's meant to be played with HDR? But it looks even worse this way. Lights look great but every dark area basically becomes very light grey (was already grey to begin with). Couldn't make it look good so i ended up disabling HDR and using Reshade to fix the contrast a bit.

Second game i tried was Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Although i normally play this game at 120fps on the faster monitor, i wanted to see how it looks at 4K and HDR. I had issues with it because i had to enable HDR through Windows (which is a really bad thing as it makes the OS look bad). Well, the game looks bad as well. While it's cool to see the sun and other bright effects under HDR, all other colors and contrast are messed up. It's like it's oversaturated with a red hue but at the same time more washed out and darker.

I tried to adjust the HDR settings but i can't make any game look good. I can tell HDR is working because bright things look naturally bright. These look great but the rest of the picture is like there's something wrong.

Is this an issue with PC? Because i played an HDR game on PS4 (Shadow of Colossus) and i don't remember it looking as bad.


Of all the fancy, modern ways to play games, things like 120fps+ gaming and GSYNC on the smaller monitor have been game changers for me so far. But i feel like i'm missing something with HDR. Maybe these two games have bad implementations? Which games should i try instead?

 

[fran.fernandez]

On windows 10 I never got it right but ps4 or own tv os it always give me good results.

 

[keraj37]

Try Far Cry 5 with and without HDR - the difference is colossal.
Also I suggest trying Battlefront II.

 

[MastAndo]

It isn't great for anyone. HDR on PC is really hit or miss, from what I've seen and read. The consoles do it much better. I would imagine it'll get better once HDR monitors become the norm.

 

[TonyK]

Try Far Cry 5 with and without HDR - the difference is colossal.
Also I suggest trying Battlefront II.

Not very fan of Farcry 5 HDR implementation. Whites are so crushed. I tested PC and console version, and even on PS4, where HDR works better, whites are unreally crushed. (But of course, it looks a lot better with HDR than without)

About OP, I think you need to adjust something in control panel, something must be wrong, because HDR is not washed out in those games. In fact, contrast and black/white levels are a lot better with HDR in PC for those games you mention. However, I can understand your feelings with Ori because I'm not sure also about the asthetic changes that HDR implements in that game. HDR in Ori is too agressive for my tastes.

 

[YCoCg]

It's annoying but HDR support on PC is very hit or miss most of the time, the only suggestion I have is to make sure your pc profile on your TV is properly calibrated when HDR is on, that's a big help.

 

[BlueXImpulse]

This is the one thing consoles have over PC when it comes to visuals and it makes a big difference.

 

[MilkyJoe]

YOu need to splash out on a decent TV before you're getting decent HDR

 

[PuppetMaster]

HDR doesn't work well on my Win10 PC either. Also makes colors on my Windows desktop and in photos look super washed out. So I turn it off from Windows HD color settings.

This is on my LG 27UK650-W. Which supports 4K and HDR. Both on DisplayPort and HDMI same exact issues.

But HDR works fine if I connect my PS4 connected to the same screen. Though my PS4 is normally connected to my living room TV which is a Sony A8H OLED TV. And HDR looks great there!

 

[Clarissa]

I recently got a 42 inch Samsung 4K LED TV and it's HDR compatible. Though i mainly play on my 240hz monitor, i still use the bigger TV for slower paced games or the ones that i can't run faster than 60fps.

First game i tried HDR with was Resident Evil 2 Remake. This game looks washed out regardless the settings so i thought maybe it's meant to be played with HDR? But it looks even worse this way. Lights look great but every dark area basically becomes very light grey (was already grey to begin with). Couldn't make it look good so i ended up disabling HDR and using Reshade to fix the contrast a bit.

Second game i tried was Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Although i normally play this game at 120fps on the faster monitor, i wanted to see how it looks at 4K and HDR. I had issues with it because i had to enable HDR through Windows (which is a really bad thing as it makes the OS look bad). Well, the game looks bad as well. While it's cool to see the sun and other bright effects under HDR, all other colors and contrast are messed up. It's like it's oversaturated with a red hue but at the same time more washed out and darker.

