Compared to SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), HDR (High Dynamic Range) significantly improves brightness, color, and contrast. HDR material seems brighter and more detailed than SDR content. When watching a movie, TV show, or game that has been mastered for HDR, you will notice a distinct difference. To watch an HDR movie, you’ll need a monitor that supports HDR content as well as a browser that can play the stream. Here’s how you can enable HDR support on Microsoft Edge.
How to Enable HDR Support on Microsoft Edge
While this is frequently related to your operating system’s HDR playback settings, your browser setup might also play a role.
- Enable HDR Playback in Windows Settings
- Enable Hardware Acceleration in Edge
- Force Color Profile in Microsoft Edge
- Enable PlayReady DRM in Microsoft Edge
While you can follow this, ensure you have an HDR monitor else; nothing of this will work.
1] Enable HDR Playback in Windows Settings
Before we go ahead and make changes to Edge to allow HDR streaming, double-check whether HDR support is turned on with Windows. Here’s where to find the option for the same.
- In the Start Search Box, type in Windows HD Color, and choose the best match.
- Scroll down, choose your preferred Display panel from the dropdown and finally turn on the option for both Stream HDR video and Use HDR.
2] Enable Hardware Acceleration in Edge
It’s now time to begin configuring Edge to playback in HDR. Here’s what you need to do to begin with.
- Launch Microsoft Edge, click on the three-dotted icon present at the top right, and choose Settings from the drop-down.
- Next, navigate to the Systems section from the left navigation pane.
- Here, turn ON the option for Use hardware acceleration when available.
Hardware acceleration will ensure that Edge can take full advantage of hardware to deliver HDR and 4K. 0
3] Force Color Profile in Microsoft Edge
In the vast majority of situations, with the above-mentioned options turned ON, you should be able to play HDR films. However, you may still have problems due to limitations in place on some websites, such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Here’s what you can do in such cases.
- Bring up the Edge browser, key in edge://flags in the address bar, and press Enter to bring up Experimental Features.
- Use the search bar to find Force Color Profile and set the value to scRGB linear (HDR where available) from Default.
- Finally, restart your browser for the changes to come into effect.
4] Enable PlayReady DRM in Microsoft Edge
DRM tools, also known as technical protection measures (TPM), are a collection of access control methods that limit the usage of proprietary devices and copyrighted content. If you’re unable to stream HDR videos, even with all the above options turned ON, this might be your final solution.
- Bring up the Edge browser, key in edge://flags in the address bar, and press Enter to bring up Experimental Features.
- Next, search for PlayReady DRM, and turn the toggle to Enabled using the dropdown.
- As usual, restart the browser and wait for the changes to come into effect.
How Do I Enable 4K on Microsoft Edge?
The feature is under testing as of now; however, there’s a workaround. Start by installing the HEVC Video Extensions plugin from the Microsoft Store. Next, head over to Edge’s flags and set the PlayReady Experimental HEVC Decoding to Enabled option.
That said, which streaming service do you prefer watching on your HDR-supported computer? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.
Does HDMI 1.4 Support HDR? Which HDMI Cable Should You Be Using for HDR?
If you wish to support HDR resolution with your HDMI cables, make sure they’re high-Speed HDMI cables. It’s a certification that is offered to OEMs that make cables for this standard.
How To Check if You Have HDR Support on Your PC or Monitor?
To check whether your computer display supports HDR, you can either look up the display’s model number on the internet and check for its specifications. Alternatively, for a laptop, you can find all the necessary details on the manufacturer’s website.
Can You Force Enable HDR? If No, Why?
In other words, enabling HDR on a non-HDR display is impossible. This is why: A extremely high contrast ratio is used to generate HDR. The backlight on your monitor can’t emit enough light, and/or the liquid crystals in your display can’t filter out enough light to provide adequate contrast; thus, HDR can’t be enabled. It’s a restriction of the hardware.
Why Is HDR Washed Out? Why Won’t My HDR Stay On?
Many of the issues around the HDR washed-out look might be solved by downloading and installing a specific color profile for your display. As for the issue where HDR won’t stay on, it may be a specific glitch, or there might be some issues with your monitor’s wiring.
I hope the post was informative enough, and you are now able to Enable HDR Support on Microsoft Edge along with 4K and the right cable for the HDR support.
