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[Jonboy]

I just wanted to highlight a problem that many may already know, and have corrected. But for those who don't know this may seem helpful.

The fault? The PS4 set it's RGB setting to AUTOMATIC. They even recommend this setting. Problem is the PS4 isn't properly communicating with your TV like you'd expect it should through HDMI, so in effect, automatic is just limited. Even if your TV is outputting at Full/High. I verified this with my own BenQ monitor. It's clearly set to full, and the ps4 is set to automatic, but the problem only fixes itself when I have to manually put the PS4 to output at full. The PS4 doesn't do this automatically. Which is stupid.

Sony should really fix this. In the meantime, you should verify things on your own manually.

If you notice that often times you have to lower the games in-game brightness settings really low in order to achieve whatever the game is asking (usually : lower brightness until said object is no longer visible) than likely your RGB setting is off. Either your PS4 is set to limited and your TV is at full, or vice versa. The problem is they are different.

Also, if you generally feel that blacks appear kind of greyish, or that the colors lack 'pop' and there is just this general washed out look, you may have a problem.

*** What to do ***
- Under settings -> sound and screen -> your ps4 RGB output is at automatic. You want to either change it to limited or full, to match whatever your TV is set at. So - check your TV's option menu to see what it's RGB levels are, if you can - set it to FULL, or HIGH. Then, go under sound and screen in your PS4's settings menu and change it to FULL.

- If your TV only has a limited or low setting, or if it doesn't even have an option for this at all (probably an older TV) then assume limited, and set the PS4 to either automatic or limited (apparently it's the same thing).

The above steps are for ideal conditions. Some TV's call the RGB color range different things, so if you need help post it in here and I'm sure others with similar model TV's can help.

I was trying to get the word out on this months ago! Haha.

This is exactly right and I'm surprised it hasn't been patched yet. At the time, I was unsure if it was an issue with my TV or my PS4. A few of us stumbled upon it in this thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=103006922#post103006922

Well I'll be dang...I knew I wasn't crazy. Just ran this on my PS4 with the settings I've been using. Could only see the bottom row of those black squares. Guess that means I've been playing with crushed blacks this whole time? No wonder I had to crank up the brightness on Tomb Raider and BF.

Changing both the PS4 and my TV to the "full" RGB seemed to fix this instantly as I can now view each black box with your pattern. Looks like I can also get the same result though by setting both to limited or both to auto.

Basically, they just have to be the same. Before, the PS4 was set to "auto" and the TV was set to standard. Resulted in crushed blacks for me. Holy crap I can't believe I've been playing like this for months.

Great post and so very true about the obsession thing. You can drive yourself crazy over the tiniest detail.

Now that I finally got rid of my crushed blacks by addressing the RGB issue, I'm set. I can guarantee there are others out there like me though who aren't getting the best picture because either the PS4 doesn't detect the correct RGB when set to auto, or because my tv didn't detect the PS4 signal properly. I get identical pictures if I set both my TV and PS4 to auto, limited, or full, but if either of them is set to something different from the other, it immediately crushes my blacks.

Edit: Wow, just stumbled upon this thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=717488 Guess I should have been paying attention.

Edit 2: Very helpful link on the RGB question. http://www.nicolaspeople.com/ch3rokeesblog/?p=16

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

Hit your AV/Imput button on remote. Go to the one where your ps4 is at. Hit the tools button on remote. Hit "edit name". Scroll down to PC. Push Enter.

Thanks man! That tools buttons function has been eluding me for the past 3-4 years now. Finally it's got a purpose!

 

[kamorra]

FYI, DON'T use Ground Zero's as a reference. Its video levels are completely broken unless they've pushed out a patch since I played. My guess is they "Mastered" the game on a RGB mismatched set up and internally corrected for it--resulting in a completely fucked output.

That seems to be a problem for Kojima games in general. MGS4 also looked like shit on my TV which supports Full RGB. Actually it seems that many games from Japan suffer from this problem. I wonder why.

 

[Fbh]

If you notice that often times you have to lower the games in-game brightness settings really low in order to achieve whatever the game is asking (usually : lower brightness until said object is no longer visible) than likely your RGB setting is off. Either your PS4 is set to limited and your TV is at full, or vice versa. The problem is they are different.
.