I tried to adjust the HDR settings but i can't make any game look good. I can tell HDR is working because bright things look naturally bright. These look great but the rest of the picture is like there's something wrong.

Is this an issue with PC? Because i played an HDR game on PS4 (Shadow of Colossus) and i don't remember it looking as bad.


Of all the fancy, modern ways to play games, things like 120fps+ gaming and GSYNC on the smaller monitor have been game changers for me so far. But i feel like i'm missing something with HDR. Maybe these two games have bad implementations? Which games should i try instead?

Please post the model of your Samsung TV so that we can further advice.

 

[YCoCg]

See a big problem is that Nvidia Control Panel and AMD Settings handle HDR much better than Windows does, your GPU KNOWS it's connected to a HDR display and can let games know that, and some games do use this feature (HITMAN 2) but frustratingly most are forced to use the Windows HDR method, which is inferior, that's the mode most people say messes up desktop colours, etc. It's just so damn dumb on pc.

 

[J3nga]

HDR is not superior on PC but it has gotten better lately, but in this scenario it's more likely your TV is to blame. High end TV's with good HDR start from 55 inch(unless LG's CX 48 inch), those sub 42 inch tv's only got gimmicky HDR 400 certification without any local dimming. So you didn't experience HDR, OP.

 

[YCoCg]

HDR is not superior on PC but it has gotten better lately, but in this scenario it's more likely your TV is to blame. High end TV's with good HDR start from 55 inch(unless LG's CX 48 inch), those sub 42 inch tv's only got gimmicky HDR 400 certification without any local dimming. So you didn't experience HDR, OP.

Isn't this point thrown out of the window when they've mentioned consoles looking better with HDR and the issue is on pc?

 

[nkarafo]

I can understand your feelings with Ori because I'm not sure also about the asthetic changes that HDR implements in that game.

Yeah, that's the main issue. I feel like messing with settings will ruin the way a game is supposed to look. That's why i would prefer a "default" one-and-done HDR option that just works.

Please post the model of your Samsung TV so that we can further advice.

Samsung UE43RU7402UXXH

See a big problem is that Nvidia Control Panel and AMD Settings handle HDR much better than Windows does, your GPU KNOWS it's connected to a HDR display and can let games know that, and some games do use this feature (HITMAN 2) but frustratingly most are forced to use the Windows HDR method, which is inferior, that's the mode most people say messes up desktop colours, etc. It's just so damn dumb on pc.

Normally i don't enable HDR through Windows. Games detect it anyway. But it was Ori that needed it forced ON otherwise it didn't detect it.

HDR is not superior on PC but it has gotten better lately, but in this scenario it's more likely your TV is to blame. High end TV's with good HDR start from 55 inch(unless LG's CX 48 inch), those sub 42 inch tv's only got gimmicky HDR 400 certification without any local dimming. So you didn't experience HDR, OP.

The TV i played Shadow of Colossus wasn't great either. It was a bigger sized LG TV but it was cheaper than mine.

 

[TriSuit666]

It's annoying but HDR support on PC is very hit or miss most of the time, the only suggestion I have is to make sure your pc profile on your TV is properly calibrated when HDR is on, that's a big help.

OP, what this poster says. Make sure your TV is properly calibrated, and more than likely also in Game Mode when you have HDR enabled in Windows itself.

 

[kruis]

First game i tried HDR with was Resident Evil 2 Remake. This game looks washed out regardless the settings so i thought maybe it's meant to be played with HDR? But it looks even worse this way. Lights look great but every dark area basically becomes very light grey (was already grey to begin with). Couldn't make it look good so i ended up disabling HDR and using Reshade to fix the contrast a bit.

PC games don't look washed out on HDTVs unless you've got your Nvidia display and HDTV settings wrong.

 

[Clarissa]

Yeah, that's the main issue. I feel like messing with settings will ruin the way a game is supposed to look. That's why i would prefer a "default" one-and-done HDR option that just works.


