(Image: Shutterstock/art_of_galaxy, Microsoft)
HDR has been a staple image enhancement in console gamers' arsenals for years now—at least those who own HDR-compatible TVs or monitors. But on Windows PCs, the brightness- and contrast-boosting technology has been plagued by poor implementation, so-so results when it actually does work, and conflicts in previous versions of Windows that could sometimes lead to worse image quality, instead of better.
Now, though, Microsoft has stepped up its efforts to tackle its HDR-implementation problems on PCs, adding new features like the Auto HDR function from its Xbox line to both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Does this new feature fix the issues that have plagued the implementation of HDR on Windows for years, or does it just add to the pile of problems? Let's dig into some testing to find out.
Windows 10 and HDR: A Conflicted History
Up until a few months ago, the implementation of the high-dynamic-range color standard, often referred to as "HDR" or expressed as its DisplayHDR certification level—HDR 400, HDR 600, and so on up to the current limit of HDR 2000—was as scattershot as it could get on Windows PCs. HDR support in Windows debuted on Windows 10, and while it was always enabled at the operating-system level via a toggle under Settings > Display Settings, this was by no means a guarantee of OS-wide compatibility or stability.
The problems? Some apps supported it, others didn't. Windows, as a whole, would somehow end up looking worse when you turned it on. (HDR is supposed to improve color vibrancy in almost every instance, not wash it out more than a non-HDR image.) And whether you were streaming Netflix or playing a game, it was a flip of a coin whether it would work the way it does on an HDR-enabled television connected to a compatible smart TV device or Blu-ray player—which is to say, whether it would just work without major finagling.
Top-Rated HDR Gaming Monitors
Whether it's a Roku, an Amazon Fire Stick, an Apple TV, or almost anything else in between, many popular streaming boxes (several of them under $99) have supported HDR streams from the major platforms for years. HDR has been seamlessly integrated into the set-top/living room ecosystem for some time now.
Windows, though, is different. Even here at PC Labs, we've run into our own challenges with testing peak HDR brightness on monitors that aren't compatible with the HDMI output of our HDR-ready Murideo Six-G signal generator, since the only Windows-compatible app we've found that actually pushes a complete HDR peak white signal is the official VesaHDR testing software found on the Windows Store.
However, this isn't to say that Microsoft doesn't know how to do HDR properly. A selection from the Xbox family of gaming consoles, specifically the Xbox Series X, supports a feature that Microsoft calls Auto HDR. Auto HDR, quote, "will take DirectX 11 or DirectX 12 SDR-only games and intelligently expand the color/brightness range up to HDR," according to a Microsoft company blog post.
In so many words, Auto HDR uses machine learning to evaluate the color palette of any game you're playing that lacks native HDR support, then boosts those colors using an internal API-level filter. It simulates the same effect you would get from a native implementation of HDR within the game's graphics settings.
Applications and games that already have a native, functioning HDR implementation with either Windows 10 or Windows 11 won't be affected by Auto HDR. (As you can see above, Windows has a separate slider that governs HDR as a whole.) As far as game compatibility goes, if you're playing a title that's compatible with either DirectX 11 or DirectX 12/12+, Auto HDR will, according to Microsoft, work without issue. Onward to testing that out then, shall we?
Auto HDR on Windows 11: App Compatibility
If there was one major problem that plagued the Windows 10 implementation of HDR since its inception, it was the number of games and applications it would—or in most cases, wouldn't—support. For example, the Netflix and Hulu applications support HDR in Windows if you either use the native Windows apps to stream your content or visit the website on a Microsoft Edge browser. HBO Max won't, though. Neither will Prime Video.
These idiosyncrasies ring true up and down the ladder of PC apps, some of which stream HDR perfectly fine as long as you're doing so through an Xbox Series X and not a Windows PC.
Then there was the process of actually getting HDR to look as intended by the developers in a game. If a game didn't support native HDR, you'd need to enable it in Windows before you turned a game on; other times, doing that would actually break the visual engine. In those cases, you could trick Windows by reversing the process; launch the game first, then use the Windows Game Bar to enable HDR after the fact. This would create a sort of "faux HDR" effect, wherein the monitor was pushing the output level of all content on the screen to its certified HDR brightness spec. But no actual HDR information was being transferred from the game to Windows, then out to your monitor via a compatible HDCP 2.2-compliant cable.
