Awful HDR quality in Netflix

[Jecht_Sin]

I have an 49XD8099 with Android 6.0.1. Simply put, to watch "The OA" from Netflix in HDR is unbearable. It's like if they added a wall of fog. Disabling the HDR the image improves considerably, still being a bit washed out. Other shows, when watched in HDR, don't look better either, so much that I decided to have a video mode with HDR off for Netflix only.

Too bad that doing so HDR gets disabled in all video modes (why? Just why?). Is it the Netflix app broken, The OA, or else? Also any chance to have only a mode with HDR disabled? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Hi @Jecht_Sin

Firstly thanks for posting about disabling Wifi-Direct in your other thread - another thing for people to try

Secondly - im just going though a few posts that have been missed recently and found this one - Reading through, I am unsure on how to help you to be honest - other than suggesting that you choose the non-hdr version of OA

In my opinion thus far - the jury is still out on the benefits of HDR for normal casual viewing.  But it is annoying that there is no mode to choose 'Disable HDR'

Cheers

[kinggo01]

HDR on TVs that doesn't meet the HDR specifications will always look awful and never will be HDR. Just like DD with just 2 speakers is not exactly a DD. And the idea of marketing TVs as HDR while they are not is just a bad idea. Sure, they can process HDR signal but display can't reproduce it in a way that it should look.

[Kuschelmonschter]

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other than suggesting that you choose the non-hdr version of OA

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Is that even possible on Netflix? Don't think so...

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But it is annoying that there is no mode to choose 'Disable HDR'

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I think there is, but only globally and only for ATV2 based TVs, see FlatpanelsHD review:

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Before we wrap up and move on there is, however, one minor new feature in the picture settings menu that we would like to call attention to. In the picture menu there is now an option to turn off HDR on the TV - regardless of the video source. That may sound strange, especially given that Z9D is a high-end TV with proper hardware to reproduce HDR, but for mid-range TVs this is great news. This will finally make it possible to deactivate the HDR part of the signal on TVs that do not come close to having hardware to reproduce HDR, and just enjoy the 4K resolution instead. No more washed out "HDR pictures" on mid-range TVs – fingers crossed.

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[Anonymous]

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@Kuschelmonschter wrote:

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other than suggesting that you choose the non-hdr version of OA

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Is that even possible on Netflix? Don't think so...

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I believe it is possible on some 4K HDR content on Netfix.... Or was it Amazon, im now unsure.  Basically you could choose the 1080p version over 4K HDR version instead due to it being in another category.  I did it not long ago.  

[Kuschelmonschter]

You can indeed do it with Amazon Video. I did several tests there with The Grand Tour, comparing 1080p to 4K.

I couldn't find any way for Netflix. It is also not possible on a system level to disable HDR. At least not for ATV1. Maybe @Jecht_Sin or someone else has an idea how to achieve that. I think on ATV2 there is an option, see above quote and link to FlatpanelsHD.

[bellacyrus015]

The quality standards that is followed by netflix is just great and appreciate teh type of contetn being posted on their sites!!! thumbs up. [Link removed by moderator] is also similar to netflix where one can watch movies,cartoons,daily soaps anytime they feel like.!! 

[Jecht_Sin]

Well guys, thanks for answering. So a couple of things:

- After posting this I had a chat with Netflix, and no, there are no options to disable HDR in the player. The most one can do, from the settings in the web browser, is to reduce the available bandwidth, so that it will stream at 1080p. - The other option is to simply disable the HDR in the settings for a channel, but that disables it everywhere.

- I discovered that putting the subtitles in a semi transparent window (again, it must be done from the Web browser) does reduce the washed effect generally speaking.

Still the issue is mostly with "The OA" (which I could just avoid watching for this reason and for the other more important reason that it is a stupid show. What a waste of time). Other HDR videos in Netflix look much better, and "Grand Tour" in Amazon looks amazing. So do the HDR demo downloaded from the internet at full bit rates (and they look awful with HDR disabled).

I must also say that Netflix streaming quality, in my opinion, can be disappointing. Many UHD videos look granulated. I have a fiber connection so it isn't a bandwidth issue. I am honestly a bit surprised. Even Youtube videos look better!

PS: @Anonymous yeah, I confirm that after disabling "WiFi Direct" the WiFi is always up and running. Never had an issue since then! Apart some reboots, but those happened after updating to v 6.1004..

[Kuschelmonschter]

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The other option is to simply disable the HDR in the settings for a channel

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What do you mean by channel? That's the option in the Sony settings, right? As described in the FlatpanelsHD review...

[Jecht_Sin]

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@Kuschelmonschter wrote:

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The other option is to simply disable the HDR in the settings for a channel

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What do you mean by channel? That's the option in the Sony settings, right? As described in the FlatpanelsHD review...

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Sorry, sometime the English words flips in my brain. I meant an image mode. Then I have got also confused with the inputs (like HDMI 2 vs App (Video) ). Anyway, from Android changing the HDR to NO in a image mode (like custom) it puts HDR NO in all modes.

I am not sure if I disable the HDR in HDMI 2 (my PS4 for example) it turns it off in Android or other inputs as well.