Samsun UE43RU7402UXXH


Normally i don't enable HDR through Windows. Games detect it anyway. But it was Ori that needed it forced ON otherwise it didn't detect it.

The RU 6000 and 7000 series have fake HDR. The 8000 series has hdr with poor peak brightness.

You won't be able to tell the difference between hdr on and off with those TVs.

You need at least a Q60 series to experience true HDR if you want a Samsung.

 

[J3nga]

Isn't this point thrown out of the window when they've mentioned consoles looking better with HDR and the issue is on pc?

He said he tried SOTC which he said he didn't remember looking that bad. My point still stands, that TV isn't really producing quality HDR picture.

 

[YCoCg]

Normally i don't enable HDR through Windows. Games detect it anyway. But it was Ori that needed it forced ON otherwise it didn't detect it.

Sadly you'll find it's the Microsoft Studio Games that will exclusively use the Windows HDR method. Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Killer Instinct, Ori, etc.

 

[GaviotaGrande]

My HDR experience on PC is great. But I use LG CX65. You need a decent TV to get a decent HDR.

 

[nkarafo]

The RU 6000 and 7000 series have fake HDR. The 8000 series has hdr with poor peak brightness.

You won't be able to tell the difference between hdr on and off with those TVs.

You need at least a Q60 series to experience true HDR if you want a Samsung.

But i do. There is a big difference. It's just that these two games look worse.

 

[carsar]

ks8000. I have almost same HDR experience on PC and ps4, the only bad thing I can't easily take hdr screenshot on pc, and reshade effects doesn't work with hdr well.

 

[acm2000]

windows hdr mode wont work properly on my sony 4k tv so i have to rely on games having an hdr toggle in the settings which doesnt seem to be very common, disappointing.

 

[Dr.D00p]

Using HDR also plays havoc with screenshot grabbing apps, from plain not working to colours being completely wrong, which is why I tend to just turn it off

 

[Siri]

RTX 2080 TI - LG C9

My experience with HDR on the pc was the opposite of yours. I bought my C9 because of OLED, not HDR. I wanted to see those black levels - and yes they are amazing.

But HDR, which I always thought was a gimmick, just blew me away. Now, when games don’t support it, I’m disappointed, because it feels like something is missing. All I can say is, you must have the wrong tech, or something.

 

[MadchesterManc]

HDR looks fine on PC for me, it's just the implementation that isn't so hot. Only a few games I have will automatically switch whilst the rest require the OS toggle. The console implementation is better in that it's more seamless, but generally looks the same as on PC.

 

[Spukc]

Hi get an oled from LG

that is all bye!

 

[Soodanim]

I'm under the impression that Windows just doesn't have an implementation that's worth using, and as a result the whole thing is a shit-show. My next monitor won't be HDR.

 

[Kuranghi]

I recently got a 42 inch Samsung 4K LED TV and it's HDR compatible. Though i mainly play on my 240hz monitor, i still use the bigger TV for slower paced games or the ones that i can't run faster than 60fps.

First game i tried HDR with was Resident Evil 2 Remake. This game looks washed out regardless the settings so i thought maybe it's meant to be played with HDR? But it looks even worse this way. Lights look great but every dark area basically becomes very light grey (was already grey to begin with). Couldn't make it look good so i ended up disabling HDR and using Reshade to fix the contrast a bit.

Second game i tried was Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Although i normally play this game at 120fps on the faster monitor, i wanted to see how it looks at 4K and HDR. I had issues with it because i had to enable HDR through Windows (which is a really bad thing as it makes the OS look bad). Well, the game looks bad as well. While it's cool to see the sun and other bright effects under HDR, all other colors and contrast are messed up. It's like it's oversaturated with a red hue but at the same time more washed out and darker.

I tried to adjust the HDR settings but i can't make any game look good. I can tell HDR is working because bright things look naturally bright. These look great but the rest of the picture is like there's something wrong.

Is this an issue with PC? Because i played an HDR game on PS4 (Shadow of Colossus) and i don't remember it looking as bad.


