Issue with HDR Disabling Color Settings and Reducing Color Depth on ROG Strix XG27UCS Monitor

[Empolion]

Yesterday, I bought the ROG Strix XG27UCS monitor, which is supposed to have a 10-bit color depth and allows you to adjust screen colors and eye protection settings. I have a MacBook with an M3 Max (the best on the market, supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.2, 1.4, and USB-C for image transmission) and a Windows PC with a Core i7 and RTX 1070 (it's a bit old, but the graphics card supports DisplayPort 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4). Using the official cable from the product package and testing with two of my own high-speed DisplayPort 1.4 cables, I have noticed that when HDR is turned on (both on Windows and macOS), I cannot access the image configuration or eye protection menu (this was not mentioned in the manual).

When I disable HDR, the monitor's color modification menu becomes available, but with HDR off, the color depth drops from 10 bits to 8 bits. I bought this monitor because I thought I could use visual protections or at least adjust the color while using HDR10, and it's incredible to me that when HDR is turned off, the color depth drops to 8 bits. I've tested this on both systems, so I believe it's a problem with the monitor.

I was considering buying either the ROG Strix XG27UCS or the Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A. I chose the ROG based on the information on the web. I would like to know if the TUF model would have the same issue where HDR disables color settings and if the 10-bit color depth is only active sometimes. It really saddens me to have bought this monitor, and I don't want to miss out on the promotion for the other one. I wonder if there's a way someone can confirm if the TUF has the same issue, meaning that HDR "on" disables the image calibration functions and HDR "off" activates the functions but drops to 8-bit. It seems that Asus markets the monitor as 10-bit when in reality it is only 10-bit in certain cases.

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @Empolion ,

thank you for contacting us regarding the issue you are experiencing with your XG27UCS monitor where you cannot access the image configuration or eye protection menu when HDR is enabled. 

To better understand the issue, we would like to confirm the following:

1. Can you please confirm when the issue started occurring?
2. Can you please provide us with a video of the issue occurring when you enable and disable HDR? The video will help our team analyze and confirm the problem. (Please provide the video in its original MP4 format.)
3. Please try resetting the monitor to factory defaults and see if the issue persists.

In addition to the above, we would also like to recommend the following:

• Make sure that your graphics card drivers are up to date. You can check for updated drivers on the manufacturer's website.
• Try using a different HDMI or DisplayPort cable.
• Connect the monitor directly to your computer, bypassing any hubs or docking stations.

If you have tried all of the above steps and the issue is still persisting, please contact us again and we will be happy to assist you further.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Empolion]

I have tried with several cables and with 3 computers as of today: my updated MacBook M3 Max, my Windows PC, and my friend’s computer. This issue has been happening since the day I bought it. I am not sure if this is normal or if it only happens with my device, and I should request a refund. Does this issue also occur with the other monitor from ASUS?  When I enable HDR, it works at 10-bit but does not allow me to configure anything. If I disable HDR, it only works at 8-bit and does let me configure settings. This happens on both my Windows and MacOS computers. The Windows machines have Nvidia 1070 and 1650 GPUs (even though they are older, both support 10-bit HDR). The MacOS machine has the M3 Max chip, the best you can buy today, and it also supports 10-bit HDR. I tried with the cables that came in the packaging and also with proprietary cables. I tested with DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, and Thunderbolt cables, and the issue occurred with all of them. I am attaching photos of the issue on both Windows and Mac, showing that the only way I can use the visual protections and image settings is when I disable HDR, which causes the display to switch from 10-bit to only 8-bit. When HDR is enabled, it works at 10-bit, but the image settings are no longer configurable. I need to know if this is the case for all units of this model, and if so, which model of ASUS TUF or ROG does not have this problem. I bought a 4K 10-bit device to use 10-bit with visual protections. The reason for paying 500 euros instead of 200 euros is exactly that.    Thank you, kind regards, and have a nice day. I look forward to your response. Thanks.

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @Empolion ,

thank you for your patience. 

After thorough investigation, the team has confirmed that the following functions are not available when displaying HDR content:

ELMB, PIP/PBP, GameVisual, Shadow Boost, Contrast, Blue Light Filter, Color Temp., Gamma, Saturation, Power Saving, Display Color Space, Six-axis Saturation, Sniper, Sniper Night Vision, Proximity Sensor, Sound Source, Uniform Brightness.
This is due to the specific nature of HDR technology. To ensure you get the best HDR viewing experience, the system will automatically adjust certain settings, so the above functions will be temporarily unavailable for manual adjustment.

In simpler terms, when you enable HDR, the system prioritizes optimizing the display for a wider color gamut and higher contrast. To achieve this, some features that adjust the image will be temporarily disabled.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you.

[Empolion]

https://youtu.be/7PUz7qr-ask

[Empolion]

hank you for the information regarding active HDR, I understand it. And what is happening with the fact that when I deactivate HDR (even though the functions do activate), the image quality and color depth drop from 10-bit to 8-bit. This implies a reduction from 1,073,741,824 colors to 16,777,216 colors, which means losing 1,056,964,608 colors. This means that a 10-bit screen will be viewed at 8-bit. As you can see in the photographs and videos, both when I use it with Windows and when I use it with macOS, the same thing happens with the monitor; it drops from 10-bit to 8-bit in both operating systems.  If I disable HDR, it goes from 10-bit to 8-bit and loses quality.

[Empolion]

Thank you for the information regarding active HDR, I understand it. And what is happening with the fact that when I deactivate HDR (even though the functions do activate), the image quality and color depth drop from 10-bit to 8-bit. This implies a reduction from 1,073,741,824 colors to 16,777,216 colors, which means losing 1,056,964,608 colors. This means that a 10-bit screen will be viewed at 8-bit. As you can see in the photographs and videos, both when I use it with Windows and when I use it with macOS, the same thing happens with the monitor; it drops from 10-bit to 8-bit in both operating systems.  If I disable HDR, it goes from 10-bit to 8-bit and loses quality.