Ok thanks. I played the majority of the campaign after that patch and I felt it was underwhelming compared to other titles. Maybe it was a different issue, I'm no HDR expert.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
HDR games analysed
- Thread starter EvilBoris
- Start date
Ok thanks. I played the majority of the campaign after that patch and I felt it was underwhelming compared to other titles. Maybe it was a different issue, I'm no HDR expert.
Ok thanks, i'm going to try this, I think I might have a "PC" res set instead of a "TV" one.
But I'm not sure what you mean by "full screen optimisation "
I tried the game with HDR off, but for some reason, even if I manage to set the game in non HDR, it will force back DV when I try to restart it even if disable in Windows and ingame. (It will even force "HDMI ultra deep color" on the TV)
As for the second monitor, I do have one connected, I will try plugging it off.
I will report back when I tried everything you suggested, but for information, I tried BF1 with DV, and managed to get a picture, but with a slight pinkinsh hue to the pure white tones , and with massive input lag even on game mode.
Apologies for the repeat question but I really wanna play Death Stranding and figure this out.
Do folks think I have to play in game mode when I use HDR? Is it a thing for folks to change to standard HDR and not game mode to get better colors and visuals? Or do you always stay in game mode for games? Trying to figure out why my game mode makes colors washed out.
Do folks think I have to play in game mode when I use HDR? Is it a thing for folks to change to standard HDR and not game mode to get better colors and visuals? Or do you always stay in game mode for games? Trying to figure out why my game mode makes colors washed out.
Have you calibrated HDR (in game mode) via PS4 video settings? On my low end LG 6300 it changed things for the better.
Ok so I tried everything plus some others and, SPOILER ALERT: nothing worked lol
I disabled screen optimisation, made sure the resolution was a "TV" one, unplugged my 2nd monitor, tried a variety of HDR settings (chroma and black levels, even at 30 fps to allow 12bit RGB full) but it is always the same thing : a black screen when the DV logo pops up... And this messes up the HDR in windows until a restart. for example, I tried launching MW after closing NFS and getting an image back (it rarely happens, I usually have to restart) and it triggered a black screen DV mode althrough MW isn't DV compatible. had to restart. the only case I didn't get a black screen while fullscreen is when I forced 4:2:0 12 bit (10bit isn't available in any chroma subsampling except 4:2:2), I got a purple colored image of the game with severe color banding when activating HDR, while the TV stayed in SDR mode... the closest thing I can get to running this game in HDR is playing it in borderless while having HDR enabled in windows, this way the game will render in SDR in a HDR image lol...
I think i'll stick to playing in SDR with this one, which is a shame because I'm sure HEAT really benefits from HDR. It's a shame the devs didn't inclure an option to play in HDR10 instead of DV. DV might look better, but at least HDR10 works...
I have the LG B7A, 2017, oled, I have read that it is near top of the line HDR wise, one of the better ones. (2017-2019)
I calibrated the ps4pros hdr settings with the instructions on screen, and i also do it within the games each time.
Atm , color wise it looks a lot better when it is on HDR standard and not HDR game, but i know Game mode should be what it is on.
Am I gaming wrong if i play single player games on standard HDR and not game mode HDR. I was always under the impression that game mode is what it should always be on with games. But of course I prefer visuals. Is it normal to sacrifice colors in favor of lighting innovations in these games? Is the intent for colors to be a bit more washed out from the dev side ? Maybe with the oled Pop, i am too used to over saturated greens and what not, on grass and trees. But it looks dull with game mode HDR, . when I am in game mode without HDR, it looks great.
Another thing, there is a scene with a vehicle light in Death Stranding where on HDR standard, the headlights are blue, but on HDR game mode they are green and it looks like a color error almost, idk. Maybe my screen is messed up.
Last edited:
Have you taken a look at the rtings.com calibration guide for your TV? That generally has the proper settings for what you should aim for. Check it out, particularly the HDR section: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/b7-b7a-oled/settings
I don't have that TV but generally speaking, the big difference between game mode and non-game mode tends to be input lag.
Yeah. I double checked just now. I remember looking at that when i bought the tv. They say game mode is always best, including with HDR, game mode. However, with the settings the same on game mode , it just looks better color wise on HDR standard. But it has the lag a bit.
so far in Death Stranding,
ive tried
Game Mode HDR (the colors are a bit washed out but i can notice the good lighting features)
Game Mode HDR off (this looks best color wise, everything pops but i know that the HDR lighting improvements arent there)
Standard HDR (this looks best with HDR and colors but has some of the lag)
Standard HDR off (this is the worst input lag wise, so it has to be one of the other 3 choices above).
