Why It Looks Like That
Article 22

HDR TV Setup: Configure HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Games

HDR setup is a format-specific verification process. Confirm the active signal, stabilize the mode, then verify D65, HDR Reference White, PQ or HLG tracking, peak behavior, tone mapping, color volume, and gaming paths separately.

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Direct answer

In brief

HDR setup is not a command to maximize every brightness control. Confirm that the intended HDR format reaches the television, select and reset the correct HDR mode, hold adaptive processing stable, then verify D65, black threshold, HDR Reference White, PQ or HLG tracking, peak behavior, tone mapping, and color volume. Configure Game Mode and its tone-mapping state before running console HDR calibration, and preserve separate reference, room-adapted, gaming, and preference modes when needed.

HDR setup begins after the television has a stable SDR baseline.

You are not starting over.

You are applying the same calibration principles to different signal systems.

For this project, the relevant formats are:

The user’s Samsung television does not support Dolby Vision.

Dolby Vision instructions are therefore not part of this setup article.

The practical answer

For every HDR source:

  1. Confirm that the television detects the intended HDR format.
  2. Confirm that the active HDMI port or internal application supports that format.
  3. Select the intended HDR picture mode.
  4. Reset the HDR mode when previous changes are unknown.
  5. Control adaptive and optional processing.
  6. Verify D65 and the HDR grayscale.
  7. Verify black threshold and near-black behavior.
  8. Verify HDR Reference White.
  9. Measure PQ or HLG tracking.
  10. Measure peak output at several areas and durations.
  11. Evaluate tone mapping and color volume.
  12. Save games in a separate low-latency mode.
  13. Run console calibration after the final television Game Mode is selected.

Do not set every HDR brightness control to maximum merely because HDR can contain bright highlights.

Do not enable every dynamic tone-mapping option merely because the source is HDR10.

Do not copy SDR values into HDR without verifying the television’s storage and behavior.

A ten-stage HDR television setup workflow runs from confirming the active HDR format and HDMI input capability through selecting and stabilizing the HDR picture mode, verifying D65, HDR Reference White, PQ or HLG response, peak output, tone mapping, and color volume. A final branch sends games to a separate low-latency workflow before console calibration.
HDR setup begins with signal confirmation and ends with measured grayscale, transfer response, mapping, peak behavior, and color volume.

What still applies from SDR

The room

The room still affects:

BT.2100 defines a critical HDR viewing environment.

BT.2390 explains that display mapping is required when the display or environment cannot reproduce the reference condition. [1][3]

Use:

Signal range

HDR still has:

Source and display interpretation must match.

Article 17 remains relevant.

Black

HDR has a reference black and near-black region.

Use the correct PQ or HLG PLUGE pattern.

Do not apply an SDR code-value instruction to HDR.

White point

BT.2100 uses D65:

The HDR white-balance workflow remains separate from SDR because panel drive and internal tables can change.

Luminance tracking

PQ and HLG replace SDR BT.1886.

The concept remains:

The target is different.

Color

HDR uses BT.2020 system colorimetry.

The television must map the source color volume to its panel capability.

The SDR blue-filter test does not verify HDR.

Two columns show calibration principles that carry from SDR into HDR and targets that change for HDR. The shared column lists room control, signal range, black interpretation, D65, stable processing, and measured verification. The HDR-specific column lists PQ or HLG, HDR Reference White, tone mapping, peak behavior, and color volume.
Room, range, black, D65, and verification still matter in HDR, but PQ, HLG, Reference White, mapping, peak, and color volume require separate procedures.

Confirm that HDR is active

Television indication

Look for a reliable indication such as:

A brighter picture alone does not prove HDR.

Source indication

Confirm the source reports:

Application behavior

An internal application can:

Verify the actual program.

Forced HDR conversion

Some source devices can convert SDR to HDR.

PlayStation currently offers:

For reference evaluation, use the mode that leaves SDR applications in SDR unless conversion is the intended test.

