# Windows 10 HDR crashes (Windows HD Color crashes)



## dcfecta (Aug 8, 2020)

I have a BenQ EL2870U HDR monitor using a Display Port cable on an RTX 2060. Whenever I switch HDR on in Windows 10, very often, the screen will freeze up, turn black and turn back on, causing games, videos and the like to crash or appear white-screen (videos—video players, youtube etc.) I thought games would automatically detect if you have an HDR-compatible monitor connected and would allow you to turn it on in game without needing to turn on "Windows HD Color", but that is not the case as I need to have Windows HD color turned on to even use HDR in anything on the PC.
I have no idea what these random crashes are. I've already tried uninstalling, reinstalling numerous display drivers for NVIDIA (including Game and Studio drivers) same results—HDR crashes. I'm currently running Game Ready Driver (451.67, recent version up to date). Yet HDR still randomly display crashes. And the more it happens the more games and other content refuse to start and just crash.
Thing about having HDR on with this monitor, is, with it off (revert to SDR), the sharpness is messed up and works improperly.
Any help figuring out this problem would be appreciated.

tl;dr
HDR on Windows 10 (Windows HD Color) causes display crashes


```
Windows 10 (2004 build)
256 SSD
16 GB RAM
RTX 2060
NVIDIA Game Ready Driver 451.67
```


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## agent_x007 (Aug 8, 2020)

Standard driver or DCH one ?


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## dcfecta (Aug 8, 2020)

Standard driver likely (not sure, it was a 500mb download)


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## Caring1 (Aug 9, 2020)

Yeah, it isn't HDR as the brightness is 300, minimum for HDR is 400.





						Specifications
					






					www.benq.com


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## dcfecta (Aug 9, 2020)

So BenQ lied about the product? Should I return it for false advertisement? I just brought it two days ago; I should've went the g-sync 1440p, but wanted the bigger 4K HDR route, but if it's true it doesn't really have it— This explains the reason it's been having these random crashes? Like whenever the brightness went out of range of the minotr with HDR on, the display would crash (turn black) and come back on?). I could see why, if that's the case.
I'm not sure how the option for HDR (HD Color) is even available with this.


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## Caring1 (Aug 9, 2020)

You can try return it, although it would be hard to prove they lied about the product, there must be a reason they call it HDR.
Look for one with better viewing angles (178/178), wider colour gamut (90+) a VA panel NOT TN, and increased brightness of 400 minimum, higher refresh rate over 60 is a bonus.


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## mbeeston (Aug 9, 2020)

it supports the hdr10 protocol but pretty much nothing else hdr. if you can i'd try.
though quick question.. are you using a display port 1.2 cable or a 1.4 cable...


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## dcfecta (Aug 9, 2020)

What sites are better for shopping for monitors? Newegg or Amazon? I try to find a suitable 27" (1440p) monitor (just so those pixels are spread out and blurry this time)
And regarding HDR well, I dunno if such monitors come with the whole package commonly. (e.g. g-sync, 144hz, 10-bit, VA panel, HDR 1000). Basically, any other place than BenQ. It's time to get away from them now.



mbeeston said:


> are you using a display port 1.2 cable or a 1.4 cable...



display cable 1.4.


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## dcfecta (Aug 11, 2020)

So I got a new monitor today with the correct hdr specifications yet the random crashes still occur. Literally the OS will freeze for ~5/10 seconds before the screens goes black and turns back on, all content (videos/video players/games, crash or have a white screen). Clearly something is wrong; Windows HDR (HD Color) is still broken even in the latest update. (2004)


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## Vya Domus (Aug 11, 2020)

I tired just one game in HDR, it was Hitman 2 and the only way it worked is if *I turned off HDR* in windows.


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## Vayra86 (Aug 11, 2020)

Stay far away from this bullshit technology is my advice. Monitor technology needs to advance to OLED levels before any form of useful HDR can be implemented.

The whole VESA HDR spec is one big industry cluster*peep*. Stay away. Buy a good VA or IPS that you can calibrate neutrally and has the resolution and refresh rate you are looking for. Its really that simple. Check a review or two on tftcentral.co.uk before you buy and always have a no hassle return policy. Panels are a lottery and 90% of what you read in the spec sheet is total BS.


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## dcfecta (Aug 11, 2020)

I already got a new monitor following these specific specs and to even play any games in HDR, I need to have it turned in Windows or the option is greyed out.


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## theonek (Aug 11, 2020)

HDR... nobody uses it...