I've allways noticed this. Also on Ps3.
It never seemed to work (as in, I would need to set the brigthness to minimum). So I allways just go witht the default option.

I'll try your solution

 

[SoulClap]

I have the RGB Range on the PS4 set to Limited and the RGB Range on my VT60 set to Auto. I don't see any reason to force RGB Full on an HDTV unless it's connected to a PC.

 

[kurahadol]

Wow, this made an insane difference. I always thought my Panny UT50 was limited but the bad boy has Full RGB.

I read that gaming is best in Full but things like movies and whatnot are best viewed in limited, is that true?

 

[SolidusDave]

FYI, DON'T use Ground Zero's as a reference. Its video levels are completely broken unless they've pushed out a patch since I played. My guess is they "Mastered" the game on a RGB mismatched set up and internally corrected for it--resulting in a completely fucked output.

I was about to ask this, I manually set my TV and PS4(&PS3) to full and usually never have to adjust any gamma/brightness stuff in games. But in GZ I could not make the image disappear. I was already questioning my eyes if I hadn't noticed that I played with crushed blacks or something all this time, but at least on PS3 I can do all those image tests so I know my old TV can do it via HDMI, even though the only thing it communicates with the PS3&PS4 is that it's a 1080p display lol.


Btw: Does it also affect screenshots? Will screens of users with full setting show all the colors etc.?



edit for the OT: I'm not sure this can be counted as broken. They know not all TVs can properly communicate all the settings with the PS3 or PS4, that's why there's a manual option in the first place.

 

[Z3M0G]

Will try to remember to check this when I get home.

 

[ParityBit]

If you have a Samsung LED, go to settings, then change the input label of the HDMI input you're using to "PC", you'll see the screen flicker for a second, and when it comes back, prepare to see the purest, rawest, bestest, perfectest image, crystal clear HD. I can't go back to normal TV now.

You're welcome!

Once you do this, do you put your PS4 to limited or full? Or leave it at auto?

 

[Aces&Eights]

Thanks man! That tools buttons function has been eluding me for the past 3-4 years now. Finally it's got a purpose!

The difference is huge. As the person above stated, once you see the picture under this setting you will not be able to go back to regular. The level of detail and shading and the awesome blacks on Diablo is, how do the kids say it...redunkulous?

 

[YoodlePro]

What about people with monitors? I have an Asus monitor connected by hdmi.

 

[RedAssedApe]

auto RGB settings in general seem to be hit or miss. sometimes it can be your TV fucking up or sometimes one of the devices you have connected to it.

you ideally should manually force the same RGB setting on all of your devices to avoid any of that nonsense.

If you want to get an idea of how badly a misconfigured setup looks, posted a video of me toggling between RGB settings awhile back while playing Watch_Dogs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpX6KeI5Cqs&list=UUjexHHF4S7m50Gd5OyTIc3Q

 

[Justified]

What about people with monitors? I have an Asus monitor connected by hdmi.

You should use Full

 

[ToD_]

I haven't turned on my PS4 in a few weeks, but it has always functioned correctly. Automatic sets my display to 0-255 without crushed or washed out blacks. Most other sources to the same display default to limited and switch correctly accordingly.

Display: Pioneer KRP-500M, connected via Denon AVR-X4000 receiver

 

[YoodlePro]

You should use Full

Just switched to full and god damn the colours are more vibrant!

 

[dallow_bg]

Yeah, Auto works fine for me, and shows the nonstandard RGB correctly. So it's YMMV.
Just did another test to make sure I wasn't crazy.

I just hope a lot of people didn't accidentally give themselves black crush.

Cant see the first square, the rest of the first row show up well though. Im good to go?

Yeah, you should be good. Sounds like contrast settings can be tweaked.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

The difference is huge. As the person above stated, once you see the picture under this setting you will not be able to go back to regular. The level of detail and shading and the awesome blacks on Diablo is, how do the kids say it...redunkulous?

Yeah? Looking forward to firing it up in a couple minutes to see the difference. I remember plugging my PC in to the TV before and thinking "Damn that's crisp". Betting that PvZ Garden Warfare is going to look the bomb now.

