Asus ROG PG48UQ Firmware V031 HDR still not great (redux)

[ashaquick]

I'm following up on my previous post of the same title, which is now locked (my fault, my response was delayed).  I wanted to provide screenshots of the issue I'm having, to compare the same images displayed on the PG48UQ and an LG C1 TV.  I used the same source media, the same PC (with an RTX 4090) and the same HDMI cables.  The only thing that's different is the display device.

First, here's a screenshot from Alan Wake 2.  On the LG TV it looks like this:

Alan Wake 2 on the LG C1 TVOn the PG48UQ the same scene appears like this:

Alan Wake 2 on the Asus ROG PG48UQ

Both images are photos taken with my phone, since screenshots won't capture the issue, so the quality of the pictures isn't great, but it clearly captures the issue.  On the PG48UQ, there's something like a hard line between the darker upper part of the image and the lighter lower part.

This is a particularly egregious example, but I've encountered it to some degree in every recent video game I've played since getting this monitor.  I'm currently playing God of War Ragnarok, which contains multiple brightly lit snowy environments, as well as dark caves.  In these areas, the image tends to go all blobby.  I've been told this is called "color banding".

Movies look better, but the issue still crops up.  Here's a shot from Dune Part 2 on the LG TV:

Dune on the LG C1 TV

And here's the same shot on the PG48UQ:

Dune on the Asus ROG PG48UQ

These two images are closer, the effect is more subtle, but if you look at the bright spot of the sun, you'll see that on the PG48UQ, it has a band around the sun.  The phone camera didn't capture this, but with the naked eye, this band is actually green, which makes it very noticable.  And I've encountered this problem on multiple things that depict bright light against red/orange backgrounds (sunsets, etc.)

In general, in any image where there should be a gradient between bright colours, or between dark colours, there isn't.  They instead have the colour banding effect.

I just don't think this is acceptable for a monitor that costs as much as this.  It's a constant distraction and annoyance while viewing HDR content (and even with HDR off, this effect is still visible, just to a much lesser extent).  I bought a high end monitor specifically to have the best possible image, and this isn't that.

[ashaquick]

Just bumping this because it hasn't received a response.

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @ashaquick ,

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback and for sharing your experience regarding the color banding issue you’re seeing on the ROG PG48UQ when displaying HDR content.

To better understand and reproduce the issue on our side, could you please help confirm the following details:

1. Current Output Color Format
   In your NVIDIA Control Panel, which output color format are you using (e.g., RGB, YCbCr444, YCbCr422)? Does the banding issue occur with all of these formats, or only certain ones?
2. Effect of Brightness Adjustments
   When adjusting the brightness in the monitor’s OSD or in the Windows HDR brightness slider, do you notice any improvement or change in the banding issue?
3. Previous Firmware Version Behavior
   Did this issue also occur on firmware version V029? Since the V031 firmware includes updates specifically aimed at improving HDR handling, knowing whether there was a difference would be very helpful for our engineering team.

Additionally, could you please share the following materials to help us analyze the problem more thoroughly:

• The exact video source or content where the banding is clearly visible (for example, the specific game, movie title, streaming service, or a local video file). If possible, please share a sample clip or detailed information so our team can try to reproduce the issue using the same material.
• Screenshots of your PC’s display output settings, including color depth, color format, and refresh rate.

Thank you.