Predator Monitor X32Q FS - HDR is too dark/dim

Sanyifashion

Hey, I've just purchased this monitor and although it looks very good in SDR and insanely bright, the HDR mode is just broken for me. It is way to dim, with adaptive dimming set to Fast, there are like foggy areas in dark scenes around brighter objects, but overall it's very hard to make out what's there.

As the color settings cannot be changed in HDR mode, I can only change it from the NVIDIA control panel and it seems that setting the gamma from 1.0 to 1.40-1.55 does the trick, a +10-20% boost to vibrance and contrast can also help, but the gamma is the real deal. I have an OLED monitor next to this one so I can easily compare the two and with these settings, it's getting closer to that.
The same darkness can be observed in games and with a Nokia tv box connected to one of the HDMI ports, when the HDR is enabled.

I'm thinking about returning the monitor because messing around the color settings every time is too much of a hassle, especially that I use it for work 90% of the time and you also cannot change adaptive dimming in the Acer Widget, only in the OSD, which is a bummer…
I've seen there were similar issues with the predecessor: https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/679911/x32fp-hdr-issue-ive-been-having-issues-with-hdr-specifically-hdr-is-very-dark
And there is a new firmware for that, supposedly improving the HDR experience, any news about this model getting a new FW with a fix? Or can anyone suggest a solution for this?

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/714153/predator-monitor-x32q-fs-hdr-is-too-dark-dim

Hi, did you try the Windows HDR Calibration (see below)? Use the Windows HDR Calibration tool to adjust the brightness and contrast settings for HDR content, or try a different HDR video.

GAMING6698

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/714153/predator-monitor-x32q-fs-hdr-is-too-dark-dim

Many users report that the Acer Predator X32Q FS has issues with HDR being too dim, even with adaptive dimming set to Fast. This can lead to foggy areas in dark scenes and difficulty seeing details. Adjusting gamma settings in the NVIDIA control panel has helped some, suggesting a gamma increase to around 1.40-1.55 for better visibility. Firmware updates may address these issues, but many users still find HDR performance lacking compared to other monitors. If the hassle of adjusting settings is too much, considering a return might be wise.

Sanyifashion

Thanks for the responses, I tried the HDR calibration tool and applied the new profiles I created but to no avail, HDR is still too dim unfortunately. 😕 Adjusting the gamma works for me in Windows, but it will not work with the TV box, since I can't do that there (or I may have to search for an app, that can…). The only thing that works, is to change the monitor into standard or user mode and tweak the settings, while the box outputs an HDR signal.

I've attached some pictures of a H265 HDR video I played back with MPC-HC, bottom one is the default HDR, second one is an OLED monitor and the first is the gamma adjusted HDR.

krisp

I have the same issue with my X32Q FS.

With HDR enabled in the monitor and Adaptive Dimming on (low, average or fast), brightness at max, and HDR enabled in Windows 11, the monitors brightness becomes so dark that HDR becomes almost unusable.

SDR is perfect, but HDR is broken. Please fix this with a firmware update, it's the only issue preventing this monitor from being perfect.

Edit: I've done the Windows 11 HDR calibration but it did not help.

billsey

Unfortunately, for most Acer monitor designs, a firmware update requires a trip to the service center, so they typically do not bother to provide any.

thomas0829

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/714153/predator-monitor-x32q-fs-hdr-is-too-dark-dim

Hi, I bought this monitor several months ago and noticed something strange. My computer has two graphics cards: an Nvidia 4090 and an AMD RX6600 XT. When I use the 4090 to output HDR, the monitor's colors appear very dark and distorted. However, when I use the RX6600 XT to output HDR, the colors and brightness look almost the same as in SDR mode, and the brightness option in the OSD can still be adjusted while using the RX6600 XT.

I'm wondering if ACER has optimized HDR only for AMD cards on Windows? On my PS5, the main screen looks very dark when local dimming is enabled, though the games seem fine. If anyone else has experienced similar HDR issues with Nvidia cards, perhaps switching to AMD cards might help.

I hope ACER can address the HDR problem or provide a monitor driver to properly display the HDR certification in Windows.

billsey

More likely AMD and Nvidia have implemented their drivers differently. Acer doesn't have any real input into the drivers for the graphics cards…

Sanyifashion

Since then, I returned the monitor and bought a G8 OLED instead (was only like 200 EUR more expensive). Acer customer support told me over the phone, that they would need to inspect the monitor so I should RMA it or whatever and hope for the best… yeah that's not gonna happen sorry.

BTW, it had the same HDR issues with my PC that has a Radeon RX 6800 XT. Sure I could fix it with the driver color settings… The problem is, I also wanted to hook up a good TV box to it and watch some movies/series without having to turn on the PC or the laptop. But I could not really fix the HDR issues there…