An end-to-end HDR status check follows five stages: source output, intermediary pass-through, HDMI port capability, television format indicator, and active HDR picture mode. Each stage has a check mark only after its status is confirmed. A warning states that a brighter picture alone does not prove that HDR is active.
HDR is confirmed by the complete signal path and active mode, not by brightness alone.

External HDMI input capability

A television can require an input setting for high-bandwidth or HDR formats.

Samsung support uses names such as:

Enable the documented setting for the exact connected HDMI port when required.

This setting can permit:

It does not make the source more accurate by itself.

Check the television e-manual for:

HDR picture mode

Reference-oriented mode

Start with:

The correct name is model-specific.

Filmmaker Mode target

The UHD Alliance public specification includes:

That makes it a strong baseline.

Verify the actual television

Measure:

Do not assume the label completes the setup.

Mode storage

A television can store HDR controls:

Test the storage behavior before making many changes.

HDR Reference White

Definition

Report BT.2408-9 defines HDR Reference White as the nominal signal from a 100 percent reflectance white card producing:

Signal levels

The report gives approximately:

What it represents

HDR Reference White is a diffuse-white or Graphics White reference in the report’s workflow.

It provides room above ordinary white for:

What it does not mean

It does not mean:

Creative grades can place objects above or below the nominal level.

A conceptual PQ range diagram places black at the bottom, middle tones above it, HDR Reference White at approximately 58 percent PQ and 203 candela per square meter, brighter highlights above that, a display-specific peak below the top, and the 10000 candela per square meter PQ endpoint at the top. The diagram states that display peak and content highlights are not fixed by HDR Reference White.
HDR Reference White is a diffuse-white reference inside the HDR range, below highlights, a display-specific peak, and the full PQ endpoint.

PQ setup

PQ is display-light referenced

PQ maps encoded values to reference display luminance.

The reference system can represent a very large luminance range.

A consumer television usually cannot reproduce the complete range.

Display mapping

Report BT.2390-12 says display mapping is needed when the actual display cannot reproduce the reference black, peak, gamut, or environment. [3]

The mapping can include:

Reference-oriented objective

A useful objective is:

The exact compromise depends on the display.

HLG setup

HLG is relative

HLG was designed as a relative scene-light television system.

It does not use PQ’s fixed code-to-luminance relationship.

Nominal peak

BT.2100 defines the HLG user gain as the display’s nominal peak luminance for achromatic pixels. [1]

System gamma

For a 1,000 cd/m² nominal-peak reference display:

For another nominal peak:

The system gamma may also be decreased for brighter surround conditions. [1]

Reference White

At 1,000 cd/m² nominal peak:

At another peak or gamma:

HLG measurement

Measure:

Do not evaluate HLG with a PQ luminance table.

An HLG system relationship diagram flows from an HLG signal through nominal peak luminance, system gamma, display black level, and viewing environment to displayed light. A standards card states that system gamma is 1.2 at a nominal peak of 1000 candela per square meter, and a Reference White card states that 75 percent HLG corresponds to 203 candela per square meter for that condition. The diagram notes that other peaks and surrounds change displayed luminance or system gamma.
HLG is a relative system whose displayed result depends on nominal peak, system gamma, black level, and viewing environment.

Peak Brightness controls

Identify the function

A control can be labeled:

The same label can have a different function in SDR.

Test every candidate setting

Measure:

Highest can be correct

The highest setting may be the intended reference state on the exact model.

Use it when measurement or manufacturer documentation supports it.

Highest can be a preference state

The highest setting can also:

Do not universalize it.

Comfort and energy modes

A lower-output mode can be saved for:

Label it separately from the measured reference mode.

Three conceptual television Peak Brightness outcomes are compared. The first follows the reference-oriented EOTF with controlled roll-off. The second raises midtones and diffuse white. The third creates a higher short-duration peak but a lower sustained level. A warning states that the same menu name can produce different behavior and must be measured on the exact mode.
The highest Peak Brightness setting can be reference-oriented, midtone-lifting, or short-duration-biased depending on the television and mode.

Measuring usable peak

State the conditions

Record:

Area

Measure several bright-area sizes.

