At this year’s CES, what did many of the most exciting PC monitors we saw have in common? Support for high-dynamic range (HDR) color encoding. You may have heard of it. Maybe you even spotted it on the box or in the menus of the latest TV you bought. But what is it?
HDR is a color spec that started gaining traction in the home theater market a few years back. Over the past few years, it has started to make its way into desktop-PC monitors, and graphics cards have supported it for some time now. But HDR has been operating in something of a stealth mode on the computing side, with its implementation in Windows rather uneven until recently, and no good single source of HDR-compliant content.
If you bought a new desktop PC monitor in the last couple of years, you may have access to the joys of HDR, and not even know it. But do you actually need it? Also, if you plan on upgrading to an HDR-capable panel of your own, how does it work on the latest Windows, and what else do you need? Read on for a primer on all things HDR, from a PC perspective.
HDR on PCs vs. HDR on TVs: How They Differ
HDR is a thing in both the consumer electronics world, and the computer one. It has the same intention on both platforms—boosting display brightness and enhancing color—but in one case (with TVs and consumer electronics devices like game consoles) it’s easy to enable, and in the other (with PCs) it’s, shall we say, a work in progress.
Enabling HDR is usually seamless when it comes to its use on TVs and with game consoles. For a full explanation of what HDR is, where it comes from, and its major rivals in the market, from the point of view of the world of televisions, check out our expert breakdown of the subject by my PCMag colleague Will Greenwald.
Here in this particular primer, we’ll be concentrating on HDR for PCs and its evolving implementation. To an extent, the tech works in much the same way on televisions as it does on the growing category of HDR-ready business, content-creation, entertainment, and gaming monitors we’ll be talking about here. It’s how you access and interact with it that’s a lot different.
First, some basic background. HDR is a display and video recording/mastering technology that increases the maximum brightness and contrast ratio of content. It communicates this boost to an HDR-compliant display via added metadata that the panel decodes and applies. The result: Colors have more vibrancy and “pop,” for lack of a better phrase. HDR allows for higher peak brightness (a figure often expressed in “nits”) when pushing colors and whites, creating a more vivid and accurate representation of color recorded by the camera.
HDR is not just about color, though. When it’s implemented effectively, blacks and shadows appear darker. In addition, HDR makes it possible for more shades of gray to be expressed in between the different values of light that are captured by the lens on set.
Now, HDR on PCs isn’t a cracking-new technology, but its rise to prominence is, relatively speaking. The technology first rolled out in a display unit during a conference all the way back in 2003, but it only started gaining real momentum in the consumer home theater market around 2017. Since then, most modern TVs have moved to greater or lesser degrees of HDR compliance. And a growing number of computer monitors now include an HDR rating, fed a signal by one of four different HDR formats: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, or HLG.
HDR10 vs. Dolby Vision vs. HDR10+ vs. HLG: Understanding the Four HDR Formats
Although the current HDR landscape isn’t exactly like the the BetaMax-vs.-VHS and Blu-ray-vs.-HD DVD wars before it, the battle for HDR supremacy is still one being fought by various companies and mastering organizations around the world. Why we’ve ended up in yet another specifications war is a longer story, but the main takeaway is that HDR10 is the most widely used. It’s the leading HDR backing technology for computer monitors. Its open-source licensing means that anyone can implement it, while competing options like Dolby Vision need to be licensed from, you guessed it…Dolby.
HDR10 is backed and certified by an international co-op of vendors and manufacturers, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). Ultimately, all this HDR segmentation in the market matters for PC users only in some isolated cases, such as the few shows on services like Netflix and Amazon Prime that were shot in Dolby Vision and aren’t supported by HDR10 displays.
Here are all the current HDR10 display ratings, as pulled from VESA’s most recently updated glossary…
Above you’ll see some terms that we should define real quick. The primary difference between sRGB and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) is the size of the color palette itself, as well as the bit depth. The color palette of WCG allows for deeper reds, blues, and greens, and richer secondary colors (think cyan, magenta, and the like). The second difference is the increase in bit depth between the two, which ups the possible limit of 16.7 million colors in sRGB all the way to one billion in WCG.
The number you see next to the rating denotes the peak potential brightness level of the monitor, again expressed in nits. So, for example, an HDR 600 monitor would have a peak brightness of 600 nits. Sometimes the panel can exceed this limit, but more often, even the HDR-capable displays we recommend as Editors’ Choice picks can fall short of their peak luminance ratings by around 50 to 100 nits in testing. This isn’t so much a ding against the industry as it is the result of normal manufacturing variances that can occur in mass panel production.
