Windows 11 is introducing automatic HDR switching support

[Alfonso Maruccia]

In a nutshell: HDR support has always been somewhat cumbersome for Windows users, despite being "natively supported" for several years. However, Microsoft is working to improve the experience with new settings designed to make it easier to enjoy HDR content on the operating system.

The Windows 11 24H2 update is expected to introduce several improvements, although Microsoft has yet to officially confirm them. Users willing to test the OS for free through the Windows Insider program often discover some of these improvements ahead of time, providing the entire Windows community with hints and exclusive reports about what Redmond is preparing.

One such change was recently discovered in Windows Build 27686, released in the Canary Channel last week. The build introduced a new option in the HDR settings, seemingly allowing HDR video streaming even when the OS-wide HDR mode is turned off. Microsoft recommends playing HDR video in full screen for the best results, while the entire HDR section of the Display settings has been renamed to "HDR video streaming, games, apps, and more."

Microsoft first introduced official HDR support back in 2017 after releasing the stable version of Windows 10 Creators Update (1703). The company improved compatibility with high-dynamic-range content and formats over time. Today, users can toggle HDR mode with just a keyboard shortcut or turn standard content (SDR) into HDR on a per-game basis.

Build 27686 updates HDR settings: a new option to "Allow HDR video streaming even when HDR is off" is present.

There are also some string changes, such as "HDR video streaming" being changed to "HDR video streaming, games, apps and more" under Display capabilities. pic.twitter.com/4icDR8OwPc

– phantomofearth ð³ (@phantomofearth) August 15, 2024

While announcing the Windows 11 build 27686 release, Microsoft mentioned the increase of the FAT32 file system size limit from 32GB to 2TB, but "forgot" to provide any info about the new HDR settings. The company later updated the official post about Build 27686 with additional notes, including information about the new option for HDR video streaming when HDR mode is off.

The Windows desktop and PC OS environments in general were designed with the standard color gamut in mind. Streaming HDR videos or playing HDR games can, of course, provide richer colors, higher brightness levels, and deeper blacks if hardware support is up to the task, but turning HDR mode on all the time is generally not advised to get the best results out of the technology.

HDR video streaming aside, the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 upgrade should also contain some additional HDR-related changes. The next version of Windows will include support for HDR wallpapers in JXR (or JPEG XR) format, which is Microsoft's proprietary compression technology designed to improve the still-ubiquitous JPEG image standard.

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Windows 11 is introducing automatic HDR switching support

 

[axiomatic13]

I only have two reasons to use Windows at this point. Certain games and the HDR movie experience. Linux gets HDR very soon, so there's only that one thing left. Tick-tick-tick-tick MS?

 

[hahahanoobs]

It was surprising to hear John from Digital Foundries say he feels like there are fewer HDR titles than there should be. Is this true? I play shooters at low/medium so HDR is not something I really follow.

 

[Alfonso Maruccia]

It was surprising to hear John from Digital Foundries say he feels like there are fewer HDR titles than there should be. Is this true? I play shooters at low/medium so HDR is not something I really follow.

Dunno about games, but almost every single UltraHD Blu-ray I've purchased so far is HDR

And just thinking about playing DOOM Eternal in HDR would give me a headache. A giant, unbearable headache.

 

[brucek]

I feel like HDR is still in its early days, and frequently mis-used. Similar to when Macs gave people their first taste of font choice, or when studios were hyping "3D movies". Sure the technology offers interesting potential, but it's ultimately on creators to use it wisely, and that's far from guaranteed. I've seen some great HDR scenes but I've also seen ones that looked like the marketing exec was demanding "let's punch up that candle flame in the background even more, I don't care if it obliterates the actor's faces".

I suspect a lot of today's HDR isn't even human-authored, but auto-created by algorithms that maybe aren't that sophisticated yet.