[PC Gamer] Your Nvidia card may not be giving full RGB over HDMI, test and fix

[Vesku]

For some reason, Nvidia cards default to Limited RGB (16-235 levels of differentiation per color) when using HDMI, despite a PC display's ability to support full RGB (0-255 colors).This driver issue has been affecting the HDMI output of Nvidia cards for years, and could be limiting your color range without you knowing it. Luckily there's a fix.

http://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-cards-dont-full-rgb-color-through-hdmiheres-a-fix/

 

[Silverforce11]

^^ If you see four distinct squares, you are fine.

I knew the "faded" image out from my GTX 670 wasn't normal when my 7950 at the opposite rig was much more vibrant. I thought its probably the calibration of NV's drivers and didn't think much of it..

 

[Gloomy]

I remember having this issue freaking ages (years!) ago on my laptop after Dell swapped my laptop to one with a Fermi GPU inside.

This was like 5 years ago now. Nice drivers. :thumbsup:

 

[Black Octagon]

http://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?t=870#p6397

Read till the end. Seems to be fixable via GeForce Experience, if I've understood the last couple posts

Edit: just read the PC Gamer article. Maybe not released yet

 

[lopri]

NV has had this problem for decades even D-Sub/DVI days. There used to be a registry fix that sometime worked and sometimes did not.

For recent HDMI/DP connections, read the following.

https://pcmonitors.info/articles/correcting-hdmi-colour-on-nvidia-and-amd-gpus/

 

[HurleyBird]

If AMD's drivers had been doing this for what sounds like the last decade, you'd never hear the end of it. On the other hand, that hypothetical would never happen because the sheer amount of noise generated would motivate their driver team to fix it.

 

[wilds]

How does this effect OS X with NVIDIA GPUs? The 650m in my MBP must be enabled for external monitor use.

 

[RussianSensation]

I've been trying so hard for years to bring this to gamers' attention, not because I want to crap on NV or something but because I want all of us to have accurate colours in games, movies and desktop usage after we pay $ for graphics cards. For me the most basic functions of a videocard are presentation of accurate colours and high clarity. If you can't get that right, everything else falls apart no matter the FPS or performance/$ or performance/watt.

This Full RGB fix for NV should be a sticky at the top of VC&G forum for every new NV user running HDMI.

If AMD's drivers had been doing this for what sounds like the last decade, you'd never hear the end of it. On the other hand, that hypothetical would never happen because the sheer amount of noise generated would motivate their driver team to fix it.

You don't say - failing to perfect the most basic function of a videocard after a decade, especially with Maxwell pushing HDMI 2.0 as the killer feature for 4K TV gaming. It's shocking NV still hasn't fixed this despite having such a large portion of gamers buying their cards. How have millions of NV users have not complained about this? Finally, NV is going to fix this; and I am so happy they finally listened to us

 

[sontin]

nVidia cards give full RGB range when the card is detected to a TV.
There is only a problem if you connect the card to a pc monitor over HDMI.

So i guess AMD user should only use HDMI from now on, too?


Enough of the trolling. AMD has nothing to do with this thread.

-Rvenger

 

[amenx]

Easy solution: use DVI.

 

[RussianSensation]

nVidia cards give full RGB range when the card is detected to a TV.
There is only a problem if you connect the card to a pc monitor over HDMI.

So i guess AMD user should only use HDMI from now on, too?

So what you are saying is almost no PC gamer uses HDMI connection for gaming, never for multi-monitor NV surround, especially when NV allows you to use any combination of HDMI/DP/miniDP and DVI? This isn't about AMD users using HDMI only but about NV providing a seamless support for a standard feature that should have been there from day 1. Not sure why you always have to defend everything NV and bring up AMD into this.

Easy solution: use DVI.

That's not a solution whatsoever because if you are running 3 monitors, you don't have enough DVI ports on your card. Another example is buying an IPS monitor that basically requires HDMI for the best IQ, and ironically happens to be a top notch monitor for 2-3 monitor productivity/gaming on a budget.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-335-_-Product

Finally some of us (myself included) use a PC monitor, not a TV, over DVI-HDMI or HDMI-to-HDMI connection which means I am always performing this fix for any new NV card I have to buy. Even in the PC Gamer's comment section, there are already users who are commenting that the fix is working for them which means tons and tons of gamers have been oblivious to this issue.

 

[sontin]

So what you are saying is almost no PC gamer uses HDMI connection for gaming, never for multi-monitor NV surround, especially when NV allows you to use any combination of HDMI/DP/miniDP and DVI? This isn't about AMD users using HDMI only but about NV providing a seamless support for a standard feature that should have been there from day 1. Not sure why you always have to defend everything NV and bring up AMD into this.

So, HDMI is now for connecting a PC monitor to the card? Wow.
HDMI does work when you connect a TV with support for full RGB. I can switch between full and limited on my Toshiba ZL1 and a GT740.
There are certain pc monitors which have only HDMI input. And here you get the problems. This has nothing to do with "defend nVidia".

 

[Black Octagon]

nVidia cards give full RGB range when the card is detected to a TV.
There is only a problem if you connect the card to a pc monitor over HDMI.

So i guess AMD user should only use HDMI from now on, too?