Confused yet? To this day, so are most PC gamers and content consumers. As a result, HDR has remained mostly a fringe option for those driven enough to put up with the hassle required to get it to work. Remember: Up until the introduction of Auto HDR in October of 2021, this wrangling was necessary to maybe achieve the same result that has been a one-touch experience with streaming boxes and gaming consoles for years now.
Even applications that are specific to color work, like Adobe Photoshop or Premiere, were tricky to get working correctly, sharing the same washed-out color scheme that plagued Windows 10 proper. Microsoft did eventually add a way to work with HDR-level color in Adobe apps through a workaround by altering a setting in its Program Compatibility tab, but that option just hit the Insider Build preview track in May of 2021.
So, does Auto HDR fix this mess?
Auto HDR on Windows 11: Ease of Use
Before last year's update, turning on HDR comprised two steps:
Set the toggle to "On" via the Settings app in Windows. (Start Menu > Settings > Display Settings)
Push the "SDR-to-HDR" brightness slider to the max, because anything less than the max setting won't push the necessary contrast or brightness values to your display, resulting in a muddled-looking image.
This time around, though, Microsoft has added the option to toggle HDR on or off via the Windows Game Bar, a simple command (Windows key+G) that brings up a gaming hub overlay. From here you can launch games, record gameplay, talk to friends via Social widgets, and more.
You can also open the Settings tab within this hot menu to find a quick toggle for activating general HDR in Windows 11, as well as the option to enable Auto HDR. This isn't exactly the most intuitive option—an available toggle in the Windows Action Center would likely connect with the most users—but it's still a step in the right direction for the Windows team.
It's also less work than some HDR-inclined gamers have to go through in general. For every HDR game out there, depending on the quality of a monitor (as well as the display's peak HDR rating), gamers need to dig into individual HDR calibration menus and tune the image to their panel's unique qualities to get the most out of the experience. This process takes time, and the end result is particular to each monitor. And it puts yet another hurdle between the PC experience and the seamless HDR experience that console gamers have enjoyed for some time now.
Speaking of hurdles, before we move onto testing, I should note some problems with the Windows Night Light feature. I use the built-in Night Light feature whenever possible; it automatically applies a warm-tone amber filter to your screen at scheduled times to reduce blue-light emissions and keep my circadian rhythms in check. Turning on Windows HDR at the same time as Windows Night Light caused strange interactions, wherein the HDR effect either would not apply with Night Light on, or would randomly apply Night Light filters without them being scheduled, depending on the application that was open.
Even with the advent of Auto HDR, it seems the Windows team still hasn't worked out all the bugs just yet. That said, once we did get it working correctly by disabling Night Light completely, we were able to move onto some visual testing.
Auto HDR on Windows 11: Testing Visual Quality
First off, let's start with the basics: We ran our testing on an Asus ROG Swift PG35VQ widescreen monitor connected to a high-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition graphics card via a DisplayPort 1.4b cable.
The Swift PG35VQ is an ultrawide gaming monitor that won our Editors' Choice award in 2020 due, in part, to its higher-than-average HDR 1000 spec. In our review, we noted just how beautiful enabling HDR made both games and content look on the panel. (It also just so happens to be the panel with the highest HDR rating we have on hand for testing.)
Second, a key caveat: All of our results are purely from a subjective perspective (mine), taken with eyes on the monitor. We won't get too scientific here. Indeed, to do so would be beyond PC Labs' testing capabilities. If we wanted to test something like peak white levels, we'd need to find a spot in each game or other type of content that reflects a true peak white (which isn't easy). And even then, calling that image data reproducible across other types of HDR content, or even just other scenes in the same game, would be a stretch at best.
Mostly, we just wanted to see the effect of how Windows 11 handles (1) Auto HDR, (2) natively supported HDR, and (3) no HDR. To that end, we rolled out several games that support at least one, or several, of these implementations.