Of all the fancy, modern ways to play games, things like 120fps+ gaming and GSYNC on the smaller monitor have been game changers for me so far. But i feel like i'm missing something with HDR. Maybe these two games have bad implementations? Which games should i try instead?

I had a bit of a journey regarding Ori 2 HDR on PC...

This is a comparison I made for SDR and HDR for Ori 2, the closest you can get it to looking normal in HDR is by lowering contrast value to minimum, ignore the 0.5 and 1.5 brightness images that was for a different issue that can't be fixed anyway:




The images are tonemapped to SDR but it gives you an idea of how fucked up the colours/contrast are at default settings (This is for anyone but nkarafo who is reading this, he already knows how awful it looks).

TL;DR - Lower the contrast slider to 0.5/minimum to make it look much better than the HDR default but imo SDR is overall the best looking.

The QA team/company as a whole must've tested the game on TVs with IPS screens or something else with low contrast, its bizarre they thought that was the a good baseline when it looks like you described, like its malfunctioning.

Here is a conversation I had with one of the lead devs (and EvilBoris a bit, HDR enthusiast who helped out on Ori 2's HDR implementation on PC and HDR regrade for console) about the HDR, he doesn't directly say but he implies that the default settings should produce a nice image and "feedback has been very positive" What?! I fear for those peoples eyes:

Digital Foundry: Ori And The Will Of The Wisps Analysis - XB1S dropping as low as 28FPS and X as low as 35FPS

That’s just when the original blog post went up with the expected fixes. They announced it on their Twitter today that it’s out after being delayed. Sigh this is such a bummer, I bought the collectors edition and now I just feel silly. Feeling like I’m going to have to wait till the end of the...

www.resetera.com

If you can be bothered to read the few posts I wrote and his replies you can see I just gave up even though I wanted to say, "listen this is fucked and it looks like trash, I could do a better job with my 10 year old cursory knowledge of colour/image grading", but that would've been a bit combatative haha.

Before posting that I also DM'd him and EvilBoris and they just gave me generic information that wasn't at all addressing what I had written to them. Sad end to story, but oh well it looked amazing in SDR on my ZD9 anyway so I just finished it.

TL;DR - Lower the contrast slider to 0.5/minimum to make it look much better than the HDR default but imo SDR is overall the best looking.

p.s - I had to go to the smelly place to get this information, I hope you guys know the bravery that took. I REALLY wanted the HDR to be good lol.

 

[nemiroff]

HDR on PC has actually been quite good for me. I don't have the brightest HDR display in the world, a new 240Hz Samsung G7 monitor (I also have a 1500 nits Samsung 4K HDR TV), but it works quite well. I don't have any issues right now outside spotty support in some games. Switching to and from HDR mode used to be buggy, but now it seems to have been fixed and works well, even overlays.

 

[Kuranghi]

I'm under the impression that Windows just doesn't have an implementation that's worth using, and as a result the whole thing is a shit-show. My next monitor won't be HDR.

Its not as crap as it used to be, you basically have to make sure game is running in proper exclusive fullscreen and sometimes you have to have the HDR "switch" on in windows settings, takes 2 seconds to activate. Its more the games implementation that sucks/aren't plug 'n play like SDR.

The problem is 10% that Windows 10 HDR is shit and 90% that HDR implementations in general just sucks a lot of the time/are too technically accurate but less pleasing to the average joes eye than the SDR.

Its worth getting an HDR TV for HDR gaming, but not a monitor, they are overpriced and don't give you as good HDR as a TV half its price and 3 times the size since they are focused on low response rate and input lag over image quality. Although I understand if space is the issue, not everyone can have a 49" "monitor" on their desk.

 

[DanEON]

Op, are you using the correct black range on nvidia panel?? If you dont match the TV and PC settings you will get wrongs black levels. Make sure you have PC Full / TV High or PC Limited / TV Low.

I've been using HDR on PC for years and never had a problem.

