HDR Monitor Test
Check if your HDR monitor is working. Detects HDR support, wide color gamut, and includes peak-brightness, local-dimming, and gradient-banding test modes.
Detected capabilities
Detecting...
What is HDR on a monitor?
HDR (High Dynamic Range) on a monitor means the display can show brighter highlights, deeper shadows, and more colors at the same time than a standard SDR monitor. Standard SDR tops out around 250 nits and covers sRGB. HDR monitors target 400-1000+ nits and cover wider gamuts like DCI-P3.
HDR400 vs HDR600 vs HDR1000
VESA DisplayHDR tiers refer to peak sustained brightness:
- HDR400: 400 nits, 8-bit, no mandatory local dimming. Marketing label - experience is close to SDR.
- HDR600: 600 nits, 10-bit, local dimming required. Real HDR starts here.
- HDR1000: 1000 nits peak, proper local dimming. Full HDR experience.
- HDR True Black 400/500: OLED certification. 400 nits peak but infinite contrast.
HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision
These are the HDR metadata formats carried in video streams. HDR10 is the royalty-free baseline and is most common. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision use dynamic per-scene metadata for better tone mapping on dimmer displays.
Why my HDR monitor looks washed out
If HDR mode looks worse than SDR, possible causes: (1) HDR400 panel lacking true HDR capability, (2) Windows HDR calibration needed (Settings → Display → HDR), (3) running SDR content in HDR mode without proper gamut clamping, (4) low peak brightness in a bright room.
Read our full HDR monitor guide or check Color Gamut Test for wide-color-gamut testing.