 

[mullet2000]

Does Wii U still only support limited HDMI? Since I'm messing with all my input settings at the moment.

 

[kamorra]

If you guys have Samsungs remember to set the HDMI level to normal if you set your PS4 to Full and low if you use limited. I know the labeling is weird but that's the way Samsung likes it.
Normal"= RGB 0-255
Low = Ycbcr 16-235

Oh and on Samsungs turn the sharpness to 0 and turn dynamic contrast, black tone, motion flow and any other "enhancements" off.

 

[CerebralTiger]

Auto work on my Sony w900a

Same here on my Sony w800a. Auto is exactly the same as Full in my case.

 

[Aces&Eights]

Yeah? Looking forward to firing it up in a couple minutes to see the difference. I remember plugging my PC in to the TV before and thinking "Damn that's crisp". Betting that PvZ Garden Warfare is going to look the bomb now.

Side note. After the change you will probably need to go tweek some regular display settings. If it looks a little bright go to your regular settings and adjust from there. Also, make sure any "smooth picture" or "clear motion" or any other enhancements the TV has is turned OFF. Those settings that come from Samsung are hot garbage. Turn them all off!

 

[Korezo]

Wow, this made an insane difference. I always thought my Panny UT50 was limited but the bad boy has Full RGB.

I read that gaming is best in Full but things like movies and whatnot are best viewed in limited, is that true?

Limited should look the same as full on a HDTV if everything is matching correctly. So having the tv limited and ps4 on limited would look the exact same as having the tv on full and ps4 on full, just tried it on my Panasonic. I just leave limited for hdtvs.

 

[Ferr986]

Yeah, Auto works fine for me, and shows the nonstandard RGB correctly. So it's YMMV.
Just did another test to make sure I wasn't crazy.

I just hope a lot of people didn't accidentally give themselves black crush.



Yeah, you should be good. Sounds like contrast settings can be tweaked.

Thanks!

Yeah my settings may be slightly wrong. My TV is still fairly new and I feel like I didnt nail all of the settings yet, I still keep changing something every few days.

 

[mullet2000]

If you guys have Samsungs remember to set the HDMI level to normal if you set your PS4 to Full and low if you use limited. I know the labeling is weird but that's the way Samsung likes it.
Normal"= RGB 0-255
Low = Ycbcr 16-235

Oh and on Samsungs turn the sharpness to 0 and turn dynamic contrast, black tone, motion flow and any other "enhancements" off.

I agree with all of these except for sharpness at 0. Sharpness at zero on my Samsung looks too blurry. I have it at 25 and I feel like that's the sweet spot. Go much higher and it starts looking like shit though.

 

[°°ToMmY°°]

Where do i find the rgb setting on a bravia w8 2014 model? Can't find it in the options...

 

[icespide]

If you guys have Samsungs remember to set the HDMI level to normal if you set your PS4 to Full and low if you use limited. I know the labeling is weird but that's the way Samsung likes it.
Normal"= RGB 0-255
Low = Ycbcr 16-235

Oh and on Samsungs turn the sharpness to 0 and turn dynamic contrast, black tone, motion flow and any other "enhancements" off.

ah yes that damn HDMI level labeling took me forever to figure out. I also set my sharpness to 0 and I first I was hesitant but now I really love it.

 

[scitek]

I've had this problem since I got my PS4. It seems to switch between full and limited at random, though, even if I set it to full, so I just have it at limited for good.

I have a Vizio E420VL if anyone knows if there's a way to specify which mode the TV's in. From my experience, it auto-detects both my PS3 and PC, and those work just fine.

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

Thanks for the post OP I'll give it a look when I get home.

I'm not sure if this is the place to post it but are people still getting the audio bug where no sound comes from the PS4 until you restart it? I got this again the other day. Surprised it hasn't been fixed via patch (unless its faulty hardware or something on my end).

Yeah. It happened to me right after I updated with the new patch. I turned off the console, and booted it up and again and no problems again.

Also, it's weird how the PS4 communicates with certain TV's and not with others. Maybe it does with TV's and not with computer monitors.