 

[Kuranghi]

First game i tried HDR with was Resident Evil 2 Remake. This game looks washed out regardless the settings so i thought maybe it's meant to be played with HDR? But it looks even worse this way. Lights look great but every dark area basically becomes very light grey (was already grey to begin with). Couldn't make it look good so i ended up disabling HDR and using Reshade to fix the contrast a bit.

You aren't alone mate in your thinking, thats what most people think of the HDR in RE2make, the devs basically wanted to make it look like a pulpy/grindhousey horror film. So the highlights and bright parts are really nice and good depth is added to characters/enemies against the backgrounds but they ended up raising the black level (Escpecially in the first hallway where you crawl under the door, that part of the game has its own special blue colour grade for some reason as well) for whatever artistic reason. You can't "fix it" because thats exactly how they wanted it to look. The highlights are also purposely blown out to give a grindhouse/cheap movie look to it.

 

[Diddy X]

Re2re can look like shit if you don't adjust it properly, spend some minutes tweaking the video options to make it look like it should.

 

[nkarafo]

Kuranghi

Well, at least i'm glad it's not something on my system/settings that makes the game look bad. SDR indeed looks better in every occasion.

Now i need to find out why Resident Evil 2 also doesn't look too hot. And maybe i need to test more games because i'm sure there isn't anything wrong with my settings.

Edit: Just saw your second post about RE. Looks like i just need to play a different game than those two

 

[Elog]

PC HDR implementations are really poor - even with a decent to good HDR capable monitor. On my PS4/PS4pro HDR is amazing. Never fully understood where the problems on PC comes from.

 

[Kuranghi]

Kuranghi

Well, at least i'm glad it's not something on my system/settings that makes the game look bad. SDR indeed looks better in every occasion.

Now i need to find out why Resident Evil 2 also doesn't look too hot. And maybe i need to test more games because i'm sure there isn't anything wrong with my settings.

Edit: Just saw your second post about RE. Looks like i just need to play a different game than those two

Hopefully post #33 above clears that up for you. Unfortunately maybe not the answer you want though.

 

[DJT123]

MS should fix things fast. Lots of TV PC gaming users entering their ecosystem this gen.

 

[nemiroff]

PC HDR implementations are really poor - even with a decent to good HDR capable monitor.

I don't know much about the topic since this is my first go at PC HDR. Last month I got some visual bugs when switching to and from HDR, but now it seems to have been fixed. Other than that I don't really notice anything different from when I'm on my consoles playing on my HDR TV (other than the 1500 nits of course....). What kind of implementations are you referring to?

 

[John2290]

It's great on PRO, I hear about a lot of problems on PC and while some can't be fixed I hear a lot can be improved by adjusting the gamma on your GPU settings app and balancing it with your display settings at the same time. I can only imagine how much tinkering you'd have to do with GPU settings, TV settings and then in game settings. I found it difficult enough to get the most out of my TV when I setting up games on PRO and looking for a balance while getting the most out of them. I'd reckon if you're looking for good HDR on PC you should buy a dedicated monitor.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Seemed fine my PG27UQ and PG35VQ.

 

[Elog]

I don't know much about the topic since this is my first go at PC HDR. Last month I got some visual bugs when switching to and from HDR, but now it seems to have been fixed. Other than that I don't really notice anything different from when I'm on my consoles playing on my HDR TV (other than the 1500 nits of course....). What kind of implementations are you referring to?

It might have to do with my monitor (Samsung QLED 27" with up to 600 nits) but every time I attempt to use HDR the whole color palette ends up 'off' to me. I have tried to play around with multiple settings but never got it to a place where it looks good.

I have used my PS4pro on a OLED B6 and CX - plug and play.

I should probably read up more but there is something in the PC implantation that is not good and I am unsure if it is my hardware or how windows control the color palette through DirectX.

 

[Whataborman]

HDR doesn't work well on my Win10 PC either. Also makes colors on my Windows desktop and in photos look super washed out. So I turn it off from Windows HD color settings.

