Use Game mode, disable energy-saving controls, enable the TV’s enhanced HDMI format for the console input, select HGiG or the set’s accuracy-focused tone-mapping option, and then run the PS5 or Xbox HDR calibration. If you change the tone-mapping mode later, calibrate again. Those steps keep bright skies, lamps, explosions and reflections from clipping while avoiding an unnecessarily dim image.
There is no universal numeric preset. Peak luminance, menu names and tone-mapping behavior vary by TV model, firmware and picture mode. Treat the procedure below as a reliable starting point, then use your model’s documented guidance for white balance, shadow detail and peak-brightness controls.
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What preserves highlight detail in HDR games?
Highlight detail is preserved when the game’s HDR signal and the TV’s tone mapper agree about the display’s actual luminance range. Start with the least altered signal path: Game mode, power-saving features off, enhanced HDMI enabled, and an accuracy-oriented tone-map mode. Complete the console’s HDR adjustment screens only after those TV settings are in place.
For most modern TVs, HGiG is the best first choice when the game and console support it. HGiG lets the game perform its own HDR mapping while the display follows the game’s intended range. If HGiG makes a particular title too dark, use the TV’s accuracy-focused gradation setting, such as Sony’s “Gradation Preferred,” and recalibrate. Dynamic, Active or Brightness Preferred modes can produce a brighter, more forgiving picture, but they may change the intended roll-off and hide whether the game is actually clipping.
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Why HDR highlights clip or look too dim
The display and game may be mapping HDR twice
HDR games are mastered for a target range, while your TV has its own peak luminance and roll-off. If both the game and the TV aggressively remap the signal, clouds, white armor, neon signs and specular reflections can merge into a flat white patch. HGiG is designed to avoid that double-mapping behavior by dividing responsibility between the game and display.
The TV may be changing brightness automatically
Energy-saving controls, ambient-light compensation and automatic picture changes can lower or raise the panel’s luminance while you play. Calibration work from RTINGS disables power-saving controls because they alter measured brightness. Turn these features off for a stable gaming reference; you can restore a comfort-oriented setting later if you knowingly accept a changing image.
The console may not be receiving HDR at the intended bandwidth
A TV that falls back to SDR, 60 Hz or intermittent signal dropouts cannot display the HDR signal you calibrated. On supported sets, 4K HDR at 120 Hz requires the enhanced HDMI format (also called HDMI Deep Color on some models) on the input used by the console or PC.
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Use the correct HDMI input
- Connect the PS5, Xbox Series X|S or gaming PC directly to an HDMI input that supports the required 4K, HDR and refresh-rate combination.
- Open the TV’s input or external-device settings and enable its enhanced HDMI format, HDMI Deep Color or equivalent high-bandwidth option for that input.
- If an AV receiver, soundbar or HDMI switch is in the chain, verify that every device supports the same 4K/120 Hz HDR format. For troubleshooting, connect the console directly to the TV first.
Choose Game mode
Set the picture mode to Game before making HDR adjustments. Game mode uses the gaming signal path and minimizes processing and latency. Sony’s BRAVIA guidance identifies Game mode for recent consoles and PCs and pairs it with the enhanced HDMI setting.
Disable automatic picture changes
Turn off energy-saving, automatic contrast, ambient-light picture changes and other controls that continuously alter luminance. Do not use a store or vivid mode as your calibration baseline; those modes commonly add processing and exaggerate brightness at the expense of reference detail.
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Set the TV’s basic HDR controls
Leave color temperature, white balance and shadow-detail controls at their model-specific defaults unless the manufacturer supplies a procedure for your exact model. A value that is correct on one panel can crush shadow detail or tint highlights on another. There is no universal peak-brightness number for TVs.
Choose a tone-mapping mode
Make this choice before running the console calibration. The same console slider setting can produce different results after you switch modes.
