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PS5 Not Playing 4K HDR Properly? Here Are 7 Things To Try

tagsHdbaset Hdmi

The PS5 appeared, and in many ways, it was a lovely machine-if it was a large machine. However, as many of us who have invested their lives in the increasingly complex world of home entertainment technology expected, the "birth" of the PS5 was not technically smooth. 

Initially, using this powerful advanced machine may encounter some errors and crashes (the same thing happened with Xbox Series X). However, like PS4 Pro, it turns out that the technical problems of PS5 are more serious than one or two crashes. A large number of users have reported that there are problems preventing the console from correctly playing high dynamic range images (even at a relatively low 60Hz frame rate) at 4K resolution on their TVs and projectors. 

In particular, as I discuss in more depth below

, Some users found that when trying to play 4K HDR from PS5, they can only get HD (1080p) HDR. Even the PS5's "Video Output Information" screen for affected users seems to imply that it should be possible to play 4K HDR at 60Hz. 

For some users, PS5 can't play a role in 4K HDR.

In some cases, especially for people who use certain sound bars and AVRs from 2018 or earlier, no matter what settings you use on the PS5, this ability to play 4K and HDR at the same time seems to belong Sony will most likely need to fix it due to the PS5's ``bugs''/limitations. However, you don’t have to spend too much time studying the story of 4K HDR PS5 problems (I have also seen reports of white dot noise on 4K HDR PS5 pictures), so you can find some (if not most) problems that can be solved problem. It is up to the PS5 owner to decide. 

With this in mind, I sorted out all the possible DIY solutions I could think of with the trouble of PS5's 4K HDR. They are listed in descending order of likelihood that I think everyone will make a difference.

To be clear, as I have already pointed out, these programs cannot solve all current situations where 4K HDR problems occur. However, if you think your toolkit should allow it and you can't enjoy 4K HDR on PS5, it's worth going through the following potential fixes one at a time to see if there are any effects, rather than just sitting down. Wait for Sony to solve it.

So far, this seems to be the most common way to solve the 4K HDR problem for PS5 users.

The problem is that (very ridiculous) some devices that can play or pass 4K HDR video sources can only do so when the HDMI port to which the PS5 is connected is set to "enhanced" mode. This allows HDMI to pass the extra amount of data associated with 4K HDR feeds. 

Now, many modern devices support automatic switching of their HDMI, so you don't need to make a call manually in enhanced mode. But all 4K HDR devices need to manually make HDMI-enhanced switches at one time. Normally, you are not usually prompted to take action on the screen. 

Therefore, if you have a 4K HDR projector or TV, or an AV receiver with 4K HDR pass-through, please enter its connection menu and look for the enhanced mode option for the port that the PS5 is connected to. Once you find it, make sure to set it to on.

Remember, helplessly, different brands tend to use different words to describe their HDMI enhancement modes. Therefore, please pay attention to the name of the connection function, such as Deep Color or HDMI UHD Color. 

The enhanced HDMI function of LG 2020 OLED TVs is called HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color.

It may be particularly difficult to switch the HDMI port to the enhanced type on the AV receiver. As an example of complexity, the following is the process of setting HDMI to enhanced mode on the 2017 Denon X2400H AV receiver:

Press and hold Zone 2 Source and Status of the main unit at the same time for at least 3 seconds. "V. format appears on the display. 3. Press the host’s DIMMER. 4K: appears on the display. Use the host’s Tuner Preset CH + or Tuner Preset Ch- and select the 4K signal format. 4. Press the status of the host Complete the settings.

The soundbar with 4K HDR pass-through is an exception here, because I don't think any soundbar requires you to manually activate the enhanced mode. In fact, this may be related to why older sound bars seem to be most affected by the current most difficult PS5 4K HDR issues.

Many older TVs, AV receivers and sound bars, plus some newer TVs, cannot support wide data rates on all of their HDMI ports. Therefore, please check the device manual to make sure that the HDMI port to which the PS5 is connected is a 4K HDR friendly port. Sometimes devices with HDMI ports with different functions will put a 4K label on the top of the relevant port to help you.

