PotPlayer cannot handle 4K files

[xSnowLeopardx]

First I would like to add that I am a VideoHelp and a video noob in general. I do know tech in general but when it comes to codecs, filters, etc. I am not that great.

I recently switched from an Asus gaming laptop to a custom PC build I built with my dad. The PC is great and here are some of its specs:

- i7-13700KF
- Inno3D RTX 3070
- 32 GB DDR5 RAM
- 500GB + 2TB m.2 SSD
- 27 inch 1440p 165hz iiyama monitor

I loved watching FHD movies and shows on my laptop, which has a 15.6 inch FHD 120hz monitor. Since my new PC build can handle more than FHD, both in games and in videos, I wanted to try 4K. I have used many players in the past, but with my laptop, I loved using PotPlayer in combination with madVR. Now, I wanted to watch 4K content on my new machine but whenever I start the video inside PotPlayer, KMPlayer, or WMP, the following grey-ish screen is shown (I had to record with my phone because no screenshot or screen recordings "sees" the grey problem. Also, my screen becomes black and then the grey-ish screen is shown. It does not happen with a FHD video:

- Imgur video of the problem: https://imgur.com/a/sjUJQyA

However, on VLC - out of the box, no settings changed - it works well. Audio is a tad low (audio does work better on the aforementioned players), but it is already better to see a better video. Also, no black screen before showing the video.

- Imgur video of the working VLC method: https://imgur.com/a/XfLbu3B

I will show some extra screenshots here; hopefully they will help out:

- Imgur album of my MadVR settings: https://imgur.com/a/Has5Sz0

- Imgur album of some of my PotPlayer settings: https://imgur.com/a/WNlEt7X

Hopefully, someone can guide me into the right direction. A simple conclusion can also be: stop using Pot for 4K and move to VLC. Maybe with some changed settings for it to have optimal audio.

Again, I am a noob and would love to explain more if it's needed. I hope my question is asked in a normal way as well.

[sum_guy]

There's nothing wrong with your hardware. You've answered your own question, use VLC

[jagabo]

Your video is HDR (high dynamic range). If your monitor is not HDR (or doesn't support the type of HDR used in the video) you need use a player that can tone-map down to SDR (standard dynamic range).

https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-hdr-high-dynamic-range

[usually_quiet]

The latest versions of PotPlayer and VLC work fine for playing 4K video with HDR10 or HLG HDR on my Windows 11 laptop with a 1080p SDR display. (HDR10 and HLG are simulated using tone mapping.) I'm using Intel Quick Sync Video for video decoding. Unfortunately, Intel "F" type processors don't have an iGPU so QSV isn't available for them.

The laptop's specs are in my computer details

[xSnowLeopardx]

There's nothing wrong with your hardware. You've answered your own question, use VLC

So, the only thing for me to do right now is use VLC for 4K content? Would have been quite nice if I could use Pot for everything.

[jagabo]

Once again, 4K isn't the problem. HDR is the problem. Not all 4K video is HDR. Not all HDR video is 4K.

[xSnowLeopardx]

I figured out that it has something to do with MadVR. I turned it off as the video renderer (put it on auto (Recommended)).

The 4K video plays, there is no black screen and no grey-ish tint on my screen. The colours/contrast aren't good, but maybe I can fix that.

Thanks for the info and help!

[jagabo]

The colours/contrast aren't good, but maybe I can fix that.

That's what happens whey HDR video isn't tone mapped for a non-HDR display.

I suspect your video uses Dolby Vision which I believe PotPlayer can't tone map.

[usually_quiet]

I suspect your video uses Dolby Vision which I believe PotPlayer can't tone map.

Yes, currently there is no software that can fully tone-map Dolby Vision. The best any of them can do is tone-map Dolby Vision's baselayer HDR.

For what it's worth, the Media Player app, which is not the same thing as Windows Media Player, seems to be the most reliable Windows 11 app I have used for playing HDR video. In addition to the Media Player app, VLC, and PotPlayer, I have also tried MPV and MPC-BE, both of which can perform tone-mapping for HDR, but sometimes can't play the video smoothly.

[usually_quiet]

PotPlayer's ability to use tone-mapping for HDR is affected by the Video-> Video Renderer settings (I selected "Auto Select (Recommended)" and the settings selected in the Video->Pixel Shaders menu (I selected "Enable SMPTE ST 2084 HDR Correction" and "Enable SMPTE ST 2086 HDR Correction").