Use the selected calibration workflow.

Do not publish one window percentage as a universal definition.

Duration

Measure:

Color

Measure:

White peak alone does not describe color volume.

A central HDR peak-luminance result is surrounded by seven required measurement conditions: bright-area size, duration and stabilization, color, picture mode, panel temperature, meter and profiling, and tone-mapping or local-dimming state. A warning states that one unqualified peak number does not describe HDR performance.
Area, duration, color, mode, temperature, instrumentation, and mapping state determine what a peak-luminance result means.

HDR10 static metadata

HDR10 uses PQ and BT.2020 signaling and can carry static metadata such as mastering-display and content-light information.

Static metadata describes the program at a broad level.

It does not directly command every output luminance.

The television decides how to map the program to:

A television can also receive:

Test several metadata conditions when the workflow supports it.

Dynamic Tone Mapping

Two columns compare HDR10 display mapping without extra dynamic analysis and proprietary dynamic tone mapping. The static side uses static metadata or fixed assumptions and keeps one selected display behavior. The dynamic side adds scene, frame, histogram, region, or manufacturer analysis and can change the mapping over time. Both sides still require display mapping.
Turning off extra dynamic analysis does not remove the display mapping needed to fit HDR to the television.

What the setting can do

Dynamic Tone Mapping can use image analysis to change mapping by:

Possible benefits

It can:

Possible costs

It can:

Reference mode

For reference-oriented viewing, choose the mode that produces:

The result might be:

Preference mode

A brighter dynamic mode can be saved for:

Name it separately.

A five-row tradeoff map shows that dynamic tone mapping can change shadow visibility, diffuse-white level, highlight detail, scene consistency, and color. Each row has a possible benefit on one side and a possible cost on the other. The diagram states that no single outcome is guaranteed and the exact television mode must be measured.
Dynamic mapping can help one part of the picture while changing another, so reference and preference modes should be evaluated separately.

HDR10+

HDR10+ adds dynamic metadata that can provide scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame tone-mapping and color-volume guidance. [9]

Display role

The television still considers:

The metadata guides the process.

Verify active format

Confirm the television reports HDR10+.

An HDR10+ source can fall back to HDR10 when one device in the chain does not pass the metadata.

Intermediary devices

An AVR, switch, capture device, or application can:

Test the complete chain.

Additional processing

Check whether a Dynamic Tone Mapping setting:

Do not assume.

Two signal paths compare HDR10 and HDR10 plus. HDR10 uses PQ, static program-level metadata where present, and television display mapping. HDR10 plus uses PQ, scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame dynamic metadata, and television display mapping. A fallback arrow shows that HDR10 plus content can be displayed as HDR10 when dynamic metadata is not passed or supported.
HDR10+ adds scene or frame metadata to the HDR10 foundation, while the television still maps the signal to its own capability.

Reference versus preference modes

A useful television can store more than one honest mode.

HDR Reference

HDR Day Adapted

HDR Comfort

HDR Dynamic Preference

A preference mode is not a calibration failure.

It should not replace the reference baseline.

Four HDR picture-mode cards separate HDR Reference, HDR Day Adapted, HDR Dynamic Preference, and HDR Game. Each card lists its purpose, room or latency goal, and the measurements or labels needed to distinguish it from the others. A note states that preference modes are valid choices but should not replace the preserved reference baseline.
Separate, honestly named HDR modes let the viewer preserve a reference baseline while using room, comfort, dynamic, or gaming adaptations when needed.

HDR black and near black

Range first

Confirm the source and television range.

A mismatch can raise or crush HDR black.

Correct pattern

Use:

Do not use an SDR PLUGE file.

Near-black sweep

Measure:

Tone-mapping interaction

A display can alter near black through:

Control those states.

HDR color

System colorimetry

BT.2100 uses BT.2020 system primaries and D65. [1]

A consumer display can cover a smaller gamut.

Color volume

Color must be measured with luminance.

A television can reproduce a saturated color at low luminance but lose saturation as brightness increases.