I have never been this torn on what mode to play on. Get a 4k hdr they said , it would be easier and look amazing they said :D lol.
I am in between standard HDR mode and game mode without it on at the moment.
ive tried
Game Mode HDR (the colors are a bit washed out but i can notice the good lighting features)
Game Mode HDR off (this looks best color wise, everything pops but i know that the HDR lighting improvements arent there)
Standard HDR (this looks best with HDR and colors but has some of the lag)
Standard HDR off (this is the worst input lag wise, so it has to be one of the other 3 choices above).
I have never been this torn on what mode to play on. Get a 4k hdr they said , it would be easier and look amazing they said :D lol.
I am in between standard HDR mode and game mode without it on at the moment.
Last edited:
As an owner of a B7 as well, you should take a look at this thread for ways to get the most out of your display, especially in game mode HDR:
LG 2017-2023 OLEDs - Optimized Settings for Xbox One/Series X|S, PS4/PS5, Switch, PC and webOS/Movies (SDR, HDR, DV) Sony - Microsoft - Tech
Hello everyone, I would like to share my FINAL set of Optimized Settings for all LG OLEDs from 2017 to 2023 Series for both SDR / HDR / DOLBY VISION Movies & TV Shows + Xbox One/Series X|S , PC, PS4/PS5 and Switch gaming with the best PQ and lowest Input-Lag results possible (from 4ms to 21ms...
www.resetera.com
Have you played any new first party titles recently? Is there a change in colors for you when you go between game mode and HDR game mode? Is that normal.As an owner of a B7 as well, you should take a look at this thread for ways to get the most out of your display, especially in game mode HDR:
LG 2017-2023 OLEDs - Optimized Settings for Xbox One/Series X|S, PS4/PS5, Switch, PC and webOS/Movies (SDR, HDR, DV) Sony - Microsoft - Tech
Hello everyone, I would like to share my FINAL set of Optimized Settings for all LG OLEDs from 2017 to 2023 Series for both SDR / HDR / DOLBY VISION Movies & TV Shows + Xbox One/Series X|S , PC, PS4/PS5 and Switch gaming with the best PQ and lowest Input-Lag results possible (from 4ms to 21ms...
I've never experienced the loss in saturation that you're describing when using HDR Game mode, no, so I genuinely don't know what's causing that. I haven't loaded up Death Stranding yet but I'll report back here if it looks washed out to me as well once I do.
The only game I've played in HDR on my TV recently that loses color when going into HDR is Red Dead Redemption 2, but that's an effect of the game's implementation of HDR and not specific to the LG B7.
yeah. I went back and tried Horizon, SOTC and Spider Man as well for HDR and it seems the game mode gives a slight loss in colors or saturation. Please let me know if you can, changing back and forth between game mode HDR and just game mode with the HDR off through the Death Stranding settings. Maybe I have had a defective screen or something all along. Idk, movie HDR is amazing though. But that is diff.
I am playing DS atm on Standard mode, with HDR. Not in game mode. Because i want the HDR but I also want the pop and better colors. It feels naked when I do not see the lighting stuff that HDR gives,
You don't have your input set to PC by any chance do you?
the input label atm is HDMI1 , Should it be relabeled to PC ?
No no, you can switch an input into "PC mode" by changing its icon to the PC/laptop icon. PC mode is a bit busted on the 7-series so that would possibly lead to weird colors, but it sounds like that isn't something you changed, so I'm genuinely not sure what would be causing that problem for you.
Now game mode HDR is dim on these 7-series, but that wouldn't lead to washed out colors. You should check that thread I linked if you want some settings to help get around that dimness though. The Option 1a game mode HDR settings in particular will give you a significant boost in overall brightness at the expense of small color accuracy loss.
I'm not entirely sure it is a problem, maybe this is just how the colors are intended. I just always figured that HDR game mode meant that the colors would be pushed to the limits and a broad amount of colors and variations. Instead of being less than with it off.
In any case. I guess I will play with HDR Standard mode. I would rather have HDR on as I can tell it is better in an early moment of the game// With it being standard i get the better colors. I only miss out on the input lag stuff but i guess I dont need it.
