My TV supports HDR10+, but Windows won't reliably enable HDR when I connect my MSI Katana 17 B13VFK using an HDMI 2.1 cable to an HDMI 2.1 port. The TV is set to accept an enhanced HDMI 2.1 signal, but HDR is either unavailable or behaves inconsistently. The display sometimes falls back to 8-bit color, and after a recent update I could only select 1080p even though 1440p at 120 Hz worked previously. What settings or hardware checks might I be missing?
3 Answers
Test the connection with the laptop display disabled rather than mirrored or extended. Set the TV as the only active display, then try enabling HDR with Windows’ HDR shortcut. Also install the latest graphics driver directly from NVIDIA, because laptop HDMI detection and HDR support can depend on driver updates as well as Windows updates.
Check both Windows and the NVIDIA Control Panel. In Windows, look under Display > HDR and see whether HDR is unavailable or simply switched off. In the NVIDIA display settings, verify the output is using the correct resolution, refresh rate, RGB color format, and a higher color depth instead of being forced into 8-bit. Also try a certified HDMI 2.1 cable, since some cables labeled HDMI 2.1 don’t reliably support the required bandwidth.
It does seem to be stuck at 8-bit. HDR briefly appeared after several attempts, but the display information also showed incorrect features such as local dimming, which my TV doesn’t have. I’m also now getting a failed test when trying to use 1440p at 120 Hz.
Many TVs require an enhanced signal mode to be enabled separately for each HDMI input. Look for settings named Enhanced Format, Deep Color, HDMI UHD Color, or HDMI 2.1 Signal. The TV being generally configured for HDMI 2.1 may not be enough if the specific port is still using standard compatibility mode.
My TV is a Haier QLED Q80, and the closest setting I can find is color depth or color space, which is already set to its maximum value.
The HDR shortcut didn’t work for me. Oddly, HDR eventually activated while I was playing a game, so the detection seems intermittent rather than completely unsupported.