Patterns

Use valid:

Gamut mapping

Evaluate:

Do not copy SDR CMS values into HDR without verification.

HDR gaming

Game Mode

Use the low-latency mode for interactive play.

Verify:

Game Mode can sacrifice some processing to reduce delay.

ALLM

HDMI ALLM lets a source request low-latency mode. [8]

It does not calibrate the image.

Confirm the television exits low-latency mode for non-game video when expected.

A two-column diagram shows what Auto Low Latency Mode does and does not do. ALLM can let a source request a low-latency display state and later let the display return to its previous state. It does not set the HDR EOTF, peak luminance, HGiG parameters, console calibration, or color accuracy.
ALLM can request low latency, but it does not set or verify HDR picture-quality targets.

VRR

Variable Refresh Rate can change the active processing path. [13]

Measure at:

The exact test depends on the display.

HGiG

Framework

The HDR Gaming Interest Group’s recommendations coordinate:

Display ranges

The framework defines:

A conceptual HGiG range diagram places MinTML at the dark-detail boundary, MaxFFTML at the full-frame bright-detail boundary, and MaxTML at the small-area bright-detail boundary. The Primary HDR range spans MinTML to MaxFFTML. The Extended HDR range spans MinTML to MaxTML for up to 10 percent of the display area. No universal luminance values are assigned.
HGiG uses MinTML, MaxFFTML, and MaxTML to define Primary and Extended HDR ranges rather than one universal peak value.

Display role

The display should preserve gradation in the stated ranges.

It can communicate actual parameters or a display category.

Console role

The console can:

Consumer calibration can override stored display information. [5]

Game role

The game can render critical objects within the Primary or Extended HDR range according to area and duration.

Three columns show HGiG system roles. The display characterizes tone-map luminance capability and preserves gradation in the defined ranges. The console identifies the display, offers optional system calibration, and provides final parameters through an API. The game uses those parameters in its own tone mapper and renders critical objects within the chosen range. A note states that HGiG is a best-practice framework, not a certification program or one television mode.
HGiG coordinates capability information, optional console calibration, and game rendering without defining one certified television switch.

Television mode labeled HGiG

A television mode labeled HGiG can aim to:

Measure the implementation.

Do not assume the menu name reproduces every HGiG recommendation.

PlayStation HDR setup

Current PlayStation support directs the user to:

  1. Configure the television input.
  2. Enable the intended Game Mode.
  3. Select the intended HGiG or tone-mapping mode.
  4. Confirm HDR output.
  5. Run Adjust HDR.
  6. Launch the game.
  7. Check whether the game uses the system calibration.
  8. Configure in-game HDR only when needed.

Output selection

Use On When Supported when SDR applications should remain SDR. [6]

Always On performs conversion and should be evaluated as a separate preference.

No universal click count

Do not publish one number of clicks for every display.

The calibration images depend on the active television mapping.

Xbox HDR setup

Current Xbox support directs the user to the HDR Game Calibration app through TV & display options. [7]

  1. Configure the television input.
  2. Enable the intended Game Mode.
  3. Select the intended HGiG or tone-mapping state.
  4. Confirm HDR10.
  5. Run HDR Game Calibration.
  6. Check game-specific HDR settings.
  7. Verify real gameplay.

Compatibility screen

Use the console’s display information to confirm:

Recalibration

Run the console calibration again after changing:

A six-stage HDR gaming setup order runs from enabling the correct input capability through selecting Game Mode, choosing the intended HGiG-related or television mapping mode, running console HDR calibration, configuring in-game HDR only when required, and verifying the actual 60 hertz, 120 hertz, or variable-refresh-rate play state. A loop indicates that changing the television mapping mode requires console recalibration.
Fix the television input, Game Mode, and mapping state before console calibration, then verify the game and active refresh state.

HDR10+ GAMING

HDR10+ GAMING is a separate compatible gaming system.

Official HDR10+ material describes:

Requirements

The full chain must support it:

Automatic behavior

Compatible certified equipment can configure the HDR10+ GAMING path automatically.

