TV supports HDR but SDR content is better on it. Is it just me?

[frankmb 27]

I have a TCL 50S425 TV that supports HDR.

https://www.tcl.com/ca/en/products/home-theater/4-series/tcl-50-class-4-series-4k-uhd-hdr-roku-smart-tv-50s425-ca

Peak brightness in HDR is measured to be only about 200 nits which is pretty bad from what I understand

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/4-series-2019

 

After many comparisons of 4k HDR and 1080p SDR versions of the same videos, I've come to the conclusion that I am better off only using 1080p SDR because when HDR colors are used the colors in less bright parts of the image are simply too dark.

At first I believed that 4k HDR would just be better but SDR colors are much better on this TV. 

(this is not an issue of tone mapping etc., I'm playing HDR content in the HDR mode of the TV)

Anyone else have this issue? 

[roaku 793]

I got a similar TCL on sale as a secondary TV and ya, they just can't get bright enough to make the HDR content look good.

It works great for what I use it for, though, and the price was right.

[sross44 229]

It's hard on TV's where the nits don't get above 400+ to do it, but you can "cheat" the system a little bit. When HDR content is enabled and being played for that input, make sure you go in to the picture settings and turn things like brightness and contrast all the way up. You can also go in to the advanced section of Roku (via the phone app) and adjust the gamma settings to really brighten it up as well. More than happy to offer some help here if needed!