What level of HDR spec should you get? In our time reviewing HDR monitors, we’ve found that the floor for an HDR experience you can actually notice starts, generally, at HDR 600. We have yet to see an HDR 400 panel that exceeds the capability of a standard dynamic range (SDR, or “non-HDR”-content) display. We recommend, if you are on the hunt for the best of what HDR content has to offer, start your search at HDR 1000, and go up from there.
Also in play, in a minor way in computer monitors: HDR10+. This is a technology from Samsung that aims to bridge the gap between HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It does this by adding the latter’s formerly exclusive dynamic per-scene lighting feature to the former. It will work on any Samsung (monitor or TV) or Panasonic (TV) that already supports the HDR10 standard.
Finally, there’s HLG. This is a largely unused standard that could (theoretically) in the future offer broadcasters and streaming giants a way to implement faux-HDR on non-HDR-encoded content, without added mastering on the backend. But it’s not much of a factor on PC-based HDR right now.
As mentioned, most HDR computer monitors currently on shelves are compatible with the HDR10 spec, while just a few are compatible with Dolby Vision. Much of the HDR-ready content on streaming services, and HDR games that are supported on the Windows operating system, work with HDR10. But the content is just the first step of many into getting your HDR setup ready on a PC (and we’ll get back to it in a bit). Let’s dig into that “PC” part of the equation next.
What Hardware Do You Need for HDR on PC?
Getting HDR up and running is a multi-step symphony among the content you are watching or playing, paired with the display, the display’s cables, and your computer’s graphics adapter. One discordant player, and no HDR for you!
First, there’s the output from your computer: You’ll need at least an HDMI 2.0, HDMI 2.1, or DisplayPort 1.4a connection, running over a recent cable, and the interface must also be compatible with the HDCP 2.2 spec, the latter short for “High-Definition Content Protection.” Before allowing playback of protected content, HDCP will check all connections in the chain from source to display and ensure that all are compliant. The feature works on any cables that are compatible with the DisplayPort standard; this includes mini-DisplayPort, as well as DisplayPort over USB-C.
All newer cables sold should meet this standard. This compatibility should be a concern only for those potentially using older HDMI or DisplayPort cables. To find out if a cable is compatible, the one reliable method is simply to plug it into your PC and see if the toggle-able option for HDR pops up in the Display Settings menu, more about which in a moment. If HDR is not supported, the option simply won’t be there—not greyed out, simply missing. (Granted that all other software requirements are met.)
Next up: assessing your graphics card or integrated graphics solution. You’ll need a compatible graphics solution power that HDR signal over your cable. Luckily, graphics cards and integrated solutions on CPUs have been HDR-supporting for a while now. If you have a relatively new PC, you’re likely golden.
HDR is supported on discrete AMD and Nvidia graphics cards (on Nvidia, GeForce GTX 900 Series and later; on AMD, Radeon RX 400 Series and and later), as well as integrated graphics processors from Intel and AMD that support one of the cable outputs listed above. Here’s a complete breakdown of the supported discrete GPUs out there, all of which include the PlayReady driver-level content protection support that Windows DRM requires to display HDR content…
Last up, you’ll need an HDR monitor…of course! Generally speaking, we recommend you start your search at the HDR 600 rating level, as many HDR 400 displays we’ve tested would be better off not including an HDR feature at all, or at least not touting it.
For gaming-specific use, both IPS and Fast IPS displays have proven themselves as the best HDR options we’ve tested on pure picture quality, while TN and Fast IPS-backed options often deliver the best balance of quality and gaming performance.
How to Enable HDR on Windows 10 and Windows 11
Apologies to the Linux faithful, but it looks like HDR support is still a ways out for that operating system. At the time of this writing (February 2022), Windows remains the way to experience HDR content and gaming on a desktop PC platform.
Once you’ve got your Windows PC booted and all the appropriate hardware, drivers, and codecs for Windows installed, the next step to making sure your Windows is ready to handle HDR is to verify you are running either late-model Windows 10, or Windows 11. Those are the only two Windows versions in Microsoft’s stable that support “native” HDR and “Auto HDR.” More on those differences in a moment.
What do we mean by “late-model” Windows? If you are on Windows 10, be sure that your Windows 10 version is updated to 1803 or later. (Check in the Windows Update tool at the “OS Build Info” link, or on the About This PC page.) If you are on Windows 11, all non-Insider Preview versions of 11 available will have HDR support.
Next up: accessing your HDR controls within Windows. It differs a bit in Windows 10 versus Windows 11…
Turning on HDR in Windows 10
- Right click the desktop and choose Display Settings. At that menu (shown at left below), assuming HDR is supported and ready to go, you should see a toggle for HDR on/off. Turn it on…
- Also here, above the toggle, should be a link for Windows HD Color Settings. Click that to bring up a new menu, shown at right above. From there, adjust the slider on the preview window called “HDR/SDR Brightness Balance” to the max setting. Anything less than the max setting won’t push the necessary contrast or brightness values to your display, resulting in a muddled-looking image.