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|---|---|---|---|
| HGiG | The game and display share HDR responsibility; the TV avoids adding a separate brightening curve intended to compensate for out-of-range content. | When the TV and game support HGiG and you want the closest starting point to the developer’s reference behavior. | Some games look dim, especially in a bright room or when their own HDR implementation is poor. |
| Gradation Preferred or equivalent accuracy mode | Preserves the set’s intended roll-off while allowing the TV to handle content above its native range. | When HGiG is unavailable, unsupported by a title, or visibly too dark. | The TV still performs tone mapping, so results differ by model. |
| Dynamic, Active or Brightness Preferred | Raises perceived brightness and compresses very bright values to keep more of the scene visible. | When a calibrated HGiG or gradation image is uncomfortably dark, or when a poorly mastered game needs more room brightness. | Can alter creator-intended luminance and highlight roll-off; bright objects may no longer track the reference. |
LG describes HGiG as “a standard for setting screen colors and atmosphere as intended by game developers.” The HDR Gaming Interest Group’s 2018 recommendations state that the “starting point of system calibration is display’s Primary HDR range.” In practical terms, HGiG works best when the console’s HDR screens are adjusted to the TV’s real capabilities rather than to an arbitrary brightness preference.
PS5 HDR calibration: exact order of operations
- On the TV, select Game mode, turn off power-saving and automatic picture changes, enable the enhanced HDMI format for the PS5 input, and choose HGiG or your selected tone-map mode.
- On the PS5, open Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Adjust HDR. Sony can change menu wording across firmware, so use the HDR adjustment entry shown on your current console.
- Follow each screen’s instruction. Adjust the symbol until it is barely visible at the specified clipping point; do not keep raising the slider merely to make the screen look brighter.
- Complete all calibration screens, then launch a game with bright skies, lamps, sunlight glints or metallic reflections. Check whether the brightest areas retain texture rather than becoming a featureless white shape.
- If you switch from HGiG to Gradation Preferred, Brightness Preferred or a dynamic mode, return to the PS5 HDR adjustment screens and repeat the procedure. Do not reuse the old slider values.
Some games apply their own paper-white, peak-luminance or HDR sliders after the system calibration. Set those according to the game’s instructions first; if the title offers no guidance, use a scene containing a visible sun, lamp or reflection and avoid pushing the slider past the point where texture disappears.
Xbox Series X|S HDR calibration
- Set the TV to Game mode, disable automatic brightness changes, enable enhanced HDMI for the Xbox input and select HGiG or the tone-map mode you intend to keep.
- On the console, open Settings > General > TV & display options > Calibrate HDR for games. The exact label can vary slightly with Xbox system updates.
- Use the on-screen instructions to adjust the test patterns until the calibration symbol is just visible at the clipping point specified by the wizard. A brighter-looking slider position is not automatically more accurate.
- Save the calibration, then test a game with intense highlights and dark detail. Confirm that clouds, lamps and reflections have texture and that shadow areas are not crushed.
- After any tone-map change on the TV, rerun Calibrate HDR for games. Calibration values describe the combination of console output and the TV mode that was active when you set them.
HGiG-related controls are not universal. LG notes that support depends on the connected console and the specific game, so a title may ignore the display’s HGiG selection or use its own HDR behavior.
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How to compare modes without fooling yourself
Do not switch modes from scene to scene and choose whichever looks brightest. That makes the brighter curve appear “better” even when it is clipping more information. Pick a repeatable test scene, allow the TV to settle, and compare the same four properties:
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- Shadow visibility: Can you distinguish dark objects from the surrounding black without lifting the entire image into gray?
- Room brightness: Is the picture comfortable at your normal daytime viewing level, not merely impressive in a dark room?
- Processing and latency: Does the mode add motion processing, noise reduction or other features that increase delay or create artifacts?
Keep one mode calibrated consistently instead of changing it for every scene. If HGiG is accurate but too dim for daytime play, a gradation or brightness-preferred mode is a legitimate usability choice; document the choice and recalibrate rather than altering the console slider informally.
HDMI bandwidth and cable troubleshooting
When 4K/120 HDR does not appear
- Confirm that the console is connected to a full-bandwidth HDMI input, not an input limited to older formats.
- Enable the TV’s enhanced HDMI or HDMI Deep Color option for that input.
- On Xbox, check Settings > General > TV & display options for 4K and 120 Hz capability. On PS5, check Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output.
- Temporarily connect the console directly to the TV to exclude a receiver, switch or soundbar limitation.