In anycase, the thesis of this thread is not to trust the PS4's "automatic" setting. Verify this on your own manually and make sure your PS4 and TV are on the same setting.

 

[kurahadol]

Limited should look the same as full on a HDTV if everything is matching correctly. So having the tv limited and ps4 on limited would look the exact same as having the tv on full and ps4 on full, just tried it on my Panasonic. I just leave limited for hdtvs.

I don't think things were matched correctly beforehand (everything was automatic) so I feel like I've noticed a huge difference.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

If you have a Samsung LED, go to settings, then change the input label of the HDMI input you're using to "PC", you'll see the screen flicker for a second, and when it comes back, prepare to see the purest, rawest, bestest, perfectest image, crystal clear HD. I can't go back to normal TV now.

You're welcome!

I did something similar on my Toshiba just now and it's definitely made the colours "pop" but now I'm not sure if it's oversaturtion or not because it's very vibrant, but I feel like the subtle details are lost in, for example, the blasts in inFamous Second Son (which I am using to compare) via screenshots due to the vibrancy. I don't know, maybe I need to mess with other settings, but I think I slighly prefer my slightly more subdued set up... but it's definitely worth checking out because I can see the appeal.

 

[dallow_bg]

I don't think things were matched correctly beforehand (everything was automatic) so I feel like I've noticed a huge difference.

Just make sure you don't have crushed blacks.
Are details in the dark way too hard to see or impossible?

Hopefully you just corrected the washed out colors from a mismatch.

 

[Footos22]

I've always just used automatic. Just changed and it's like night and day.

 

[Gxgear]

I've had my HDMI input set as 'PC' for a while now, should I set the PS4 as Limited or Full?

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

Side note. After the change you will probably need to go trek some regular display settings. If it looks a little bright go to your regular settings and adjust from there. Also, make sure any "smooth picture" or "clear motion" or any other enhancements the TV has is turned OFF. Those settings that come from Samsung are hot garbage. Turn them all off!

Yeah the picture looks...off? Colors seem faded but that's probably due to using contrast to make blacks deeper whilst boosting and destroying all colors prior to this. In terms of blacks it looks amazing, actual blacks but not crushed. Using the black scale image from the last page my blacks look perfect now, so I'm gonna stick with it and adjust to the color. I'd boost it a bit but the option is greyed out. Gonna dig around for a color scale image to see if there is something I can use to confirm they're correct too. Outside of adapting to the color though the quality is miles better.

Couldn't agree more on the Samsung 'features', they introduced me to my one and only bout of motion sickness thanks to that stupid motion enhancement bullcrap.

 

[alr1ght]

It's probably broken on a case by case basis. It's broken on my monitor.

I urge anyone trying this to find out if their TV/monitor supports full range first before crushing all detail thinking it makes the picture "pop" more.

I did something similar on my Toshiba just now and it's definitely made the colours "pop" but now I'm not sure if it's oversaturtion or not because it's very vibrant, but I feel like the subtle details are lost in, for example, the blasts in inFamous Second Son (which I am using to compare) via screenshots due to the vibrancy. I don't know, maybe I need to mess with other settings, but I think I slighly prefer my slightly more subdued set up... but it's definitely worth checking out because I can see the appeal.

All PC mode should do is turn off all the extra picture processing. It should get you a more "pure" image.

 

[Guymelef]

I've had my HDMI input set as 'PC' for a while now, should I set the PS4 as Limited or Full?

I guess you have a LG, set PS4 to Full.

 

[Vaga]

Oh and on Samsungs turn the sharpness to 0 and turn dynamic contrast, black tone, motion flow and any other "enhancements" off.

Sharpness set to 0 makes the image way blurry. Between 25-30 is the correct setting at least for my F8000.
Also all the enhancements are disabled by default if the HDMI is renamed to PC. That's why there is the least amount of input lag in PC mode.

Gotta say it's surprising to see so many people having image quality issues after so many years of HD gaming.

