Topic: *screams internally over HDR stuff*

Okay, I've searched, I looked at videos...I messed with settings...

Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong?...Or why HDR is so amazing? I don't get it, AT ALL. I have an LG C9, so yes HDR is indeed a thing on my TV, apparently. I've turned HGiG on, off, same with HDR settings. Messed with other picture settings on TV that did absolutely nothing besides black levels and "color temperature". Pretty much everything looks the same to me...the settings on the Switch 2 are also confusing, I just did what the screen told me to do, make it so the sun on the right is gone, for me, that's 540. According to others, nope, that's too low? WAT?

Seriously, I'm so lost...even when I'm not using HDR, things look the same to me.

Not only that, Kirby Air Riders, is considered the worse looking game for HDR. WHY? The game looks freaking amazing to me on my TV.

What am I doing wrong here? What do I need to do on my TV AND Switch 2? Why are the instructions for the calibration wrong apparently if 540 is too low even though I just did what the stupid thing told me to do! lol

@Joeynator3000 I had trouble with HDR at first, but there was a setting on the Switch 2 that fixed the HDR for me. After the screen where you adjust the HDR to make one sun invisible, there should be a second screen that shows artwork for Mario Wonder. On this screen you can actually press Y to adjust the HDR (for some reason this setting is weirdly hidden) through a brightness slider that allows you to better calibrate HDR. On this screen you can also change the image by pressing X to ensure that the HDR is good across the majority of games. If you try this and it doesn't work, or if you have already tried this, I can't really be of much more help.

I hope this solves your issue!

Yeah I know about this screen as well, I still don't really get it, followed those instructions too. Went all the way to the left, clicked to the right 5 times...? shrugs

I have a C9 and it works well on mine. Here are my settings. These are what they look like when I have MKW up and running on the screen.

TV:

• Picture Mode Settings
  • Game (User)
  • HDR Picture Mode = Game (User)
  • Expert Controls
    • Dynamic Contrast = Off
    • Dynamic Tone Mapping = HGIG
    • Super Resolution = Off
    • Color Gamut = Auto
  • Picture Options
    • Black Level = Low
    • Motion Eye Care = Off
    • AI Brightness = Off
• Additional Settings
  • Eye Comfort Mode = Off
  • HDMI ULTRA HD Deep Color = on for Switch 2 hdmi port
  • Instant Game Response = on for Switch 2 hdmi port
• OLED Panel Settings
  • Screen Shift = On
  • Logo Luminance Adjustment = Low

Switch 2 Settings:

• Display
  • System Screen’s HDR Output = On
  • TV Resolution = Automatic
  • 120hz Output = On
  • Auto Low-Latency = On
  • HDR Output = Compatible Software Only
  • Run Adjust HDR in dark room

Hope this helps!

@Pirate1
His big issue is the picture on the HDR screen disappears around 560 nits. Which shouldn't be the case for an LG C9 OLED. My LG C1 OLED disappears around 800 nits. Idk what his settings are but something isn't right. Maybe contrast and/or OLED backlight brightness?

@JaxonH They're all maxed out, normal brightness just makes things look even worse. I just did what everyone told me to do, enable HGiG, most of the other settings are on default, max OLED, contrast, etc. But yeah, for me it's 540. :/
(...also kinda forgot about this thread, lol)

Yeah, messed with it again, even went through my TV settings and turned EVERYTHING off in the options, no difference...right sun still vanishes at 540. :/
Everything still looks exactly the same.

Tried searching SPECIFICALLY my issue, and all I get are the same results.
"SOLVE EVERYTHING BY TURNING ON HGIG, IT'S THAT SIMPLE LAWL!!"

...sighs >_>

EDIT: Okay I finally found SOMETHING to help me out...someone was experiencing my same exact issue, despite what everyone was saying about setting the RGB setting on Switch 2 to Full Range, I actually have to set it it to Limited, instead. NOW the right sun disappears around 800.

Now colors are brighter.
Holy crap that was a pain in the butt.

AV stuff can be so infuriating, and HDR is one of the worst offenders. Sometimes I wish I was a total normie who's fine with a stretched 4:3 image on a cheap no-name 16:9 LCD played through built in speakers. No doubt they're having a better time than I am when I pause the movie for the 5th time trying to work out why I'm not getting the rear channels

...Yeah it's annoying...Switch and the surround sound was another obnoxious thing I had issues with back then with my surround sound bar. I eventually found out how to get it working but I also eventually just said "screw it, it's not worth it" lol.
I still have my 5.1 sound bar, but the rear speakers are just stored away somewhere, I'll just stick with stereo. xD

But yeah, apparently the solution I found earlier for HDR is still...wrong? I don't know, this is all so freakin' confusing. TwT

I'm going to be honest: I've got a friend who works with A/V professionally. Has a mega OLED home cinema setup (I forget the inches, I really don't care that much; it's an enormous TV though) with full HDR etc. Spent so much time tuning it. Showed me the difference of HDR and non-HDR media, and I can hardly tell the difference. Sure if you compare side by side in freeze frame maybe, but honestly, I just don't see it as a universal "better". In some scenes it's better, in some I think it's worse.