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## Vayra86 (Aug 11, 2020)

dcfecta said:


> I already got a new monitor following these specific specs and to even play any games in HDR, I need to have it turned in Windows or the option is greyed out.



What you are seeing is not HDR becaise the monitor dorsnt have the dynamic range to show all the contrast steps required for it. You are just looking at warped colors with lots of steps hidden to you. So its different Im sure, but it is not accurate in any way and SD will likely be much more balanced and not visually oversaturated, undersaturated, too bright or too dark.

Then again as long as you like the picture all is well.


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## bug (Aug 11, 2020)

dcfecta said:


> What sites are better for shopping for monitors? Newegg or Amazon? I try to find a suitable 27" (1440p) monitor (just so those pixels are spread out and blurry this time)
> *And regarding HDR well, I dunno if such monitors come with the whole package commonly. (e.g. g-sync, 144hz, 10-bit, VA panel, HDR 1000)*. Basically, any other place than BenQ. It's time to get away from them now.
> 
> 
> ...



Very few, if any (you should disregard DisplayHDR 400 certified products, those aren't really HDR capable): https://displayhdr.org/certified-products/
I don't think you need DisplayHDR 1000+, 600 should be enough for anything but the brightest rooms.



Vayra86 said:


> Stay far away from this bullshit technology is my advice. Monitor technology needs to advance to OLED levels before any form of useful HDR can be implemented.
> 
> The whole VESA HDR spec is one big industry cluster*peep*. Stay away. Buy a good VA or IPS that you can calibrate neutrally and has the resolution and refresh rate you are looking for. Its really that simple. Check a review or two on tftcentral.co.uk before you buy and always have a no hassle return policy. Panels are a lottery and 90% of what you read in the spec sheet is total BS.


Couldn't agree more. I got me a new monitor and after a lot of research, I gave up on HDR and simply went with wide gamut for the time being.


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## dcfecta (Aug 11, 2020)

Vayra86 said:


> What you are seeing is not HDR becaise the monitor dorsnt have the dynamic range to show all the contrast steps required for it. You are just looking at warped colors with lots of steps hidden to you. So its different Im sure, but it is not accurate in any way and SD will likely be much more balanced and not visually oversaturated, undersaturated, too bright or too dark.
> 
> Then again as long as you like the picture all is well.



Not the BenQ monitor, I got a new monitor with the corretc HDR specs (HDR 1000, etc.). If the monitor has the right HDR specifications, I can use it now? But clearly even with a monitor with the right HDR specifications the same thing happens.
Can't play games in HDR without having Windows HD Color on or the option is greyed out
Having Windows HD Color causes the random crashes.



bug said:


> I gave up on HDR and simply went with *wide gamut* for the time being.



This is supposed to be better than HDR. I just got a new monitor trying to get the right specs for HDR, now this I hear? Is this wide gamut good for games too?


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## bug (Aug 11, 2020)

dcfecta said:


> This is supposed to be better than HDR. I just got a new monitor trying to get the right specs for HDR, now this I hear? Is this wide gamut good for games too?


Wide gamut is not better than HDR. HDR, as defined today, is wide gamut + more generous contrast.
Colors pop more on a wide gamut monitor, but if the game is not made for wide gamut (I know none that is), colors will just look artificial/cartoony if forced outside the standard sRGB space.
I just needed wide gamut for my photos.

Fwiw, you didn't do much of a job reading about HDR either. You got standards for HDR _input_ signal, but that will just get crushed back into sRGB if you don't pay attention to the specs for _output_ capabilities. Don't feel too bad about it, it's not straightforward to grasp. Just read until you understand it better, otherwise you'll keep paying for hardware you don't actually want/need.


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## dcfecta (Aug 11, 2020)

bug said:


> Wide gamut is not better than HDR. HDR, as defined today, is wide gamut + more generous contrast.
> Colors pop more on a wide gamut monitor, but if the game is not made for wide gamut (I know none that is), colors will just look artificial/cartoony if forced outside the standard sRGB space.
> I just needed wide gamut for my photos.
> 
> Fwiw, you didn't do much of a job reading about HDR either. You got standards for HDR _input_ signal, but that will just get crushed back into sRGB if you don't pay attention to the specs for _output_ capabilities. Don't feel too bad about it, it's not straightforward to grasp. Just read until you understand it better, otherwise you'll keep paying for hardware you don't actually want/need.



Yet none of this actually answers the questions WHY Windows 10 + display is crashing with HDR on. That's what I want to know.