After you mentioned PC mode, I googled and some folks have the impression that changing this would make the input lag lower. You claim the 7 series doesnt do anything tho with it. Ill just setting with this Standard HDR mode for now. Ill try RDR2 and ACOdyssey or something soon just to test it again.
Im not sure if HDR is supposed to change the colors or not. I know it does better shadows and more realistic lighting in caves and stuff, but perhaps I have the wrong idea with it regarding colors. Another example tho... When i try spiderman ps4, game mode without HDR yields a brighter and redder Spider man costume. The shadows and lighting are a lot more real with game mode HDR tho.
Well that's certainly a common misconception that HDR = super rainbow unicorn barf colors, which just isn't true. HDR is exactly what it sounds like, a higher dynamic range, which is most noticeable in shadow and highlight detail, but also color detail as well. Most HDR games or movies aren't going to necessarily have colors that pop out of the screen and sear your eyeballs, but at the same time the colors should absolutely not be muted when toggling HDR on, especially in games like Spider-Man PS4.
Give the settings I linked above a shot with that game specifically, as for me it was the most noticeable example of the B7's subpar game mode brightness. With those settings enabled, see if it really was the colors getting washed out or if it was actually a matter of dimness.
thanks for the replies. It looks great. I matched the settings exactly. I think the intro situation in DS environmentally was Cloudy , making the colors darker than what they would be. I am into the game and seeing bright yellows and orange and reds , it is just, when there are clouds it is more dim. The lighting is indeed superior in HDR, and i am now not worried about the colors after continuing the game past the intro section.
The lighting on the moss changes its color depending on the clouds and sun. This is perhaps what i was missing. Brightness though has never been an issue either way. I guess this is how the colors should be when it is cloudy versus when it is sunny and so on. I had some misconceptions of my own.
EvilBoris
I searched and couldn't find an answer for this so sorry if its been discussed already, but is Hitman 2's HDR working correctly on PC?
I have it on steam and if I enable HDR in game, no matter what brightness values I choose the image is over saturated and just looks wrong. The game looks miles better in SDR. Agent 47's face is too pink in HDR mode. This happens whether I turn on Windows 10's HDR setting or not - although sometimes it says my TV doesnt support HDR when its off but other times it still lets me turn on HDR without the windows setting being on. Turning on HDR in-game sets my TV into HDR mode as expected.
As a counter example, Borderlands 3, seems to work perfectly in this regard. It doesnt show me the in-game HDR setting unless I turn on the Win10 HDR setting and if I do turn on said setting I get the HDR options menu and after configuring the brightness levels for my display it seems to output correctly - brighter highlights and neon colours look great, as expected.
Its weird because its not like when you force HDR 10 on in the TV's settings menu for an SDR image, it looks wrong but it doesnt look like the display is expecting HDR when its getting SDR, the colour just looks oversaturated.
I searched and couldn't find an answer for this so sorry if its been discussed already, but is Hitman 2's HDR working correctly on PC?
I have it on steam and if I enable HDR in game, no matter what brightness values I choose the image is over saturated and just looks wrong. The game looks miles better in SDR. Agent 47's face is too pink in HDR mode. This happens whether I turn on Windows 10's HDR setting or not - although sometimes it says my TV doesnt support HDR when its off but other times it still lets me turn on HDR without the windows setting being on. Turning on HDR in-game sets my TV into HDR mode as expected.
As a counter example, Borderlands 3, seems to work perfectly in this regard. It doesnt show me the in-game HDR setting unless I turn on the Win10 HDR setting and if I do turn on said setting I get the HDR options menu and after configuring the brightness levels for my display it seems to output correctly - brighter highlights and neon colours look great, as expected.
Its weird because its not like when you force HDR 10 on in the TV's settings menu for an SDR image, it looks wrong but it doesnt look like the display is expecting HDR when its getting SDR, the colour just looks oversaturated.
OP
OP
I've tried Hitman 1/2 on PC and didn't have any problems.
Try it in DX11 and Full Screen Exclusive
OP
OP
I think that DX12 games look for whether or not your display supports HDR via that toggle being turned on. For DX11 games, they have their own access to the display (I think that is how it works)
My experience has usually been that games don't present HDR options when that toggle is off
Cheers for replying so swiftly btw.
Nope, same problem whether its DX11 or DX12, in FSE, this is the only game that does this I dont understand whats even going wrong. I've never had any issues with any other game that supports HDR - the only steps to enable HDR being, toggle the windows 10 setting [or not, as you said above] and have it in FSE and it just works - those being AC:Origins, RE7, RE2 Remake, BL3, Sekiro and Hellblade.