Not just HDMI, DP too

 

[Silverforce11]

So, HDMI is now for connecting a PC monitor to the card? Wow.

What?! HDMI isn't for connecting to a PC monitor? Damn, all these years, so many monitors had HDMI, DVI.. could have sworn they were all meant to be valid options. In fact, I'm using HDMI now on my monitors.

Really, you guys should just come out and say it, "It's about time they fixed it, good on them for finally doing it right". Instead of coming up with such lame excuses like HDMI isn't meant to be used for PC monitors.

 

[sontin]

Not just HDMI, DP too

Both G-Sync monitors from Asus displays full RBG over DP with my GTX780TI and GTX980.

What?! HDMI isn't for connecting to a PC monitor? Damn, all these years, so many monitors had HDMI, DVI.. could have sworn they were all meant to be valid options. In fact, I'm using HDMI now on my monitors.

Oh, i forget: HDMI was specifically designed to be the first choice for connecting a PC graphics card to a PC monitor.
Or these monitors support HDMI for other devices like consoles or blu-ray players...

Really, you guys should just come out and say it, "It's about time they fixed it, good on them for finally doing it right". Instead of coming up with such lame excuses like HDMI isn't meant to be used for PC monitors.

Because it doesnt make sense?
HDMI is not the first choice for pc user except they bought a PC monitor without other options.

 

[Silverforce11]

So according to you, the way you make it seem that people who use HDMI for monitors is some kind of illogical gamer and that NV shouldn't waste their effort fixing this non problem.

That's the vibe I get.

Correct me if I am wrong, and that in fact, you ARE somewhat glad NV is finally fixing this issue.

All this time, I thought the washed out look from my 670 rig was "the normal for NV", like some kind of image optimization to enhance the visuals, making it more cinematic... or something along those lines. Holy crap, all that time, they were doing the basic colors wrong! It's supposed to be more vibrant like on Radeons!!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Sad how some people defend NV at all costs, when they are so very clearly wrong on this issue. Thankfully, they are fixing this issue. It's about freaking time.

And yes, I use HDMI as the preferred connection to connect my PCs. It's one cable instead of two (DVI or VGA and an audio cable), AND I have a cheap ($13) HDMI switcher that lets me route one out of three different devices to my display. Including my tablet, which ONLY has an HDMI output.

Edit: And yes, my two desktop Q9300 rigs have GT630 cards, using HDMI.

 

[DarkKnightDude]

I don't understand why this hasn't been fixed yet. I swear this bug has been around for ages.

 

[Silverforce11]

I don't understand why this hasn't been fixed yet. I swear this bug has been around for ages.

Because I swear, it happened to me... all this time on my NV gaming rig, I thought the washed out look was "The Way It's Meant To Be Played" feature. As they say, ignorance IS bliss.

 

[RussianSensation]

Because it doesnt make sense?
HDMI is not the first choice for pc user except they bought a PC monitor without other options.

Right, all those poor PC gamers running HDMI only LCDs/monitors must all be clueless, like those totally awesome Asus 1cm bezel IPS 24" HDMI LCD displays for $160 -- totally garbage because NV couldn't get it to work....right?

9252 posts with over 1 million views on my PC monitor in AVS Forums for PC gaming.

If this issue doesn't affect you, move on instead of coming up with ludicrous excuses how HDMI-to-HDMI or DVI-to-HDMI is not a valid connection for an LCD/PC monitor with an NV card.

 

[tidy]

.

 

[Creig]

If this had been a Radeon issue, AMD video card owners would be howling for the Catalyst driver team to fix it and Nvidia owners would add it to their list of reasons they tell people why they should never buy an AMD video card.

But since it's an Nvidia issue, we hear, "Well then, just don't use HDMI or DP on a computer monitor".

There's the difference between the two camps.

 

[ShintaiDK]

It is sad that it's taken Nvidia so long to address this issue.

Just to be clear, this is only an issue for 1920x1080 displays connected via HDMI or DP (the drivers mistakenly assume that any such configuration must be an HDTV, and defaults to HDTV colour space). Any other res, or 1920x1080 on DVI (as mentioned above), and it doesn't happen.

PS. DVI means DVI at the monitor end. If you use a DVI (PC) to HDMI (monitor) cable on modern cards, Nvidia still detects it as an HDMI connection, and will send the wrong colour space to a 1920x1080 monitor. This doesn't happen with an 8800GT, but I know it happens on newer cards. I'm not sure exactly when this 'feature' was introduced.

You just killed 95% of the drama with your factual statements.

So in short, 1920*1080 and HDMI or DP. Else no problem.

 

[Creig]

You just killed 95% of the drama with your factual statements.

So in short, 1920*1080 and HDMI or DP. Else no problem.

What is the most common resolution for computer monitors these days? 1920x1080

What is the most common video/audio cable available? HDMI

There's definitely a problem.

 

[ShintaiDK]

What is the most common resolution for computer monitors these days? 1920x1080

What is the most common video/audio cable available? HDMI

There's definitely a problem.

Whats the most common video cable? DVI.

Not to mention you would have to have bought a monitor that can actually display those lower blacks. That excludes all the cheap rubbish.

Its a storm in a glass of water.


I've had enough of your pointless arguing. Go find something better to do.

-Rvenger