RTX VSR + System setting "Automatically manage color for apps" causes videos to look dim

[Artins90]

Disabling either RTX VSR or "Automatically manage color for apps" (in Windows 26120.712) immediately fixes the issue. Currently I am using MPC-HC version 2.3.0, toggling "Use legacy display ICC color management" under right click > properties > compatibility doesn't fix the issue.

Using RTX VSR with web content (Youtube, Twtitch etc.) on the same system doesn't cause similar dimming issues.

Clip of the issue: https://file.io/1kd6Yf61xBXS

Pin info: `Filter : MPC Video Renderer - CLSID : {71F080AA-8661-4093-B15E-4F6903E77D0A}

Connected to: CLSID: {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F} Filter: LAV Video Decoder Pin: Output

Connection media type: Video: P010 896x480 (427:240) 59.94fps

AM_MEDIA_TYPE: majortype: MEDIATYPE_Video {73646976-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71} subtype: MEDIASUBTYPE_P010 {30313050-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71} formattype: FORMAT_VideoInfo2 {F72A76A0-EB0A-11D0-ACE4-0000C0CC16BA} bFixedSizeSamples: 1 bTemporalCompression: 0 lSampleSize: 1229760 cbFormat: 132

VIDEOINFOHEADER: rcSource: (0,0)-(854,480) rcTarget: (0,0)-(854,480) dwBitRate: 0 dwBitErrorRate: 0 AvgTimePerFrame: 166833

VIDEOINFOHEADER2: dwInterlaceFlags: 0x00000000 dwCopyProtectFlags: 0x00000000 dwPictAspectRatioX: 427 dwPictAspectRatioY: 240 dwControlFlags: 0x00002581 dwReserved2: 0x00000000

BITMAPINFOHEADER: biSize: 40 biWidth: 896 biHeight: 480 biPlanes: 1 biBitCount: 24 biCompression: P010 biSizeImage: 1290240 biXPelsPerMeter: 0 biYPelsPerMeter: 0 biClrUsed: 0 biClrImportant: 0

pbFormat: 0000: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 56 03 00 00 e0 01 00 00 ........V...à... 0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 56 03 00 00 e0 01 00 00 ........V...à... 0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 b1 8b 02 00 00 00 00 00 ........±�...... 0030: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ab 01 00 00 f0 00 00 00 ........«...ð... 0040: 81 25 00 00 00 00 00 00 28 00 00 00 80 03 00 00 �%......(...�... 0050: e0 01 00 00 01 00 18 00 50 30 31 30 00 b0 13 00 à.......P010.°.. 0060: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0070:|80 03 00 00 e0 01 00 00 56 03 00 00 e0 01 00 00 �...à...V...à... 0080: 50 30 31 30 P010 `

`Filter : LAV Video Decoder - CLSID : {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}

Connected to: CLSID: {B98D13E7-55DB-4385-A33D-09FD1BA26338} Filter: LAV Splitter Source Pin: Video

Connection media type: Video: MPEG4 Video (H264) 854x480 59.94fps

AM_MEDIA_TYPE: majortype: MEDIATYPE_Video {73646976-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71} subtype: Unknown GUID Name {31435641-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71} formattype: FORMAT_MPEG2_VIDEO {E06D80E3-DB46-11CF-B4D1-00805F6CBBEA} bFixedSizeSamples: 0 bTemporalCompression: 1 lSampleSize: 1 cbFormat: 173

VIDEOINFOHEADER: rcSource: (0,0)-(854,480) rcTarget: (0,0)-(854,480) dwBitRate: 0 dwBitErrorRate: 0 AvgTimePerFrame: 166833

VIDEOINFOHEADER2: dwInterlaceFlags: 0x00000000 dwCopyProtectFlags: 0x00000000 dwPictAspectRatioX: 427 dwPictAspectRatioY: 240 dwControlFlags: 0x00000000 dwReserved2: 0x00000000

MPEG2VIDEOINFO: dwStartTimeCode: 0 cbSequenceHeader: 41 dwProfile: 0x0000006e dwLevel: 0x00000028 dwFlags: 0x00000004

BITMAPINFOHEADER: biSize: 40 biWidth: 854 biHeight: 480 biPlanes: 1 biBitCount: 15 biCompression: AVC1 biSizeImage: 769920 biXPelsPerMeter: 0 biYPelsPerMeter: 0 biClrUsed: 0 biClrImportant: 0

pbFormat: 0000: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 56 03 00 00 e0 01 00 00 ........V...à... 0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 56 03 00 00 e0 01 00 00 ........V...à... 0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 b1 8b 02 00 00 00 00 00 ........±�...... 0030: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ab 01 00 00 f0 00 00 00 ........«...ð... 0040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 28 00 00 00 56 03 00 00 ........(...V... 0050: e0 01 00 00 01 00 0f 00 41 56 43 31 80 bf 0b 00 à.......AVC1�¿.. 0060: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0070: 00 00 00 00 29 00 00 00 6e 00 00 00 28 00 00 00 ....)...n...(... 0080: 04 00 00 00|00 1e 67 6e 00 28 a6 c7 28 44 0d 83 ......gn.(¦Ç(D.� 0090: de 6f ff 03 55 03 56 10 00 00 3e 90 00 1d 4c 00 Þoÿ.U.V...>�..L. 00a0: f1 83 18 46 00 07 68 e8 43 82 32 c8 b0 ñ�.F..hèC�2È°`

[v0lt]

RTX VSR + System setting "Automatically manage color for apps" causes videos to look dim

Do not use one of these driver or system features. It is obvious. It’s not clear what MPC VR has to do with it.

[clsid2]

Plus your settings are just plain wrong. Do not uncheck "convert to SDR" option in MPCVR. Otherwise any HDR video you play will be wrong.

Forcing texture format will also cause problems.

[Artins90]

@clsid2 I was just experimenting with settings trying to figure whether it might be related to HDR.
RTX VSR works correctly with 16bit texture format as long as "Automatically manage color for apps" is disabled in system settings.

While experimenting, I noticed that setting "RTX Video HDR", "Passthrough to display", "Windows HDR toggle" and "Automatically manage color for apps" to ON, the image goes back to normal HDR brightness levels.

Strangely, with the same "RTX Video HDR", "Passthrough to display", "Automatically manage color for apps" set to ON but "Windows HDR toggle" set to off, the output goes into a sort of half-state, with brighter levels similar to correct SDR but crushed highlights, due to the HDR toggle being off.

[clsid2]

Update to Windows 11 24H2: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/1crggo9/acmauto_color_management_fixed_in_24h2/

It also seems that "Auto color management" is a feature for SDR screens. It does stuff like dithering. Something that MPCVR already does, and most GPU drivers as well. So not really useful or relevant if you enable HDR in Windows.