Windows (10 or 11) automatically toggle HDR 'switch' based on content

[RBeam6 9]

I've done a fair amount of searching on this but only seem to get hits of people asking about this or solutions that don't seem to apply to what I want do to. Also a lot of results related to tone-mapping on the PC side. Don't care if it's a hack or possibly something in the works for Win 11.

This is for passing HDR10 to the display and not tone-mapping. Just want something that acts like the refresh rate switch. If you play something that's HDR10 Windows switches to HDR mode and when you stop it switches back. 

I know (or at least think) there are ways to somewhat deal with this in the mpv.conf file if you leave Windows in HDR mode all the time and put some conditionals in based on the colorspace. But with my new displays it's really easy to have HDR10 content look great with HDR mode manually set to on. And really easy to get good quality SDR content to look great with it manually set to off. So the thing I'm asking about would be the path of least resistance for me to get the results I'd like. 

Windows 11 has 'auto hdr' (I think coming soon, not already available ... right?) but that seems geared for gaming although I guess it could apply to playing video. But the descriptions I've seen of that seem to focus on it being able to make SDR content more HDR-ish. I just want Windows to stay out of the mix and let my displays do the work.  

All of my HTPCs are still on Win 10 but not for any reason other than I'd probably want to do a clean install and have enough other things taking up my time I haven't yet seen much point to to. Would happily take the time, though, if it got me this particular feature. 

 

[Luke 37249]

Hi, yes this will be improved in an upcoming windows app release. Thanks for the feedback.

[MrKazador 5]

This is possible with MPC HC and madvr as the video renderer. It automatically toggles HDR (passthrough) and disables when you exit the media player. 

[RBeam6 9]

1 hour ago, Luke said:

Hi, yes this will be improved in an upcoming windows app release. Thanks for the feedback.

That's great to hear Luke. Thanks.

If I were still wanting to go the external player route I'd look into that MPC solution. I'd always used some external player with madvr while, every year or so, looking around to see if there was some 'one box' solution that would give me the full featured server and metadata management with playback quality I could live with on a big screen and always found them too noticeably lacking. Until I gave the emby theater app another shot a year ago. 

Don't know if it's the absolute best (for playback) or not but Emby with MPV is pretty darn good. Especially now that I've (sortof) learned how to start playing with the config file and the external shader/filters. 

Might play around with MPC HC for use as a standalone player though. Is there any indication Madshi will ever be putting out any new releases other than the time limited test versions he was doing last time I checked in (which was a while ago)? Or is his main focus still on 'Envy'?

[Luke 37249]

2 hours ago, RBeam6 said:

 

Might play around with MPC HC for use as a standalone player though. Is there any indication Madshi will ever be putting out any new releases other than the time limited test versions he was doing last time I checked in (which was a while ago)? Or is his main focus still on 'Envy'?

I don't know the answer to that, sorry.