Manual HGiG calibration may not be the intended workflow for that active format.

Fallback

Without complete compatibility, the game can fall back to:

Verify the television’s format indicator.

Samsung scope

Samsung supports HDR10+ GAMING on selected televisions and monitors.

Exact compatibility depends on:

Use the exact model e-manual and certified-product information.

Two columns compare HGiG and HDR10 plus GAMING. HGiG is a Version 1.1 best-practice framework using display tone-map ranges, optional console system calibration, and game rendering parameters. HDR10 plus GAMING is a compatible certified ecosystem using source-side tone mapping, automated HDR calibration, dynamic metadata, and a low-latency reference mode. A warning states that the workflows should not be combined by assumption.
HGiG uses best-practice ranges and console calibration, while HDR10+ GAMING uses a compatible metadata and source-side mapping ecosystem.

A no-meter HDR workflow

A reader without instruments can create a safe baseline.

1. Confirm the format

Verify:

2. Confirm the input

For an external Samsung source, verify whether Input Signal Plus is required for that HDMI port.

3. Reset the HDR mode

Use the intended HDR picture mode.

4. Stabilize processing

Disable optional:

Keep required:

5. Keep the mode’s Peak Brightness default initially

Do not change it from the name alone.

6. Compare tone-mapping modes carefully

Use trusted difficult scenes containing:

Look for:

7. Preserve a reference baseline

Keep the most reference-oriented mode.

Save a brighter dynamic preference separately.

8. Configure HLG separately

Do not copy PQ judgments.

9. Configure games separately

Set Game Mode first.

Run console calibration second.

10. Stop

Do not adjust HDR white balance, multipoint EOTF, or CMS by eye.

Describe the result as:

Do not call it calibrated HDR.

A measured PQ workflow

1. Document the chain

Record:

2. Verify the generator

Confirm:

3. Measure black and near black

Use the PQ workflow from Article 17.

4. Measure D65 grayscale

Use several PQ levels.

Record chromaticity and luminance.

5. Measure HDR Reference White

Check approximately 58 percent PQ against the declared target.

6. Measure the EOTF

Include:

7. Measure peak behavior

Use multiple areas and durations.

8. Test metadata and tone mapping

Use several mastering and content-light conditions where the generator supports them.

9. Measure color volume

Include saturation and luminance.

10. Verify HDR10+

Repeat with active HDR10+ metadata where supported.

11. Inspect real content

Use several known scenes.

Do not tune to one title.

A seven-stage measured PQ HDR workflow runs from black and near-black verification through D65 grayscale, approximately 58 percent PQ HDR Reference White, full EOTF tracking, tone-mapping knee and roll-off, peak measurement by area and duration, and color-volume verification. Each stage is measured under a documented HDR10 or HDR10 plus mode.
A complete PQ workflow measures black, D65, HDR Reference White, EOTF, roll-off, peak behavior, and color volume rather than peak alone.

A measured HLG workflow

1. Confirm true HLG

Verify format indication.

2. Document nominal peak and room

HLG behavior depends on them.

3. Measure black

Use HLG PLUGE.

4. Measure D65 grayscale

Use HLG signal levels.

5. Measure 75 percent HLG

Interpret the result with the selected nominal peak and system gamma.

6. Measure system response

Do not compare with a PQ EOTF.

7. Measure peak and color

Include area, duration, and color volume.

8. Evaluate room adaptation

If the television changes HLG for ambient light, characterize the adaptive states separately.

A seven-stage measured HLG workflow runs from black and near-black verification through D65 grayscale, nominal peak selection, system gamma, 75 percent HLG HDR Reference White, highlight and color-volume measurement, and room-adaptation characterization. A warning states that HLG is not compared with a PQ luminance table.
HLG requires its own nominal peak, system-gamma, Reference White, highlight, color, and room-adaptation measurements.

Troubleshooting

The television does not report HDR

Check:

  1. source HDR setting
  2. title format
  3. application
  4. HDMI port
  5. Input Signal Plus or equivalent
  6. AVR or switch
  7. cable
  8. resolution and refresh rate
  9. source conversion
  10. firmware

HDR is active but looks like SDR

Possible causes include:

Use measurements before assuming failure.

