HDR looks washed out, too dark, or the colours are wrong
Why HDR often looks worse than SDR at first, and the settings that fix it.
Turning HDR on and finding the picture looks worse — grey, flat, too dark — is extremely common, and it is almost always settings rather than the television.
1. Enable full HDMI bandwidth — do this first
Most televisions ship with full HDMI bandwidth disabled on every port. Without it, HDR either fails entirely or displays incorrectly.
It is called different things by brand: HDMI Deep Color, HDMI UHD Color, Input Signal Plus, or Enhanced Format. Enable it for the port the console is connected to, not just generally.
This single setting fixes the majority of HDR complaints.
2. Calibrate HDR on the console
Both consoles have a built-in calibration tool, and skipping it is the usual reason HDR looks wrong.
PS5: Settings → Screen and Video → Video Output → Adjust HDR. Three screens: adjust until the symbol is just barely visible on the first two, and just barely invisible on the third.
Xbox: Settings → General → TV & display options → Calibrate HDR for games.
Run it in the lighting you normally play in. Calibrating in a dark room and playing in daylight gives you a picture that looks wrong in both.
3. Use the right TV picture mode
Make sure the TV is in Game Mode, and that its HDR picture mode is not set to something like Vivid or Dynamic, which crush detail. Turn off dynamic contrast and noise reduction.
4. Check the cable
Use the cable that came with the console — it is Ultra High Speed rated. An older cable can carry a picture but fail on HDR at higher modes, producing exactly these symptoms.
Honest expectations
HDR needs brightness. On an entry-level television that cannot get bright enough, HDR genuinely can look worse than the standard picture. That is the panel, not a setting, and turning HDR off is a legitimate choice on such a set.
It should not look grey in menus. If the console''s own menus look washed out, the RGB range setting is likely mismatched — set the console and television to the same range rather than leaving one on Limited and the other on Full.
Still wrong?
Turn HDR off and compare honestly. If SDR looks better on your television, use SDR. HDR is worth having on a set that can do it properly and worth skipping on one that cannot.
See best TV settings for PS5 and for Xbox for the full setup.