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## bug (Aug 11, 2020)

dcfecta said:


> Yet none of this actually answers the questions WHY Windows 10 + display is crashing with HDR on. That's what I want to know.


Probably because you're not supposed to activate HDR for each and every title. Most of them are supposed to switch to HDR mode automatically.
But that is beside the point. _You do not want to activate HDR on that thing._ It doesn't make sense to do so on a monitor that doesn't output HDR anyway.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Aug 11, 2020)

Huh.. My monitor is on the HDR vesa certified list..cool beans.

Windows sucks at HDR... Turn it on auto on your monitor and off in windows and ON or AUTO in game.
. Even after that.. Color doesn't look right after coming out of AC Odyssey.
Looks okay after COD MW and WWII...

Basically HDR depends on what it's implemented on.


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## bug (Aug 11, 2020)

jmcslob said:


> Huh.. My monitor is on the HDR vesa certified list..cool beans.


Not if it's listed under DisplayHDR 400 I'm afraid.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Aug 11, 2020)

bug said:


> Not if it's listed under DisplayHDR 400 I'm afraid.


It is Lol.
Honestly HDR and 400 should not exist together.


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## bug (Aug 11, 2020)

jmcslob said:


> It is Lol.
> Honestly HDR and 400 should not exist together.


Technically, there's nothing wrong with 400nits. The problem is a wide color gamut is not required and the contrast specs are so lax they can be met using edge lighting, which looks crappy by design.
There _could_ be a DisplayHDR 400 standard, just not this one. This one is basically met by any monitor that's not of lowest tier and it's a dishonest way of tricking users thinking they have a HDR capable monitor.


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## dcfecta (Aug 12, 2020)

bug said:


> Probably because you're not supposed to activate HDR for each and every title. Most of them are supposed to switch to HDR mode automatically.
> But that is beside the point. _You do not want to activate HDR on that thing._ It doesn't make sense to do so on a monitor that doesn't output HDR anyway.



What are you talking about? I'm turning HDR on via Windows Display setting. (Sliders says Turn on HDR). Without turning that setting on in the Display Settings, HDR is off and can't be used in anyway, all games have the option grayed out if "User HDR" setting in Windows is turned off. The point of this thread was why there is these random crashes after turning HDR on in Windows Display settings. The display will go black randomly and make even video playback turn white/stop working. Enough about the HDR specifications, I want to know what's behind the crashes.


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## bug (Aug 12, 2020)

dcfecta said:


> What are you talking about?



_Your monitor can't display HDR_. By activating HDR in Windows you're just forcing the GPU to render HDR only to have the monitor crush that back into SDR. Probably doing at poor job while at it, too, resulting in unnatural colors.


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## Vya Domus (Aug 12, 2020)

Are you sure the display settings are correct. You need 10 or 12 bit color explicitly selected in the Nvidia control panel.


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## dcfecta (Aug 12, 2020)

bug said:


> _Your monitor can't display HDR_. By activating HDR in Windows you're just forcing the GPU to render HDR only to have the monitor crush that back into SDR. Probably doing at poor job while at it, too, resulting in unnatural colors.



I'm not using the old BenQ EL2870U from the OP post, I got a new one!
This one with right HDR specifications!



Vya Domus said:


> Are you sure the display settings are correct. You need 10 or 12 bit color explicitly selected in the Nvidia control panel.


Yes 10-bit is selected in NVIDIA control panel; not a change.


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## bug (Aug 12, 2020)

@dcfecta Check Windows Event Viewer (or what's its name), you should be able to at least identify which part is crapping out. Sounds like a driver problem (either video or monitor's).


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## dcfecta (Aug 12, 2020)

dcfecta said:


> *I've already tried uninstalling, reinstalling numerous display drivers for NVIDIA (including Game and Studio drivers) same results—HDR crashes. I'm currently running Game Ready Driver (451.67, recent version up to date). Yet HDR still randomly display crashes.*
> 
> 
> ```
> ...


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## bug (Aug 12, 2020)

My mistake. Carry on.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Aug 12, 2020)

Turning HDR on in Windows causes the crash.

You can still use HDR..
Just turn it on in the application you want to use it on.
With HDR on in Windows I've gone days without an issue and out of nowhere it'll crash or cause a visual issue.

I can verify that it works in Mass Effect Andromeda, AC Odyssey, CoD WWII and MW without turning it on in Windows...

AC Odyssey causes windows to look faded after you exit... Even with HDR off in windows.

The problem is in the implementation of the software you're using.. Nobody follows a single standard.


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