High Dynamic Range, often referred to as HDR, allows for more impressive color reproduction and greater detail in both shadows and highlights compared to Standard Dynamic Range, or SDR.
Dynamic range is essentially the difference between the darkest and brightest parts of an image or a scene. Monitors and image sensors in cameras struggle to display a scene with extreme brightness and very dark areas at the same time. A good example is a sunset scene when viewed from a beachfront with palm trees and small objects in the lower half. A monitor, like a camera, can only properly expose for either the sky or the darker foreground, with the unwanted effect that an area is either too bright or too dark. Lost detail is the result.
HDR helps by exposing both areas correctly, so you can enjoy the rich colors of the sunset with bright highlights in the sky, clouds, and sun, while preserving all the detail in the shadows and dark areas at the same time.
Not all games support HDR, but with the ones that do, you will be able to see more details and experience immersion like you have not experienced before. It is important to note, that you will have to actively turn HDR features on in Windows as well as within games. For both Windows and games alike, you will see a calibration process to fine-tune both bright and dark capabilities of your monitor.
Unfortunately, not all "HDR" monitors are created equal. There are different levels of HDR. A comprehensive chart can be found from VESA themselves.
Recent gaming monitors, like the CORSAIR XENEON 34WQHD240-C QD-OLED, carry certifications like VESA CERTIFIED DisplayHDR. This helps you identify a monitor that you can use to display HDR content. With older monitors you will have to check for peak brightness levels. An easier way is to pick a monitor that is using OLED technology, like the CORSAIR XENEON 27QHD240 OLED. When a monitor uses OLED, it will usually be a great choice to display HDR content.
In the display settings, you will see a switch to enable HDR. This is called "Use HDR". When you flip the switch, your screen will go blank for a second and the monitor's HDR profile will be activated. You may notice that the screen looks washed out and weird. Don't worry, calibrating the monitor's color profile will help in this case, but it is still recommended to use it even if everything looks fine to you once HDR is enabled.
To fully support HDR, content such as games must have an option in the settings, or you can choose to use Auto-HDR, which is supported by Windows 11. Auto HDR allows even SDR games to look more vivid compared to running them in SDR. Depending on your personal preference, you can always turn it off if you dislike the results.
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