Understanding HDR in Gaming Monitors: A Complete Guide

HDR—High Dynamic Range—promises more lifelike images with brighter highlights, deeper blacks, and more vibrant colours than traditional SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) displays. It's become a standard feature in gaming monitors, but the quality of HDR implementation varies dramatically. A monitor labelled "HDR" might deliver stunning visuals or barely noticeable improvement.

This guide explains how HDR works, decodes the various certification standards, and helps you determine whether investing in true HDR capability is worthwhile for your gaming experience.

What Is HDR?

HDR expands the range of brightness and colour that a display can reproduce. In practical terms, this means:

• Brighter highlights: Sunlight, explosions, and reflections can appear genuinely bright rather than washed-out white.
• Deeper blacks: Shadow detail is preserved while dark areas appear truly dark.
• Wider colour gamut: More saturated, accurate colours beyond what SDR can display.
• Greater luminance range: Both dark and bright elements can appear on screen simultaneously with visible detail in both.

The result—when properly implemented—is an image that more closely resembles how our eyes perceive the real world, with far more visual depth and impact than SDR.

HDR Standards and Formats

HDR10

The baseline open standard for HDR content. HDR10 uses static metadata, meaning the entire game or video uses one set of brightness parameters. Virtually all HDR monitors and modern games support HDR10. Think of it as the minimum requirement for HDR capability.

HDR10+

An enhanced version of HDR10 using dynamic metadata. Brightness can be adjusted scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame for more optimised visuals. Samsung developed HDR10+ as a royalty-free alternative to Dolby Vision.

Dolby Vision

Dolby's proprietary HDR format with dynamic metadata and support for higher brightness levels. Requires licensing fees, so it's less common in gaming monitors than in TVs. When available, Dolby Vision typically delivers excellent results.

VESA DisplayHDR Certification

VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) created the DisplayHDR certification to standardise HDR performance claims. The certification tiers indicate minimum brightness and colour requirements:

DisplayHDR 400

• Peak brightness: 400 nits
• Black level: 0.4 nits (or lower)
• Colour: 95% sRGB coverage

Reality check: HDR400 represents entry-level HDR. The brightness improvement over SDR is modest, and without local dimming, HDR content often looks washed out. Many consider HDR400 more of a marketing checkbox than meaningful HDR capability.

DisplayHDR 600

• Peak brightness: 600 nits
• Black level: 0.1 nits
• Colour: 90% DCI-P3 coverage
• Local dimming required

Reality check: HDR600 starts to deliver noticeable HDR impact. Local dimming helps create contrast between bright and dark areas. This tier represents acceptable HDR performance for most gamers.

DisplayHDR 1000

• Peak brightness: 1000 nits
• Black level: 0.05 nits
• Colour: 90% DCI-P3 coverage
• Local dimming required

Reality check: HDR1000 monitors deliver genuinely impressive HDR. The high brightness creates impactful highlights, and strict black level requirements ensure good contrast. This tier is recommended for serious HDR gaming.

DisplayHDR True Black (for OLED)

• DisplayHDR 400 True Black, 500 True Black, etc.
• Black level: 0.0005 nits (essentially perfect blacks)
• Lower peak brightness requirements compensated by infinite contrast

Reality check: OLED's perfect blacks create stunning HDR even at lower brightness levels. HDR400 True Black often outperforms LCD-based HDR600 for perceived image quality due to infinite contrast.

Local Dimming: Why It Matters

Local dimming divides the backlight into zones that can brighten or dim independently. This allows LCD monitors to approximate deeper blacks by dimming zones displaying dark content while keeping bright areas illuminated.

Types of Local Dimming

• Full-array local dimming (FALD): LED zones spread across the entire screen. More zones generally mean better performance. High-end monitors have hundreds of zones.
• Edge-lit local dimming: LEDs around the screen edges. Less precise than full-array, often creates visible "blooming" around bright objects.
• Mini-LED: Uses thousands of tiny LEDs for thousands of dimming zones. Provides FALD-level precision with fewer blooming artifacts.

The Blooming Problem

When a bright object appears on a dark background (like a white cursor on a black screen), local dimming must illuminate that zone. Adjacent dark areas may become slightly illuminated too, creating a "halo" or "bloom" around bright objects. More dimming zones reduce this effect but can't eliminate it entirely. Only OLED's per-pixel lighting avoids blooming completely.

Panel Type and HDR Performance

IPS

Good colour accuracy supports HDR's wide colour gamut requirements. However, limited native contrast (1000:1) means IPS relies heavily on local dimming for HDR impact. Mini-LED backlights have dramatically improved IPS HDR performance.

VA

Higher native contrast (3000:1+) gives VA a head start for HDR, with better dark scenes even without local dimming. However, slower response times can be problematic for HDR gaming where motion clarity matters.

OLED

The ideal technology for HDR. Per-pixel lighting provides infinite contrast—each pixel is its own "dimming zone." Perfect blacks and instant transitions create the most impactful HDR experience, though peak brightness may be lower than high-end Mini-LED LCDs.

Colour Gamut and Bit Depth

HDR requires both wider colour gamut and higher bit depth to display its expanded range:

Colour Gamut

• sRGB: The standard for SDR content. HDR monitors should exceed 100% sRGB coverage.
• DCI-P3: The colour space used by most HDR content. Look for 90%+ DCI-P3 coverage for quality HDR.
• Rec. 2020: The full HDR colour space. No consumer monitor fully covers Rec. 2020, but higher coverage is better.

Bit Depth

• 8-bit: Standard for SDR. Can display HDR but may show colour banding.
• 10-bit: Required for smooth HDR gradients. Over 1 billion colour combinations versus 16.7 million for 8-bit.
• 8-bit + FRC: Simulates 10-bit through dithering. Adequate for most gaming but not true 10-bit.

Enabling HDR in Windows and Games

Windows HDR Settings

1. Open Settings > System > Display
2. Select your HDR monitor
3. Enable "Use HDR"
4. Adjust "SDR content brightness" slider if non-HDR content appears too dark or washed out

In-Game HDR Settings

Many games include their own HDR calibration—typically adjusting peak brightness, paper white level, and gamma. Take time to calibrate each game, as default settings rarely match your specific monitor's capabilities.

Is HDR Worth It for Gaming?

The answer depends on the quality of HDR implementation:

Yes, if:

• You're buying DisplayHDR 600 or higher (LCD) or DisplayHDR True Black (OLED)
• The monitor has effective local dimming with many zones
• You play games with good HDR support (many AAA titles now include HDR)
• You game in a reasonably dark environment where HDR impact is visible

Probably not, if:

• The monitor only meets HDR400 without local dimming
• You primarily play competitive esports titles (where HDR often adds input lag)
• You game in brightly lit rooms that wash out HDR highlights
• HDR capability significantly increases price for minimal benefit

Final Thoughts

HDR can dramatically enhance gaming visuals, but only when properly implemented. The proliferation of "HDR-compatible" monitors has created confusion, with entry-level certifications that barely improve upon SDR. Focus on DisplayHDR 600+ for LCD or True Black for OLED, and research local dimming quality through reviews.

For gamers prioritising HDR, OLED monitors currently offer the most impressive experience despite lower peak brightness, thanks to their perfect blacks and infinite contrast. High-end Mini-LED monitors can match or exceed OLED brightness while offering good local dimming—a compelling alternative for those concerned about OLED burn-in.