I also have a PS4 Pro and many games have output HDR properly to my TV without issue. Very puzzling 🤔
Nope, same problem whether its DX11 or DX12, in FSE, this is the only game that does this I dont understand whats even going wrong. I've never had any issues with any other game that supports HDR - the only steps to enable HDR being, toggle the windows 10 setting [or not, as you said above] and have it in FSE and it just works - those being AC:Origins, RE7, RE2 Remake, BL3, Sekiro and Hellblade.
I also have a PS4 Pro and many games have output HDR properly to my TV without issue. Very puzzling 🤔
I have taken screenshots of the issue but I dont know if its even possible for you to see the problem in a screenshot. They look washed out when I view them on my desktop [In SDR, without the Win10 HDR toggle on, which is to be expected I think], but it isn't washed out in-game - but the colours are just as wrong in-game as they are in the screenshot when viewed on my desktop.
OP
OP
I have taken screenshots of the issue but I dont know if its even possible for you to see the problem in a screenshot. They look washed out when I view them on my desktop [In SDR, without the Win10 HDR toggle on, which is to be expected I think], but it isn't washed out in-game - but the colours are just as wrong in-game as they are in the screenshot when viewed on my desktop.
Take the photos using the Windows game bar (this saves HDR images as .JXR files) and upload one for me so I can see
OP
OP
No it wasn't, but I thought of that before you replied and when I started the game with the Windows HDR toggle on I get a black screen with only audio, which has never happened before.
edit - that happens in DX12 and DX11, black screen, only audio. I also tried with the games HDR setting set to On and Off in the launcher, with the intent to turn it on once I was in-game.
edit - that happens in DX12 and DX11, black screen, only audio. I also tried with the games HDR setting set to On and Off in the launcher, with the intent to turn it on once I was in-game.
OP
OP
OP
OP
Try 1080p or 4K and do what you did when the screen went black
Tried both 1080p and 2160p with HDR toggle on in Windows and HDR on in launcher of game. No more black screen and I was able to take the screenshot and it came out as a .JXR, colours still look oversaturated though.
Hopefully this link works - https://www.dropbox.com/s/fvcode1mcuh0692/HITMAN 2 10_11_2019 23_22_39.jxr?dl=0
Hopefully this link works - https://www.dropbox.com/s/fvcode1mcuh0692/HITMAN 2 10_11_2019 23_22_39.jxr?dl=0
Its so bizarre, when I open the gamebar the game seems to instantly stop outputting HDR, but the TV stays in HDR mode, when I clicked open file location for the screenshot folder in the gamebar the game minimises and the desktop has insanely overblown brightness, clipped whites everywhere.
I'm quite familiar with what viewing an SDR presentation in HDR looks like and vice versa and all these issues don't look like that to me.
I'm quite familiar with what viewing an SDR presentation in HDR looks like and vice versa and all these issues don't look like that to me.
EvilBoris Any chance you could check out Death Stranding? Others and myself are confused on what the best settings are. There is only an HDR Luminosity setting that goes from 0 to 100, and an SDR brightness setting. The game seems to want you to adjust the SDR brightness even in HDR as it displays it after you set the HDR Luminosity. I'm struggling to find settings that don't crush or elevate blacks.
Same here. While I set my System HDR settings appropriately I believe (not sure if this game incorporates the system's HDR settings), I'm not sure what Death stranding's HDR luminosity setting refers to in Nits. Not sure if it refers to the system HDR settings automatically or if its a 1:1 reference (50=500 nits 100=1000 nits?) and the luminosity is not required to be adjusted thereafter. Default it's at 50 after setting the PS4's HDR settings.
OP
OP
I'm trying to figure it out , I Suspect the game is doing some kind of colour volume expansion as you increase the "luminosity" actually increases the saturation.
It may be that the lowest value is actually SDR (it measures at approx 300nits) and REC709 colourspace and as you increase it from that it "expands"
Im using just under 40-50 at the moment, as anything above that makes the skies turn the colour of Monster Energy Drink
Really? I'm actually at 100 right now on my LG B7 and don't notice extra saturation. How confusing.
What about the SDR Brightness setting? The default of 5 makes blacks a soupy grey, whereas 1 seems to crush a lot of detail.
