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External monitor not displaying in HDR

Allen121

Allen121

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 5, 2020
17
-2
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M 4 GB
ASUS ProArt PA32UC external display connected via a Thunderbolt 3 cable
macOS Big Sur 11.0.1

I see the "High Dynamic Range" option in the "Displays" preferences on my MacBook Pro, but I don't have this selected because if I do, I'm not able to change any of the display settings.

When I go to YouTube on Chrome or Safari on the ASUS and play HDR content, it doesn't show up as HDR.

1605844752610.png


But if I play it on my MacBook Pro's screen, it displays in HDR.

1605844866313.png


I've tried selecting "High Dynamic Range" and no change. Am I missing something?
 
Allen121 said:
I haven't and assumed a Thunderbolt 3 cable would be just as good. I guess I could try a USB-C to DP cable.
Click to expand...

Audit13 said:
Hope it works for you. Please report back. Thanks.
Click to expand...
I've tried
- HDMI 2.0
- USB-C to DP 1.4
- USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 DP Alt and a separate passive Thunderbolt 3 cable

All of them refuse to output HDR to my 3219Q

I'm assuming this is a macOS issue, specifically macOS not passing HDCP 2.2 info over to YouTube/Netflix

If anyone else figures this out do let me know

edit: I should mention the HDR setting under system preferences is present but Youtube/Netflix refuse to recognize the external display as HDR capable (on safari). HDR capability returns once the external monitor is disconnected.

this is on a 2019 16" MBP
 
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I tried with a DP 1.4 cable and the same result. I assume it's a macOS issue as well.

git-anish said:
I've tried
- HDMI 2.0
- USB-C to DP 1.4
- USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 DP Alt and a separate passive Thunderbolt 3 cable

All of them refuse to output HDR to my 3219Q

I'm assuming this is a macOS issue, specifically macOS not passing HDCP 2.2 info over to YouTube/Netflix

If anyone else figures this out do let me know

edit: I should mention the HDR setting under system preferences is present but Youtube/Netflix refuse to recognize the external display as HDR capable (on safari). HDR capability returns once the external monitor is disconnected.

this is on a 2019 16" MBP
Click to expand...

@git-anish Your monitor may not be bright enough for HDR. I read the peak brightness for the Dell U3219Q is 400 nits, which is pretty low. But theoretically, should work since it's DisplayHDR 400. Just throwing out more possibilities.
 
Allen121 said:
I tried with a DP 1.4 cable and the same result. I assume it's a macOS issue as well.



@git-anish Your monitor may not be bright enough for HDR. I read the peak brightness for the Dell U3219Q is 400 nits, which is pretty low. But theoretically, should work since it's DisplayHDR 400. Just throwing out more possibilities.
Click to expand...
Hey,

so I just got an M1 Mac and I can confirm I can output HDR to the level of the iPad Pro/built in display on the Mac on the monitor.

Basically I set the correct HDR mode on the monitor (Smart HDR), then clicked HDR in system preferences pane, and then opened Youtube/Netflix. They recognized the display as being HDR capable and displayed the videos correctly.

Now the rest of the UI - desktop, browsers etc. were washed out and weird but the videos were great. This is on macOS 11.1.

So YMMV but I got it to work under a specific set of circumstances. I hope apple is still working on making this a more seamless experience.

Realistically as of right now I just disable HDR under the preferences pane until I specifically want to watch an HDR video.
 
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Have got an M1 Macbook Air (macOS 12.1) and have got the same issue when using USB-C on my Acer Nitro XV282KV (functioning as DisplayPort Alt mode).

HDR setting is enabled both on the Mac's settings and on the monitor, but when loading a YouTube video capable of HDR when Safari is shown on the external monitor display, it'll load as non-HDR.

However, loading the same page while Safari is shown in the built-in display will load the video as HDR.

Ironically, I could load a webpage in my built-in display then drag it to my external monitor and that would the HDR video on my external monitor (can tell the difference when running two Safari windows; one loaded from the built-in display then moved to the external monitor, and another loaded from the external monitor itself). So, there is a workaround, but just cumbersome.

Have tried using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport adapter and plugging in an HDMI cable to that and it actually loads videos as HDR when Safari is on the external monitor!
 
I have same issue.
MB Pro 14" with external Samsung U28R550 connected over TB3 dock and display port cable. I can enable HDR in system settings. I can play HDR videos from Photos app, but YouTube don't offer HDR to me, except on bult-in display.
I can try connect HDMI cable directly into MB to test. But I like single cable connection over my TB3 dock.
 
Ok, I can confirm that when I connect external display directly from HDMI port of MB Pro 14", HDR on YouTube in Safari works just fine.
Now I try to play Dolby Vision on Netflix, but I can't tell if its working or not.
 
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