Turning on HDR in Windows 11
The screens look a bit different in Windows 11, and the menus are named differently, but the basic process is the same…
- Set the HDR toggle to “On” via the Settings app in Windows. (Right-click the Windows desktop and choose Display Settings to access that.)
- Push the SDR-to-HDR brightness slider to the max in the HDR Settings menu that is enabled once you turn the HDR feature on, like so…
Whether you are running Windows 10 or Windows 11, you should use these methods the first time you turn on HDR at a “whole system” level to verify it is working. On those sliders, you can see a preview of what your SDR image looks like next to HDR, so you can verify HDR is actually on.
The Game Bar Way
With the latest Windows Updates, though, Microsoft has also added the option to toggle HDR on or off via the Windows Game Bar, a new, gaming-oriented overlay. You access the Game Bar via a simple key combination (Windows key-G) that brings up this gaming-hub overlay in Windows 10 and Windows 11. From here you can launch games, record gameplay, talk to friends via Social widgets, and more. But more to the point, you can access HDR controls here, too.
To activate the HDR feature here, you’ll need to go to the gear icon in the overlay’s UI (for the Game Bar’s Settings menu), then the Gaming Features tab at left…
From there, if HDR is an option, you should have the ability to activate general HDR, as well as a checkbox to enable Auto HDR, more about which in the next section. Using Game Bar will automatically apply the current default slider value found in Display Settings, which is why we suggest setting up HDR there first.
HDR on a Windows PC: Video App and Games Compatibility
Last up, it’s time to figure out what kind of HDR content you want to watch, as well as which games you’ll be able to play.
Games fall into two classes when it comes to HDR: Some natively support HDR, while others can mimic the feature using Microsoft’s Auto HDR feature. Auto HDR is a gaming-only feature integrated into certain builds of Windows 10 and all versions of Windows 11.
You can read all about Auto HDR in our full testing primer on the subject. The quick-and-dirty version? Auto HDR works to bring all DirectX 11 or DirectX 12/12+ games into the HDR ecosystem. It uses an API-level filter applied to the game engine, adding HDR effects even if the game does not natively support HDR.
Some applications, meanwhile, like Microsoft Edge, support native HDR. As an example, you can view Netflix content in HDR in Windows if you either use the native Netflix Windows app to stream your video, or visit the website on a Microsoft Edge browser. But if you try to use Firefox or Chrome with Netflix, no HDR luck.
Games are an equally mixed bag, as some will support native HDR, while others that run on either DirectX 11 or DirectX 12/12+ will give you HDR only via the Auto HDR feature mentioned above. (At this link, you can find a regularly updated list of games that natively support HDR.)
With those game titles that do support native HDR, you often need to calibrate those games to your HDR monitor on a per-game basis before they’ll look the way the developer intended. That would be via menus internal to the game. You can read more about how that process works at our Auto HDR explainer above. Some streaming HR-enabled content from Netflix (HEVC) and YouTube (VP9) may also require specific codecs installed to play back; check out this detailed support document from Microsoft for details and where to get them.
Overall, the Windows UI in Windows 10 or Windows 11 will push the max brightness rating to your display if HDR is turned on in Settings. This can make any content you look at on your monitor appear brighter and more vibrant. Only “native HDR” applications, which have HDR metadata baked into the delivered content (whether that is a game, a streaming video on a supported app, and so on) will showcase the true capabilities of your panel.
Phew! So, now that you’ve got the right cable, the right graphics output, and the right version of the right operating system displaying the right content, you’re good to go! It’s just that easy!
HDR on PC: A Bright Future Ahead
While the implementation of HDR has evolved to a near-seamless state on game consoles, smart TVs, and streaming boxes over the past several years, PCs are still striving to get to that one-touch, one-button experience. While the newest versions of Windows bring that reality closer than ever, it’s not there yet. And it’s certainly not “there” enough for the average PC user. As you can see from the instructions outlined above, you have to be rather motivated to get HDR up and running, and it will work only on some of what you do, watch, play, and see on your PC.
The feature also still remains a premium item for monitor shoppers who are budget-minded, but we’ve seen the ratings get higher and corresponding prices for HDR 600 and HDR 1000 displays get more reasonable over the past couple of years. We expect that trend to continue. While many productivity and business monitors still hit the shelves without any HDR functionality attached, at least some flavor of HDR is quickly becoming standard issue on monitors released for the gaming and content creation markets.
Upcoming models like the QD-OLED-based Alienware 34 are obvious choices for those who want to stay on the bleeding edge of HDR tech on the PC. But you can find plenty more options to choose among, and we’ve rounded up the top computer monitors here so you can find the one that fits your needs (and your price range) the best.