One of the many complications brought about by the increasingly chaotic realization of HDMI connections is not only the need for HDMI ports/related product software that can handle 4K HDR data rates. The cable must also work. 

As you might expect, the HDMI cable provided by Sony with the PS5 can fully pass the maximum video quality that the console may provide, whether it is now or possibly in the 8K future. Therefore, please make sure to use it as much as possible! 

If you want to loop the PS5 to the display through an external device (such as a soundbar or AV receiver), and 4K HDR does not work properly, please try to connect the console directly to the TV or projector. Of course, please use the HDMI cable that comes with the PS5.

LG OLED48CX TV is a unique designation for a new generation of games.

If this works and you can use 4K HDR normally, then your problem must be with the intermediate device. This is a good recognition, but if you want to enjoy the sound of PS5 through an external sound system, it is not an ideal choice. If you have already purchased such a system, what might be done.

Happily, there is a workaround: connect the PS5 directly to the TV, and then use the optical/coaxial digital audio output (most TVs will play one or more of them) to connect the TV to the soundbar or AVR. ARC function.

ARC stands for Audio Return Channel, which enables the TV to pass high-quality digital sound from its HDMI port that supports ARC to an ARC-compatible audio device. 

Compared with optical/coaxial connections, HDMI ARC supports more bandwidth, which opens the door for better sound quality and more sound channels. You can even get compressed advanced "object-based" Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio track formats through ARC-it is certainly impossible to use optical/coaxial digital audio connections. 

Of course, PS5 does not support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X games, so maybe you think it is not worth worrying about. However, Sony’s new console does support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X playback from 4K Blu-ray movie discs (provided you remember to enable this feature from the "Options" menu of the Blu-ray player application). Therefore, it is very worthwhile to use HDMI ARC if you can.

In fact, due to another issue related to the HDMI connector, ideally you will need a TV and soundbar/AV receiver that supports both eARC connections and ARC. The eARC system takes advantage of the newer HDMI connection and the wider bandwidth of the cable, and does not provide compressed Dolby Atmos and DTS:X like ARC, but a completely uncompressed object-based sound.

LG SK9Y is one of many sound bars, these sound bars seem to be unable to pass PS5 video output.

Unfortunately, not all AVRs, especially TVs and sound bars, support eARC. Even so, even if many Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays use DTS:X soundtracks, it is entirely possible that the TV will only pass Dolby Atmos instead of DTS:X. For example, this is the case with LG's latest X-series OLEDs. Also, in the end, some people experience a slight audio delay when using ARC/eARC, which can cause a loss of synchronization between people's lips and the words you hear. 

Another possibility is to purchase an HDMI splitter so that you can transmit the video output by one of the splitters from the console to the TV, and pass the sound (including Dolby Atmos or DTS:X) through another The HDMI output of a splitter is passed to the soundbar. Or AV receiver. However, be sure to determine whether to use a splitter and an additional HDMI cable, both of which can support 4K HDR at 60Hz (if you encounter problems out of the box).

Although this is not well explained in the PS5 menu and is far from an obvious feature, at least the 4K transfer rate setting on paper has played a role in potentially solving the user's 4K HDR problem. 

We are already familiar with the idea that the graphics capabilities the system can support depends at least in part on the idea of ​​how much data your HDMI port and cable can transmit. The 4K transfer rate setting is a "derivative" setting based on color compression. 

I don't want to explain in detail here. In short, the video signal can use three main color transmission methods: uncompressed (usually written in RGB 4:4:4 or RGB HDR format on the PS5 "video output information" screen if the monitor settings support it. Medium); slightly compressed (usually written as YUV4:2:2); more compressed (usually written as YUV4:2:0). The -1 and -2 options indicate that the amount of color compression output from the baseline and best RGB 4:4:4 output (if your TV can accept it) will increase.

PS5 4K transmission rate option.

