<p>I think I found a solution to my problem.</p>
<p>The issue seemed to be in the Windows HD Color settings.</p>
<p>Thus, I reset the calibration of my built-in display for HDR content in Windows. The option is a bit tricky to find, because it is in a deep Windows graphics menu. However, you may find a comprehensive description of the process to follow at the following link:
<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/calibrate-your-built-in-display-for-hdr-content-in-windows-de1c66fa-6cc0-b327-e73a-1bac6bd46bc0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/calibrate-your-built-in-display-for-hdr-content-in-windows-de1c66fa-6cc0-b327-e73a-1bac6bd46bc0</a></p>
<p>I hope this is helpful for people facing the same issue.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-25T09:44:48.560Z
…which just goes to show what a hokey bag of cr*p Windows HDR is. It's not a video standard it's guesswork on top of guesswork. Avoid like the plague it is for professional applications. </rant>  ;))
Tetsujin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-09T19:02:44.677Z
The bug has come back (from a Windows update?) and the old trick with HDR content no more works. Any ideas (solutions?) are very welcome. This issue makes me crazy...
Sulli
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-24T21:05:15.543Z
2022-09-24T21:05:15.543Z
Sulli
<p>For a few days, when I play a mp4 video in Windows Media Player (WMP), there is something like a grey filter/overlay.
Thus, the whites are greyish and blacks lack depth. This problem is only encountered when playing the video with Windows Media Player. If I use VLC or the Windows movies &amp; TV app, the rendering is as expected.</p>
<p>The picture below illustrates the problem well:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/vfCQM.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/vfCQM.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>I have been suspecting an issue with the rendering dynamic range: 16-235 vs. 0-255, but:</p>
<ul>
<li>Video options in WPM are rather poor and there are no such parameters to be set;</li>
<li>In my graphic-card setting panel, I was not able to find any relevant parameters (I am using the Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics of my laptop &amp; AMD software Adrenalin edition. No HDMI cables).</li>
</ul>
<p>It might be something else related to a Windows update (I am using Windows 10 21H2), but I don't really know what.</p>
<p>Any help is very welcome.</p>

<mp4><windows><vlc><rendering>
Grey overlay when reading mp4 files in WMP
Sulli
# Grey overlay when reading mp4 files in WMP

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-24)

For a few days, when I play a mp4 video in Windows Media Player (WMP), there is something like a grey filter/overlay.
Thus, the whites are greyish and blacks lack depth. This problem is only encountered when playing the video with Windows Media Player. If I use VLC or the Windows movies & TV app, the rendering is as expected.

The picture below illustrates the problem well:
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/vfCQM.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/vfCQM.png)

I have been suspecting an issue with the rendering dynamic range: 16-235 vs. 0-255, but:

* Video options in WPM are rather poor and there are no such parameters to be set;
* In my graphic-card setting panel, I was not able to find any relevant parameters (I am using the Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics of my laptop & AMD software Adrenalin edition. No HDMI cables).

It might be something else related to a Windows update (I am using Windows 10 21H2), but I don't really know what.

Any help is very welcome.

**Tags:** mp4, windows, vlc, rendering


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2022-09-24. Score: 0

I think I found a solution to my problem.

The issue seemed to be in the Windows HD Color settings.

Thus, I reset the calibration of my built-in display for HDR content in Windows. The option is a bit tricky to find, because it is in a deep Windows graphics menu. However, you may find a comprehensive description of the process to follow at the following link:
<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/calibrate-your-built-in-display-for-hdr-content-in-windows-de1c66fa-6cc0-b327-e73a-1bac6bd46bc0>

I hope this is helpful for people facing the same issue.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: …which just goes to show what a hokey bag of cr*p Windows HDR is. It's not a video standard it's guesswork on top of guesswork. Avoid like the plague it is for professional applications. </rant>  ;))  
> **username_0**: The bug has come back (from a Windows update?) and the old trick with HDR content no more works. Any ideas (solutions?) are very welcome. This issue makes me crazy...  

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