OP
OP
I'm just in the middle of calibrating my new display, so I can't really comment too much. I suspect the 5 brightness is a little too bright, as hud elements actually Graduate weirdly and don't fade to black nothing as they should
Check black levels when it is set to 100. On my AF9 blacks are raised, and appear as grey, and also whites are blown out (noticeable mainly in the sky). Might be different on the B7 as I think LG have tinkered with dynamic tone mapping to such a degree that nobody really knows what is going on with it any more.
50 is perfect on my Sony, after calibrating HDR on a system level.
Does the new PS4 HDR Calibration work on Death Stranding? I know it does on No Man Sky, but nothing else. I'd love if the system wide HDR calibration meant I'd no longer need a Linker to apply metadata to the signal, but I don't know if the new calibration tool adds metadata.
Curious about the Dolby Vision implementation in NFS: Heat. Kinda want to check it out when my LG B8 comes today.
Anyone try it?
Anyone try it?
OMG...another Sony A series user! Such a rare beast.
Care to share your set's general settings for HDR gaming? I just set mine to Rtings so it's pretty basic and I use Game mode. Looking to improve HDR performance.
For Death Stranding I've gone with Brightness '3' and Luminosity '50' but I expect my presentation would be better with finer general settings.
I've calibrated my set using AutoCal, but I use the calibrated colour settings with Game mode the same as yourself, and leave everything at default for that mode. It looks stunning.
OP
OP
Z as
Tell a lie, I'm on 25 at the moment
OP
OP
There must be some drivers issues or something iterfering. I just tried it and either got uber saturated image which was wrong, or a black screen (with audio in the background)
I was also just trying some DV games and I just get a black screen as soon as it kicks in, another common problem.
I'll be honest, I don't know what you mean. I haven't 'calibrated' my set at all.
I was thinking about basic settings like Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Black Level, Black Adjust, Peak Luminance, HDMI Video Range and Colour Space. Also your PS4's output Colour Space.
I can leave the granular details. I just wanted to experience basic settings from someone who has more knowledge.
Start by putting in these settings - https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/a9f-oled/settings - but I would suggest Smooth Gradation set to Low since its something the Sony does that other brands don't/have compromised implementations and I've only seen loss of detail once, in one scene, in one film. My professional calibrator suggested I leave it on as well as its benefits far outweigh that one bad example. On the rtings page they say noise reduction can help with low bitrate stuff but its just a bandaid so I'd say leave it off personally, although thats only really relevant for video, not games.
For the best iput lag make sure you enter all these settings into the Game mode preset and make sure you are on the HDMI input the computer/console is connected to as the settings are per input, you can see at a glance what preset you have on each input if you press help on the remote and go down and select "Picture/Auto picture mode setting list".
For SDR, the Brightness setting should be set according to your conditions, if you play in the dark then adjust it when its dark. Peak Luminance should be on High to get the full effect of HDR, adjust the brightness setting if it makes it too bright/dark, but you want it on High to get the best dynamic range. Bear in mind, when you send an HDR signal to the TV it will automatically increase the brightness value to max, this is normal. On that page I linked they say its recommended to have it set to 100 but if the TV receives an HDR signal it will do this anyway. So when you see that HDR label on the settings page brightness should be at 100 no matter what, otherwise its not really HDR. Its not the same as setting brightness to 100 with an SDR signal, just ask if you want to delve deeper into understanding why that is but its not essential to know.
I would stick with Expert 1 for colour temperature, even if it looks too yellow/orange/warm right away wait til your eyes adjust, maybe play games for an hour or two before you think about changing it. If you find something in a game thats supposed to be pure white [make sure the object/surface doesnt have other lights shining on it and imparting their colour to it, look for something white thats lit by white lights, or a piece of white paper in a game and then adjust the setting and you will see its far too blue in cool or neutral colour temperatures. Even warm will be slightly too blue in my experience.
Game mode will disable most of the motion settings so there isn't much to change there but if you are setting up an HDMI input for watching films from a BD Player then I suggest turning all the motion settings off for the creators intent. If calibrating an app like Netflix be aware that it has its own input called "Apps", so boot up Netflix [or Amazon Prime, Vudu, etc] before changing any picture settings.
Please feel free to DM or @ me here if you want more info, need clarification or have any questions but this should get you well on your way to a beautiful image!
I'll give my usual proviso in regard RTINGS - don't copy their white balance settings. Also I would suggest not setting your brightness to 5. Way, way too dark for gaming, even in a pitch black room. Leave it at the Game default i.e. 'Max'