When the signal drops to SDR, 60 Hz or flickers
Replace an uncertified or damaged cable with an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable rated for the required bandwidth. Verify the certification mark and confirm compatibility with both the TV and console. A cable cannot improve tone mapping or make highlights more accurate; it can only ensure that the TV receives the intended HDR signal reliably.
When enabling enhanced HDMI causes dropouts
Check every link in the chain, including wall plates and adapters. If direct connection works but the normal setup does not, the intermediary device or cable is the bottleneck. Use a shorter certified cable where possible and lower the console to a supported format only as a diagnostic step, not as a permanent HDR-quality fix.
Room light and viewing conditions
HGiG and other accuracy modes are based on the display’s measured range, not on the brightness of your room. Daylight can make a technically correct image appear too dark, encouraging you to raise sliders until highlights clip. First reduce glare or control the room light. If the image remains impractical, use the TV’s brightness-preferred or dynamic option and run the console calibration again. State the choice in your personal settings notes so you do not mistake a room-compensation mode for a reference mode.
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Model-specific limits you should not ignore
Televisions with different panel technologies and peak luminance do not map the same HDR code values. Even two sizes of the same series can behave differently. RTINGS’ Sony and Samsung calibration pages are model-specific for this reason; they are useful references, not universal presets. Follow the exact model’s menu path and manufacturer guidance for:
- Peak-brightness or HDR contrast options.
- Shadow-detail and black-level controls.
- White balance and color-temperature adjustments.
- Whether HGiG is available in Game mode and whether it persists per HDMI input.
- Which HDMI inputs support 4K at 120 Hz.
If a control is absent on your set, do not substitute a value copied from another model. Use the closest documented mode and rely on the console calibration screens to establish the usable HDR range.
Common symptoms and the right fix
Bright skies are a flat white mass
Recheck that the TV is in the intended tone-map mode and that the console was calibrated after selecting it. Lower the console HDR slider only according to the calibration pattern, not by eye in a game. If the problem persists in HGiG but disappears in the set’s gradation mode, the title may be exceeding the range that HGiG expects; keep the mode that preserves visible texture and recalibrate.
The entire game looks too dim
Confirm that energy-saving controls are off and that HDR is actually active. If the signal is correct, compare HGiG with Gradation Preferred or a brightness-preferred option. Use the brighter mode only after calibration, and test several scenes so that a single dark area does not drive the decision.
Dark detail disappears
Check the console’s black-level setting, the TV’s input black level and any shadow-detail control. These settings must match the console’s RGB range; a mismatch can crush blacks even when highlight calibration is correct. Restore model-specific defaults before making small changes, because copied shadow-detail values are not portable between panels.
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HDR works at 60 Hz but not 120 Hz
Enable enhanced HDMI on the correct input and replace the cable with a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable. If an intermediary receiver or switch is present, test a direct connection. The failure is usually signal integrity or bandwidth, not tone mapping.
One game ignores HGiG
HGiG support varies by console and game. Use the title’s own HDR controls where provided, compare it with the TV’s gradation mode, and calibrate the console for the mode you ultimately keep. Do not assume every game implements the same HDR standard.
PC HDR gaming considerations
Use Game mode and the enhanced HDMI format just as you would for a console. In the operating system, enable HDR only after the display is receiving the correct 4K and refresh-rate signal. A desktop may look washed out when HDR is active because SDR applications are being converted; judge the setting with an HDR game or a known HDR test pattern. Keep the TV tone-map mode fixed while adjusting the game’s HDR sliders, and recalibrate after any change to the TV mode, GPU output range or resolution/refresh combination.
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A repeatable maintenance checklist
- After a TV firmware update, verify Game mode, enhanced HDMI, HGiG or the selected gradation mode, and power-saving settings.
- After moving the console to another HDMI input, enable the enhanced format on the new input and confirm HDR/120 Hz detection.
- After changing tone mapping, rerun the PS5 or Xbox HDR calibration.
- After changing room lighting substantially, reassess comfort and choose a brightness-preferred mode only if necessary.
- Keep a note of the TV model, firmware, HDMI input, tone-map mode and console calibration date. This makes troubleshooting reproducible.
The goal is not the brightest possible HDR image. It is a stable signal path in which the console and TV know the display’s usable HDR range, so bright objects remain differentiated while dark areas retain structure.
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