The debate about whether you can see a lot of differences between the three main color matching systems is fierce-at least when you don't look at small fonts. Although I pointed out in another article related to Xbox recently, I think you can almost do it. However, the key point is that the two color compression levels established by the -1 and -2 PS5 transmission rate settings can have a sufficient impact on the amount of data carried by the system’s HDMI, so that it is possible to achieve 4K HDR playback if possible. Pass

Surprisingly, I did not see much evidence that changing this setting can solve the problem for people affected by PS5 4K HDR issues. Considering other aspects of the PS5 system, which way makes sense, the console will at least try to use the information collected from the HDMI handshake protocol to automatically compensate for the potential bandwidth limitations of the connected kit.

This again shows that there are currently some minor bugs or lack of options in the PS5's 4K HDR function, which prevents other 4K HDR sources from using some of the PS5's older settings. Nonetheless, the "4K transfer rate" setting is still there and obviously has been placed in it for a reason, so you should try the -1 and -2 options yourself to see if they can solve your problem.

If you connect directly to a TV, it is easy to stick the HDMI cable that comes with the PS5, but if you want to plug a long cable into the projector, or run the console through a secondary device, problems may occur. Devices, such as sound bars or AVRs, require a second HDMI cable. 

If you fall into these two categories, I suggest you use an HDMI cable that is certified to carry at least 18GB of data. And, if all your devices can play or pass processing such as high refresh rate and/or variable refresh rate, you should try to get a full bandwidth HDMI cable capable of carrying 48Gbps.

It is worth looking for a certified HDMI cable.

. This means that independent testing has proven that they are absolutely capable of carrying the amount of data they claim to support. 

Independently tested HDMI cables can handle data rates up to 18Gbps,

For 18Gbps cables, you need to look for the advanced certification logo on the cable's packaging or on the online product page. For 48Gbps cables, this is more difficult

Only recently has a certification program for these products been determined, so there is not much around. In fact, at the time of writing, I don’t think there are any ultra-certified cables with a running time of more than 5m. However, there are some shorter examples around, and more examples are always appearing.

We are in a desperate situation here, and I have little confidence that switching their PS5 to HDCP 1.4 mode will be useful to many people. The possibility of solving the problem that people cannot enjoy 4K and HDR at the same time on their system at the same time is extremely unlikely, although every time they try to run PS5 on 4K HDR, they encounter a black screen, this may only be the solution to the problem. Of course, it can help some people use PS4 Pro to solve the black screen problem.  

To switch, you first need to start PS5 in safe mode. Please be careful when using the console in safe mode, as some of the options here may delete content! You can enter safe mode as follows: Press the power button to turn off the console. The power indicator will flash for a while before turning off. After the system shuts down, press and hold the power button again. Release it when you hear the second beep-one beep when you press it the first time, and another beep seven seconds later. Finally, connect the controller with a USB cable, and then press the PS button on the joystick. 

Here, you will see the option to set the HDCP setting (essentially the anti-piracy connection protocol) to 1.4 instead of the default value of 2.3. 

This option is clearly designed to ensure a good HDMI handshake with traditional AV equipment. But please note that even if it solves your specific PS5 4K HDR game problem, it may also cause playback problems elsewhere. For example, you may find that streaming media applications can only play in HD, but not in 4K.

If you can think of or stumble upon any other potential solutions that might solve PS5 4K HDR issues, please feel free to notify me via the Twitter account linked below.

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For the past 25 years, I have been writing articles about home entertainment technology. The first one was "Home Theater Choice" magazine. I was the associate editor of the magazine.

For the past 25 years, I have been writing articles about home entertainment technology. The first one is "Home Theater Choice" magazine. I am the associate editor of the magazine. I have been a freelancer for the past 20 years. By. During that time, I was very confident that compared to anyone else in the world, I made more comments on TVs and projectors than anyone else, and experienced the rise and fall of various excellent home entertainment technologies. I am currently a regular contributor to Trustedreviews.com, Techradar.com, Home Theater Choice magazine, Wired, Pocket-Lint.com (and of course Forbes).