It's not worth fussing over unless you really love to argue with people on the Digital Foundry discord or something.

I'm getting an LG C55LA delivered in the next few days, looks like I'll be having some 'fun' with it then.

@OmnitronVariant After actually seeing it, it depends on the game itself. As for stuff like movies, I can't really see it, especially in live action stuff. But stuff like anime I can see it here and there sometimes.

But yeah, played a bit of Ball x Pit with the HDR set up correctly and I can see the difference now. As for Air Riders, I see what people are talking about, but the game looks fine regardless...think people are just overreacting to it not really having HDR or something. lol

Haven't tried Metroid Prime 4 with HDR set up correctly yet, might do that sometime soon.

I think there is only a few games on Switch 2 that support HDR.

Key Games with HDR on Nintendo Switch 2:
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition)
Super Mario Odyssey (free update)
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
ARMS (free update)
No Man's Sky
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (free update)
Donkey Kong Bananza (2025)
Mario Kart World (2025)

I believe this is for both hdmi and the Switch 2 display panel but the display panel is not actually capable of display true HDR as far too dim in reality.

The original PS4 had fairly wide support for HDR but it was enhanced on PS4 Pro, the Xbox One didn't support HDR with the first console but the later versions did. On PC its down to the components really and the software. On android its getting much better support now but you need a capable phone or tablet to do so and the software again has to support it.

My point is I think overall Switch 2 has poor HDR support even worse than last gen Sony and Microsoft consoles, its a bit like Surround sound in that Nintendo seem to provide the bare minimum of capability and support. To do it properly you need capable hardware, widespread HDR software support and of course a very good display typically OLED for best effect. It's not something the Switch 2 makes much of an effort with in my opinion.

Personally I don't have much does HDR well anyway. I've got a HDR compatible TV but its LCD and doesn't have local dimming, I've got a android tablet that supports it but like the Switch 2 with LCD and no local dimming plus less than 500 nits its not really really HDR. My Switch OLED has a nice panel but of course Switch 1 games don't support HDR. Lastly I have a Steam Deck and MSI Claw A1M and again no local dimming and LCD panels. The only things I have that does HDR well is a razer Edge console that I bought cheap for £100 which has a 144Hz Amoled panel with decent HDR output. It's a brilliant panel and beautiful but quite small. I also have a Xiaomi 11T Pro with a 120Hz Amoled panel too and peak brightness of 1000 nits. Both devices look great but the difference between HDR and SDR is not game changing but nice to have. I appreciate a higher refresh rate and quick pixel response times more to give silky smooth responsive gameplay.

I will not use HDR until it is somewhat standardised across TV's and consoles. It's just such an unnecessary headache. I'd rather just play the games.

The problem with "HDR becoming standardized" is that its main 'value', such as it is? Marketing hype. Yes, its a real technical feature, but its objective benefits to the end user are fairly minor and nuanced, compared with its 'benefit' of providing buzzwords for promotional copy. Which poses a problem for standardizing, because the more standardized the feature becomes, the less useful it becomes as advertising bulletpoints. Putting in the effort to make HDR a ubiquitous standardized feature would make it less valuable to the TV companies and such, because now they can't use it for promotional hype or ( largely meaningless ) product differentiation.

Basically, I can't see it becoming standardized until after the public stops caring about it and the companies thus lose interest in using it for marketing. Only at that point, it might be too little value to be worth the effort to standardize, or include at all.

If HDR in a game or other media is good implemented it's a real game changer. Provided you have a capable TV.

I usually compare SDR and HDR from a game to game basis. I just recently did it for Mario Kart World. I loved the quality of HDR from the get go, so I didn't bother to compare them earlier.
But wow. This game looks so flat in SDR. HDR has so much more depth it almost looks like the TV puts a 3D layer on top of the image, if you know what I mean. 😅
Not to mention the colours look way better.
I only have a mid range Mini LED (QLED) TV. So nothing fancy.

I think HDR can be important for mid range TVs to enhance the experience and quality of a game. Just like DLSS can enhance mid range Consoles (like the Switch 2) or PCs.