HDR looks dim

Check:

Do not set every control to maximum first.

HDR looks too bright and flat

Check:

Highlights are clipped

Check:

Highlights are preserved but lack impact

Check:

HDR10+ falls back to HDR10

Check:

HLG looks wrong

Check:

Do not change PQ tone mapping.

Game HDR clips

Check:

Game HDR is washed out

Check:

Console calibration changes after firmware

Repeat it after:

What correct HDR setup looks like

By measurement

A verified PQ mode should show:

A verified HLG mode should show:

By eye

A practical mode should show:

Visual plausibility is not measured verification.

What calibration can fix

Calibration can reduce:

within the controls and hardware capability.

What calibration cannot fix

Calibration cannot:

An HDR report should include:

For gaming add:

Where this leaves us

HDR setup is not:

It is a controlled format-specific workflow.

For HDR10:

For HDR10+:

For HLG:

For games:

The next article completes the series through final verification.

Verification confirms that:

Sources and standards

Primary ITU HDR recommendations, HGiG, HDMI, HDR10+, PlayStation, Xbox, Filmmaker Mode, and Samsung documentation used in this article. Last verified August 6, 2026.

  1. International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector. Image Parameter Values for High Dynamic Range Television for Use in Production and International Programme Exchange. Recommendation ITU-R BT.2100-3, February 2025.
    https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/bt/R-REC-BT.2100-3-202502-I%21%21PDF-E.pdf

    ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector. Guidelines for operational practices in high dynamic range television production. Report ITU-R BT.2408-9, March 2026.
    https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-BT.2408-9-2026-PDF-E.pdf

    ↩↩↩

  3. International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector. High Dynamic Range Television for Production and International Programme Exchange. Report ITU-R BT.2390-12, March 2025.
    https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-BT.2390-12-2025-PDF-E.pdf

    ↩↩

  4. Ultra High Definition Alliance. Filmmaker Mode Technical Specifications. Official About page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://filmmakermode.com/about/

    ↩

  5. HDR Gaming Interest Group. For a Better HDR Gaming Experience: Best Practice Recommendations for Game HDR Creation. Version 1.1, July 2019.
    https://www.hgig.org/doc/ForBetterHDRGaming.pdf

    ↩↩↩

  6. Sony Interactive Entertainment. How to Enable HDR on a PS5 Console. Official support page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5-enable-adjust-hdr/

    ↩↩↩

  7. Microsoft. Xbox Recommended TV Settings for HDR. Official support page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/hardware-network/display-sound/hdr-tv-settings

    ↩

  8. HDMI Licensing Administrator. Auto Low Latency Mode. Official technology page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://www.hdmi.org/spec2sub/autolowlatencymode

    ↩

  9. HDR10+ Technologies, LLC. HDR10+ System Whitepaper. September 4, 2019.
    https://hdr10plus.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HDR10_WhitePaper.pdf

    ↩

  10. HDR10+ Technologies, LLC. HDR10+ GAMING. Official product documentation, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://hdr10plus.org/gaming-2/

    ↩

  11. Samsung Electronics. Understanding HDR Technology for Samsung TVs. Updated November 13, 2024.
    https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/tv-audio-video/hdr-technology-for-samsung-tvs/

    ↩

  12. Samsung Electronics. Cannot Enable HDR from Windows 11 to Samsung TV. Official support page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshoot/TSG10002381/

    ↩

  13. HDMI Licensing Administrator. HDMI 2.2 Specification Technology Overview. Official page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://www.hdmi.org/spec/hdmi2

    ↩
Related reading: HDR Tone Mapping: How a Television Fits the Signal to the Screen Review the tone-mapping concepts behind HDR peak behavior, roll-off, and display adaptation. Next step: Final Verification Complete the numbered calibration path by verifying stored modes, SDR and HDR targets, applications, HDMI inputs, gaming states, controlled clips, and familiar content.