IMO, the best looking HDR game on PC is Monster Hunter World. Seeing it on my HDR monitor was a game changer.

That said, Windows implementation of HDR is screwed up and anything non-gaming/non-video looks like crap when you have HDR turned on in Windows 10. The easiest fix for this would be Windows implementing an automatic switching mode that turns on HDR when HDR content is encountered and turns it off when it isn't needed.

 

[GymWolf]

Same, console do this much better without hassle.

 

[RookX22]

I have had a similar experience as op, I had my pc hooked up to a tcl and was disappointed in it and now with my x900h I am still disappointed. It's crazy how these os in tvs can auto detect hdr signal and switch without a problem but windows still can't do this.

 

[nemiroff]

IMO, the best looking HDR game on PC is Monster Hunter World. Seeing it on my HDR monitor was a game changer.

That said, Windows implementation of HDR is screwed up and anything non-gaming/non-video looks like crap when you have HDR turned on in Windows 10. The easiest fix for this would be Windows implementing an automatic switching mode that turns on HDR when HDR content is encountered and turns it off when it isn't needed.

Same, console do this much better without hassle.

I have had a similar experience as op, I had my pc hooked up to a tcl and was disappointed in it and now with my x900h I am still disappointed. It's crazy how these os in tvs can auto detect hdr signal and switch without a problem but windows still can't do this.

Hmm, how long ago did you guys try this, because I'm doing it right now and Windows is doing it on the fly at the same speed as my HDR TV. I tested it both in Modern Warfare (HDR) and Pinball FX (not HDR) and Windows switched between both fine. I also tested the Xbox overlay in Modern Warfare and it switched between HDR and non HDR without any bugs or issues. Also non-HDR apps looks fine when Windows HDR switch is "on" but the HDR signal is not live/activated.

Samsung G7 monitor (HDR600 only)
GTX 1080

But as I said, I'm no expert so I might've missed something..

Edit: How the hell do I get Netflix to play HDR on PC.. Tried both MS Edge and the Netflix app, but nope.. (Yes i have Premium / Ultra. Connected via DP of course..)

 

[Phrixotrichus]

HDR is highly dependent on your hardware.

To be blunt, most "HDR-compatible" TVs should never be used for HDR lest you wish for a washed out mess of a picture.
They may understand the signal, but they do not have the panel-capabilities to actually display it the way it was meant to be displayed.
Your Samsung UE43RU is a good example for that. That TV is in no way capable of displaying a good HDR image.

And even if you have hardware like f.e. an LG Oled you still need a good signal. Software often still fails to implement HDR correctly. It absolutely varies on a game by game basis.

 

[saintjules]

I play HDR right to my OLED from the PC. So I haven't seen much of the issues. Seemed to look great with Doom Eternal, but I'll try a few games on my PC screens to see. I have a Samsung. The other screen I have doesn't support HDR.

 

[saintjules]

HDR is highly dependent on your hardware.

To be blunt, most "HDR-compatible" TVs should never be used for HDR lest you wish for a washed out mess of a picture.
They may understand the signal, but they do not have the panel-capabilities to actually display it the way it was meant to be displayed.
Your Samsung UE43RU is a good example for that. That TV is in no way capable of displaying a good HDR image.

And even if you have hardware like f.e. an LG Oled you still need a good signal. Software often still fails to implement HDR correctly. It absolutely varies on a game by game basis.

Excatly. Seems it will be a shit show for these people with next-gen Consoles looking for the budget TV with such 'capabilities' without doing the right research.

 

[Sleepwalker]

PC games don't look washed out on HDTVs unless you've got your Nvidia display and HDTV settings wrong.

Now that you bring that up, are there any settings or configurations that should be done that are "general" for most people? I recently got a new PC and a new monitor and have been struggling with finding color balance for a couple days.


My main issue is that the monitor looks really bright (in hdr, or any other mode) but colors like red look really washed to the point that they might as well be pink. This is my first IPS panel so i'm not sure if they are meant to look like that, I used to play on a cheap TN panel and thought the colors looked fine.