Winchester7314
New Member
So I want to start this off by saying that I have honestly in the past almost 2 years of owning an HDR monitor, learned ALOT about HDR and SDR standards, more than I knew before.
For the purposes of consistency, and easily viewable content, my decision has been to record content in SDR, whether the source I use is SDR or HDR.
I have one large HDR monitor, and one small SDR monitor, which helps in testing on the go for consistency between the two.
In OBS there are several ways to bring HDR display sources down to an SDR level.
One method is to use HDR to SDR tone mapping. This method does a decent job of bring HDR displays, displaying HDR content, down to an SDR level. However, this method does not in fact, do a good job of bringing SDR content being displayed on the HDR display, down to SDR. It makes it appear faded.
(For the purposes of consistency, and seeing the affects, these images are SDR, and to see destruction of certain colors/details, it is best to view these on SDR display.)
HDR Display with SDR content and HDR tone mapping:
By using Force SDR on the display properties in OBS, SDR content displayed on HDR display is PERFECTLY converted. with an accurate color match to SDR display. However, while HDR content appears crisp and contrasted nicely, it seems to destroy alot of mid range content. Dark scenes will get utterly lost in blacks. Its as if the nit conversion decides gray tones that are close to blacks, that don't exist in SDR, should be converted to blacks instead of SDR midtones.
HDR Display with SDR content Force SDR on:
SDR Display with SDR content:
HDR Display with HDR content and HDR tone mapping:
SDR Display with HDR Content(MPC-BE properly converts with a setting "If HDR Passthrough is impossible or disabled, then ✓Convert to SDR SDR display nits: 100):
HDR Display with HDR content and Force SDR:
As you can see, when HDR content, on the HDR display is show, the Force SDR option destroys details in the blacks and midtones range, almost as if some of the HDR tones not available in SDR, are moved closer to blacks than midtones.
Where as if I use and HDR tone mapping, while HDR content may seem better, its as if the blackest blacks never reach their darkest black, not being as rich or contrasted as SDR, and destroying SDR in the process.
My assumption is that the feature which forces SDR signal in the properties, has an algorithm for determining which tones go to which SDR tones.
Could we possibly see an advanced setting that allows us to adjust this?
The reason I wish to use Force SDR is that it keeps SDR content 100 percent consistent, but I would like to see the ability to adjust how "Force SDR" affects HDR signals, without destroying SDR signals in the same breath.
For the purposes of consistency, and easily viewable content, my decision has been to record content in SDR, whether the source I use is SDR or HDR.
I have one large HDR monitor, and one small SDR monitor, which helps in testing on the go for consistency between the two.
In OBS there are several ways to bring HDR display sources down to an SDR level.
One method is to use HDR to SDR tone mapping. This method does a decent job of bring HDR displays, displaying HDR content, down to an SDR level. However, this method does not in fact, do a good job of bringing SDR content being displayed on the HDR display, down to SDR. It makes it appear faded.
(For the purposes of consistency, and seeing the affects, these images are SDR, and to see destruction of certain colors/details, it is best to view these on SDR display.)
HDR Display with SDR content and HDR tone mapping:
By using Force SDR on the display properties in OBS, SDR content displayed on HDR display is PERFECTLY converted. with an accurate color match to SDR display. However, while HDR content appears crisp and contrasted nicely, it seems to destroy alot of mid range content. Dark scenes will get utterly lost in blacks. Its as if the nit conversion decides gray tones that are close to blacks, that don't exist in SDR, should be converted to blacks instead of SDR midtones.
HDR Display with SDR content Force SDR on:
SDR Display with SDR content:
HDR Display with HDR content and HDR tone mapping:
SDR Display with HDR Content(MPC-BE properly converts with a setting "If HDR Passthrough is impossible or disabled, then ✓Convert to SDR SDR display nits: 100):
HDR Display with HDR content and Force SDR:
As you can see, when HDR content, on the HDR display is show, the Force SDR option destroys details in the blacks and midtones range, almost as if some of the HDR tones not available in SDR, are moved closer to blacks than midtones.
Where as if I use and HDR tone mapping, while HDR content may seem better, its as if the blackest blacks never reach their darkest black, not being as rich or contrasted as SDR, and destroying SDR in the process.
My assumption is that the feature which forces SDR signal in the properties, has an algorithm for determining which tones go to which SDR tones.
Could we possibly see an advanced setting that allows us to adjust this?
The reason I wish to use Force SDR is that it keeps SDR content 100 percent consistent, but I would like to see the ability to adjust how "Force SDR" affects HDR signals, without destroying SDR signals in the same breath.
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