Question regarding the settings of an HDR monitor - Asus PG32UCDM - if they apply to every applicati

[pika112]

Hey,

I recently just bought an Asus PG32UCDM 32" OLED monitor.

I have it connected to my PC right now.

It's cool and stuff but something keeps bugging me - does the monitor have different settings from Windows to games?
Or are they the same?

For example if I select HDR mode ON in Windows -> Variable Refresh rate -> Gaming HDR profile -> Vivid Pixel 50 will these settings translate into every game I play, as long as the game is in HDR? Or it difers from HDR native games / RTX HDR games / Auto HDR games, each having it's own set of settings I need to configure from the internal settings of the monitor? (which would be a hassle since I want the same settings in every app)

If it's SDR it should be the same right? If I put Brightness at 80, Sharpness 10 and Contrast at 50 in Windows in every single game that I play I should get Brightness 80, Sharpness 10 and Contrast 50 as long as the game is in SDR, right? If I switch to HDR then the settings should be as above - VRR -> Gaming HDR profile -> Vivid Pixel 50?

Are these settings monitor-level and not application level?

Hope this is not so confusing, thanks for any helpful advices 😞

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @pika112 ,

Thank you for using ASUS products. Regarding the settings of your PG32UCDM monitor in different modes, we are happy to assist you.

To achieve the best performance of your monitor in different modes, we recommend that you adjust the following settings step by step:

1. Windows display settings: Windows provides basic display settings where you can adjust the overall brightness, contrast, etc. of your monitor.
2. Built-in monitor settings: Your monitor has built-in more detailed settings that allow you to fine-tune HDR brightness, contrast, color gamut, etc.
3. NVIDIA Control Panel: If you are using an NVIDIA graphics card, the NVIDIA Control Panel provides many advanced display settings that allow you to further adjust the color and performance of your monitor.
4. Game/application settings: Some games or applications have independent display settings that you can adjust according to your preferences.

We recommend that you:

Adjust step by step: Do not adjust too many settings at once to avoid confusion.
Record settings: Record the settings and effects after each adjustment for easy comparison.
Refer to official documents: You can refer to the ASUS official website or NVIDIA official website for more detailed setting instructions. PG32UCDM_English.pdf

Thank you.

[Asusloveme]

1. Monitor Settings vs. Application/Windows Settings

• Monitor Settings: These are hardware-level settings and apply across all content displayed on the screen. Examples include brightness, contrast, sharpness, and pre-defined HDR/SDR profiles.
• Application/Windows Settings: These are software-level settings that may adjust how the monitor interprets the signal or how content is rendered by the system.

---

2. Behavior of HDR Settings

• When you enable HDR in Windows:
  • Windows sends an HDR signal to the monitor for all HDR-compatible content.
  • The monitor's HDR profile (e.g., Gaming HDR) will apply to this signal, as long as it's active in the monitor's OSD (on-screen display) settings.
  • Game-Specific HDR Settings:
    • Native HDR games or Auto HDR games may adjust brightness, contrast, or color balance differently.
    • These changes typically layer on top of your monitor's HDR profile.
    • You may need to fine-tune these settings for each game if the HDR implementation varies between games.
• If you prefer uniformity:
  • Use a single HDR profile on the monitor.
  • Avoid making game-specific HDR adjustments unless absolutely necessary.

---

3. Behavior of SDR Settings

• When running in SDR mode:
  • The monitor uses your selected SDR profile (e.g., Brightness 80, Sharpness 10, Contrast 50) for all content displayed in SDR.
  • The settings remain consistent unless overridden by specific game options that allow you to adjust brightness or gamma within the game.

---

4. Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)

• VRR settings (like G-Sync or FreeSync) are hardware-level configurations.
• Once enabled on the monitor and supported by your GPU, VRR applies globally across games and applications that use it.
• Games with specific frame rate caps or refresh behavior may still impact your experience, but the monitor-side VRR remains constant.

---

5. Best Practices for Consistency

To ensure uniformity across applications:

1. Set a Default Profile in the Monitor:

   • Configure your preferred HDR and SDR settings in the monitor's menu (OSD).
   • Example for HDR: Gaming HDR profile -> Vivid Pixel 50 -> Brightness and Contrast levels as desired.
   • Example for SDR: Brightness 80 -> Sharpness 10 -> Contrast 50.

2. Disable Auto HDR in Windows:

   • If you want to avoid discrepancies, stick to native HDR content . leverback earrings disable Auto HDR in Windows settings.

3. Calibrate Monitor Once:

   • Use calibration tools to fine-tune your monitor for HDR and SDR modes.
   • This ensures consistent image quality across all scenarios.

4. Limit Game-Specific Adjustments:

   • Avoid extensive HDR or SDR tweaking in each game unless necessary. Use monitor-level settings to maintain consistency.