The test games I chose are the following four:
Forza Horizon 5 (native HDR)
Super People, a multiplayer shooter (tested under Auto HDR; it has no native HDR support)
Psychonauts 2 (tested under Auto HDR; it supports native HDR only on Xbox Series X)
Teamfight Tactics (tested under Auto HDR, also has no native support)
That last one is a puzzle game that doesn't need HDR for any competitive or immersive reason. However, I chose it because I thought it might throw a compatibility curveball, seeing as its game engine was just recently updated from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11.
With that out of the way, how did Auto HDR handle various use cases thrown its way? Let's look!
How HDR Visual Testing Works
Before we jump into what I saw, a primer on why those results look the way they do. Unlike game screenshots taken in SDR, if you try to screenshot an HDR image via any typical Windows-based utility or function (like the Print Screen key method or the Snipping Tool), it will appear blown out. This is because with HDR, added color-space information is being transmitted in the image itself, visual data that only translates at the display level. It won't appear in its correct, representative form when pulled by screen-grabbing software of that output. You get this...
There are 4K/HDR capture cards that get around this issue, but then there's problem of PCMag's own CMS (like those of other media outlets) not supporting the required file type to show the full spectrum of color data represented in the capture. And: Do you own an HDR panel? You can't really see HDR's full effect without true HDR support!
Due to all that, I took a quick-and-dirty, only partly effective approach: I used my personal iPhone XS to take still photos of the monitor while it was displaying in various modes. Now, the results aren't perfect, as the XS doesn't have an up-to-the-moment, bleeding-edge sensor (look to what we loved about the iPhone 13 for that), and again: It would also be difficult to notice the difference unless you're currently reading this on an HDR monitor. The screenshots below are more for reference of where we were in the testing process, than a sound, qualitative visual way to tell the difference between an HDR and a non-HDR image.
With those (admittedly many) caveats out of the way, let's jump into the meat of the moment: How did Forza Horizon 5, with its native HDR integration, stack up in image testing against Auto HDR implementations in other games we tested?
Forza Horizon 5 Results
First up, a game that natively supports HDR, and also features an HDR calibration suite that allows us to get the best possible quality image out of our display, Forza Horizon 5. Here's a shot of the screen unvarnished with HDR, and then with it on...
While the game looks stunning no matter what (we noted as much in our review), activating HDR on the ROG Swift PG35VQ really is something else. Whether it's the mud on the ground, the birds in the sky, or just the blazing bright yellow of your Porsche GT2, HDR brings another layer of richness to the game that is undeniably better than the same game displayed in SDR. There's just no comparison, and if you have an HDR-ready monitor, any game that natively supports HDR should have it turned on by default. Again, though: We should stress that much of what I'm seeing in person is being lost in these images. Think of it like a game of Telephone, and your monitor, right now, is the last kid in the chain.
Because this game already natively looks for an HDR signal, there's no way to test how it would look with Auto HDR turned on. Auto HDR is only available in DirectX 11 or 12/12+ titles that have no form of HDR integrated into the engine. Once games in that class are booted, the Auto HDR takes over and automatically applies. So, how did things look once we veered off the track of Forza into some different gaming experiences?
Super People
Next up is a recent favorite FPS shooter of mine, Super People, a product of some ex-PUBG developers. The game is a battle royale that takes place on an island, where 64 players must drop in and loot the place and...yadda yadda, you've heard that kind of battle-royale spiel a hundred times by now, right?
How it looked with Auto HDR turned on is all that really matters here, since this is the first test of a game that doesn't have native HDR support already built in. Again, we're looking for how effectively Microsoft's API filter, already in use on the Xbox One X, has translated to Windows PCs. First, a look at the game with HDR off, then with it on....
To my eyes, with the feature turned on, Auto HDR actually did quite a bit of lifting here, helping to balance out some of the light that would otherwise blend with trees on the horizon. It also helped to highlight some of the darker elements onscreen, making it easier to see enemies in the distance. (And that is a critical component of battle-royale shooters.)
