What HDR is for and how to use it in Windows 11

Few are talking about them, but the new features tied to HDR technology in Windows 11 are really interesting and worthy of some in-depth research, because knowing how to use this technology well is a core tool for optimizing the rendering of the video signal; furthermore, knowing what it is is also becoming crucial for the user purchasing hardware, and for the retailer who suggests it.

Dynamic range

The acronym "HDR" means High Dynamic Range, a complex term for a very powerful technology for rendering images, whether static or moving, with higher-than-normal contrast, saturation and brightness values.

This is achieved using hardware capable of displaying a wider Dynamic Range between the darkest and lightest areas of an image, with saturation values greater than the normal SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) rendering mode, and software able to support this kind of data stream.

In the professional world, HDR is now quite common, and many of the professional photography and multimedia software include special tools for producing HDR content, a standard that has also spread to the video game market, where the demands for quality are sometimes even higher.

One of the core features of HDR is that the result, while superior in quality, often appears "artificial," particularly with the ability to display details that are just as sharp in shadows and in brighter areas, far beyond the human eye's ability to process such visual information. But the main purpose of HDR is not to look natural, but to show superior quality: hence the sense of artificiality is a secondary issue compared to the main purpose.

In video games, but also in some movies or pictures, this "flaw," although it’s not accurate to call it that, is compensated for by the fact that the media depicts situations, scenes and settings that are far from what the human eye is used to handling on a daily basis, so they are much easier for us to accept.

On the other hand, the power of HDR is often something you’ll never forget, and this alone makes it worth it to watch media in this mode: for the user, this becomes an experience that, once you’ve had it, is a must-have.

System check

The first rule of HDR is that in order to use it properly you need to have both software and hardware that supports it, otherwise enabling this mode is pointless, even if it appears possible (and it won’t work anyway).

To find out if the screen you are using is HDR compatible, you need to go to

Settings > System > Display > Advanced Display Settings

Here you can see the result: Windows 11 should show that the screen is compatible with the HDR standard. If the external hardware is technically compatible with HDR but the settings don’t show it, you should check the connection cable.

Regarding the minimum internal hardware requirements, your device must have an integrated graphics card that supports DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology based on PlayReady hardware (for protected HDR content) and must have the necessary codecs for 10-bit video decoding. In addition to this, we recommend that you always keep your copy of Windows 11 updated with the latest drivers.

How to use HDR

To use the HDR features in Windows 11, all you need to do is have some HDR content (a photo, video, or a video game) and activate the respective setting in Advanced Display Settings (HDR Video Streaming), and if your computer meets the minimum requirements and has a compatible display, the HDR features will activate on their own whenever HDR content gets displayed.

This feature is called Auto HDR, and it’s very useful, especially for gamers, because they can use the PC in SDR mode for everyday tasks and have an HDR signal for games, which turns on and off automatically.

Microsoft is giving the highest level of attention to HDR technology, something also made clear by the release of the Calibration App, which, while also available for Windows 10, is expected to be compatible only with Windows 11.

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