 

[Reaperssj]

I have a samsun UN40EH6000FXZA hooked up to a onkyo receiver so far for my settings I put it to full on my PS4 I have my brightness:45 contrast:100 backlight:20 (well lit room) sharpness:25 HDMI black level:normal and color tone :cool also anyone with the same TV as me can you please clarify an issue my tv says 60hz when I press info on my remote and on the back where the product code is but when I look it up the tv specs say its 120hz also any help to get a better picture quality would be much appreciated since you guys probably are way better at this than me

 

[Lion Heart]

I noticed this the first day I hooked up my ps4.

Just to make sure it worked, I plugged it I to my Sammy LCD up stairs. It was set to auto and looked perfect. The initial boot up screen with the ps logo was dark black and looked great. I then set it up in the basement on the Sammy plasma and the boot up screen was like a grey instead of black. So I switched it to manual (full) and it looked perfecto. I'm very perceptible to these things and would notice right away if the image didn't look right.

 

[Aces&Eights]

Yeah the picture looks...off? Colors seem faded but that's probably due to using contrast to make blacks deeper whilst boosting and destroying all colors prior to this. In terms of blacks it looks amazing, actual blacks but not crushed. Using the black scale image from the last page my blacks look perfect now, so I'm gonna stick with it and adjust to the color. I'd boost it a bit but the option is greyed out. Gonna dig around for a color scale image to see if there is something I can use to confirm they're correct too. Outside of adapting to the color though the quality is miles better.

Couldn't agree more on the Samsung 'features', they introduced me to my one and only bout of motion sickness thanks to that stupid motion enhancement bullcrap.

Contrast needs to be turned way down. Sharpness as well. Just toy with it and you will find the sweet spot. I have a Sammy 55 inch LED so I know what you are going through, lol. I spent 3 days getting it right.

 

[TheExecutive]

Thanks for the post. I was wondering about why the gamma was always off for games. Will check when I get home.

 

[FiveEyes]

Bump for visibility. The first thing I noticed setting the thing up was the weird contrast. Then I saw the "auto" setting was making it full RGB even though my TV doesn't support it. Switched it to limited, just like with my PS3.

 

[BMO = GOAT]

I guess you have a LG, set PS4 to Full.

I have a Samsung, so should I set my ps4 to limited or full?

 

[SeanTSC]

I never trust the Automatic setting on anything anymore. That shit almost never works.

 

[alr1ght]

I have a Samsung, so should I set my ps4 to limited or full?

It depends. Does your TV support Full range RGB?

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

All PC mode should do is turn off all the extra picture processing. It should get you a more "pure" image.

Maybe it's different on the Toshibas then? I managed to recreate the effect by increasing the colour setting, because I have all the post processing effects off anyway.

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

Wow, this made an insane difference. I always thought my Panny UT50 was limited but the bad boy has Full RGB.

I read that gaming is best in Full but things like movies and whatnot are best viewed in limited, is that true?

If your TV has a Full option - use it. Then set your PS4 to Full.

I wouldn't worry about games vs. movies. Any problems that exist from there you can resolve by making adjustments to brightness and contrast settings.

 

[BMO = GOAT]

It depends. Does your TV support Full range RGB?

How do i find out? I have my setting as PC when switching to HDMI

 

[ethomaz]

I choose what my setup is when I first started the PS4... so never had issue after that (both full since launch).

But nice to these that didn't look all the option in a new console

How do i find out? I have my setting as PC when switching to HDMI

Most TVs have a option... mine is LOW (Limited) and NORMAL (FULL).

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

Thanks for the post. I was wondering about why the gamma was always off for games. Will check when I get home.

No problem.

The last straw was when I visited my upteenth friend's house who had the same problem for the upteenth time.

People just leave the RGB setting on automatic, trusting that Sony knows best. Since it's the recommended setting. But often times, it won't match it up properly. So, you need to match it up manually.

Bump for visibility. The first thing I noticed setting the thing up was the weird contrast. Then I saw the "auto" setting was making it full RGB even though my TV doesn't support it. Switched it to limited, just like with my PS3.

LOL, it's so stupid. Mine was the exact opposite. My monitor is set to output at full, and my PS4 was on automatic outputting at limited.

Sony, fix this shit - or get rid of the automatic setting (apparently it's not working judging by this thread) thereby indirectly causing people to inquire and educate themselves on what is a very serious videophile issue.