But the reason we chose a multiplayer shooter like Super People for this test lineup isn't just because the game is vibrant. HDR affects input lag, adding a small increase to the amount of time it takes for your monitor to display an action from your input device—your controller, keyboard, or mouse. And in a game like Super People, that can be a life-and-death difference.
Over the course of a few rounds of anecdotal testing, I found that the Auto HDR implementation added that same amount of perceptible input lag to my game of Super People as a native implementation would. Everything from turning my character to shooting my gun had an added amount of lag attached, due to the known issue of HDR data adding bandwidth load to the signal. (Since Super People doesn't natively support HDR, disabling Auto HDR before launching the game gives us our "control" experience to compare.)
In a later article, we'll have more in-depth testing around just how much input lag HDR imposes. But for now, under these anecdotal testing assumptions, one thing is clear: Both native HDR and, now, Auto HDR are features that should only be considered if you're not entering a highly competitive esports environment where every frame counts. Think fighting games, FPS games, and yes, battle royales.
Psychonauts 2
This is a perplexing game, in that it supports native HDR on the Xbox Series X, but not on PS5 or PC. Potential Xbox selling points aside, this idiosyncrasy makes it a great candidate for testing how well Auto HDR picks up the slack on PC...
In our test run-throughs, I was impressed by Auto HDR here when it worked as it should, adding visible contrast and "pop," as it were, to a cartoonishly styled game with plenty of that to go around already in SDR. However, it wasn't all perfect...
In some instances, the filter looked to have trouble with reflective surfaces. In particular, it would blow them out into almost nothing but a halo of peak white brightness, making it hard to see what our character was doing or what was happening onscreen.
Teamfight Tactics
Last but not least, we come to one of my favorite multiplayer puzzle fighters of the last few years, Teamfight Tactics. For years, the underlying engine that Teamfight is based on, the League of Legends client, was a DirectX 9-only title. A little over a year ago, though, the engine was updated to DirectX 11, providing a challenge for Auto HDR to work through. Let's look...
Thankfully, Auto HDR had no problem picking up the game and displaying everything with just a bit more contrast, pop, and vividness than we saw in the SDR image. There's not really a competitive, or even visual, advantage here; I might even recommend turning HDR off for longer play sessions (and this game demands some long hours), as the increased brightness can add to eyestrain over time.
Still, it's nice to see more color in short bursts, and our test proves that Auto HDR can easily handle at least this one compatibility curveball that we sent its way.
HDR on Windows in 2022: It's a Starker Contrast
As more monitors begin to adopt the HDR spec backed by panel technologies like Quantum Dot OLED in 2022—see for example the Alienware 34 we saw at this year's CES earlier this month—we only have more to look forward to as displays mature to meet the desires of PC gamers in the first half of the new decade.
With the latest innovations on Windows, HDR and Auto HDR on PC have gotten closer to the plug-and-play experience that console gamers have enjoyed for years in the living room. While nothing compares to the experience of native HDR gaming, in our experience Auto HDR came close enough to simulating the effect where it would otherwise be unavailable.
That said, HDR, a feature that once seemed like it was tacked onto the Windows ecosystem, is nearer to becoming a part of the whole. It's almost integral to the experience of gaming on a PC in the same way it has been for console gamers for some time.
When you get HDR working correctly on any device, Windows PC or otherwise, you'll see some truly some jaw-dropping experiences out there to behold. If you have either a monitor or television that supports it, HDR adds a richness and vibrancy to the overall color palette that simply can't be achieved any other way. Whether you're playing a AAA racing experience like Forza or just lounging in a puzzle game like Teamfight Tactics, the boost in color makes every interaction feel that much more immersive and true to life (as true to life as a puzzle game can feel, anyhow).
As PCMag's resident monitor reviewer, I've argued for years now that your monitor choice should be just as important of a consideration as any other part of your rig. The right monitor, and especially the right HDR-ready display, gives all your games the opportunity to quite literally shine at their brightest. This is why knowing how to use the feature on Windows is vital for owners of HDR monitors who take their PC gaming and content watching seriously. Recent additions like Auto HDR in Windows 10 and 11 have brought thousands of PC games one step closer to making your next HDR monitor purchase worth the extra cost.
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