HDR is too bright

[ArturKorop]

Describe the bug
HDR is too bright in games and in Windows settings.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Xbox: all HDR settings ON,
2. Moonlight - HRD ON, resolution 4K
3. Start "virtual desctop"
4. HDR too bright
5. Open settings: System > Display >HDR > HDR Display Calibration
   • first screen: seems fine
   • second screen: both boxes absolutely white, HDR is too bright to see difference
6. Play any game - pay attention to bright sky or something similar - too bright
7. Go to Windows HDR settings and check - too bright

Expected behavior
A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.

Screenshots or Videos
N/A

Logs
N/A

Guest Information:

• Xbox Model: Xbox Series X
• TV Resolution: 4K
• TV Model: LG G5

Host Information

• Operating System: Window
• Host Software: Apollo
• Monitor Resolutions: 3440x1440 (doesn't matter for Apollo)

Additional context
When I clieck guide + home buttons on gamepad to go to the app menu, picture on the backrdound starts to have good HDR brightness, all the issues from the To Reproduce section gone, I can see different patterns on HDR calibraction tool, I can see sun in games, etc.

[andygrundman]

Is your TV set to HGIG mode? What values do you get when you run the Xbox's own HDR calibration process? (Press LB+LT+RB+RT while in the calibration screen to display the raw numbers in the upper right.) Then try just copying those numbers to Windows HDR Calibration and create a new profile. Set the SDR Content Brightness slider in Settings -> Display -> HDR to 15.

I don't know if a virtual display handles everything correctly, so if possible try to test with a real HDR monitor on the host.

It may be useful to grab a screenshot of the Moonlight log right after the TV switches to HDR mode. The log contains some HDR-related info.

[ArturKorop]

Is your TV set to HGIG mode?
YES

What values do you get when you run the Xbox's own HDR calibration process?
MinTML: 0.040
MaxTML: 2000
MaxFFTML: 2000

Set the SDR Content Brightness slider in Settings -> Display -> HDR to 15.
I've changed it to 0, no difference for HDR

I don't know if a virtual display handles everything correctly, so if possible try to test with a real HDR monitor on the host.
I have Google Streamer for KMB games and it works perferctly with the same host (but doesn't support 120 Hz and pretty slow compared to Xbox Series X)

It may be useful to grab a screenshot of the Moonlight log right after the TV switches to HDR mode. The log contains some HDR-related info.
Below are a few screenshots, not sure how useful are they.

[andygrundman]

One of the log entries mentions the MaxLuminance Windows is using is 1038, which if anything should mean things are less bright than they could be. Have you run through the calibration to make a 2000 nit profile? I think Apollo might wipe out profiles each time the virtual display is created, I'm not sure. But regardless, it shouldn't look like that. I'm not really sure what could be wrong

You should be able to test HDR by just playing some YouTube videos in Edge or Chrome. Here’s one I like:

https://youtu.be/NNhzYkXE1i4?si=Bb04DFtfLTEUGUCn

[plexecutor]

HDR is very buggy right now. I have a color profile built for moonlight on xbox but Windows sometimes just doesnt apply it. Or, it will apply it but the nits are still the default value instead of what i calibrated. The fix for me is to just disable and reenable HDR after making sure the correct color profile is engaged and then I check the advanced display info page in the windows display setting to confirm that the correct nits value is shown.

Another issue is that sometimes when I connect to my stream, the xbox doesn't fully engage HDR so the entire image is washed out. Again, turning off and turning back on HDR a few times is usually the fix.

It's a pain but just something I have learned to live with.

[ArturKorop]

I have spent many hours (6-7) to play around with all the possible XBox + TV settings and then with ReShade app.
None of the Xbox + TV settings configuration helped.

ReShade was a bit more interesting, when I've changed game brightness to lower values, like significantly lower, it improved the bright parts of the game, but the overall picture was too dark. None of enforced "max brightness" settings on ReShade helped or have any effects at all, seems like Moonlight just ignore them.

In the end of the day, I've fallback to vanilla settings on Xbox and host PC, but use Dynamic Tone mapping feature of the TV instead of HGiG, which make the picture almost perfect with some too bright parts ocasionally.

[andygrundman]

I'm surprised to hear this, Xbox + LG CX as well as LG C2 just works perfectly. HGIG, 800 nits profile for both TVs, couldn't be simpler. Xbox auto-switches correctly every time, I can't remember the last time I had to use the toggle. I connect through an AVR in both cases, but have also tested Xbox One X directly connected to the TV + eARC which also works fine. I use a real HDR display on my host PC, that may be the missing link for you guys? (LG 27GN950, which is a terrible quality 4K LCD HDR display but does support up to 4k120 10-bit.)

[plexecutor]

LG C2 42” is my pc monitor, LG G4 77” is my streaming TV. Xbox Series S connected to Denon AVR. HDR works great once it’s engaged. It’s just hit or miss whether the Xbox will correctly enter HDR mode and whether Windows will apply the nits value from the calibrated icc profile. I’m guessing the missing link is we use Apollo with a virtual display and you use Sunshine with host display.

[andygrundman]

You can actually watch in the Xbox log when you change the HDR profile in Windows, Xbox will get some metadata from Windows with the new value. I don't actually know if this value does anything, it probably doesn't, but you can tell Windows is at least passing it along.

[andygrundman]

Give Sunshine a try and see what happens if you stream with the C2 as the active display. I know it's not ideal but it might be a good test for comparison.

BTW is your Denon one of the cursed ones from 2020, with the broken HDMI 2.1? That was a fun experience. (I still use that AVR in my living room with the free fixer box they had to send everyone.)