How to calibrate HDR on Android TV and Google TV

Why HDR calibration on Android TV often goes wrong

A TV only switches to HDR when the incoming signal tells it to. Video players send that signal; menus, photos and most test-pattern apps do not. Patterns drawn in an app's normal interface reach the TV as SDR, so the TV stays in its SDR picture mode.

On most TVs, every signal type has its own memory: the brightness, contrast and colour you set in SDR do not carry over to HDR10, and HDR10 settings do not carry over to Dolby Vision. If you calibrate in SDR, your HDR films keep their factory settings.

The fix is to play a short HDR video that switches the TV into HDR, then draw the patterns on top of it. That is exactly what TV Calibration multi HDR does with its embedded HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG triggers.

Before you start

• Warm up. Let the TV run for about 30 minutes so the panel and backlight settle.
• Light the room as usual. Calibrate in the lighting you normally watch in, and close the curtains if you mostly watch in the evening.
• Disable automatic adjustments. Turn off eco or power-saving modes and the ambient light sensor while you calibrate; they change brightness under you.
• Let the box switch formats. In your streamer's display settings, enable the option that matches the content's dynamic range (the name varies by device). The box then outputs HDR only for HDR content, as it will when you watch films.
• Use the right HDMI port. Use a port that supports 4K HDR and enable its enhanced mode: for example Input Signal Plus on Samsung, HDMI Ultra HD Deep Colour on LG or the Enhanced HDMI signal format on Sony.

Step by step

1. Switch the TV into HDR

   Open TV Calibration multi HDR and pick the format you watch most, usually HDR10 or Dolby Vision. The TV should briefly blank and show its HDR10, HDR or Dolby Vision badge, and its picture menu should now list HDR modes.

   • No badge? Check the HDMI port and its enhanced mode, the cable (use a certified high-speed cable) and the streamer's dynamic-range setting.

2. Pick the most accurate picture mode

   Choose Filmmaker Mode where available, otherwise Cinema or Movie (for Dolby Vision: Dolby Vision Dark or Cinema). These modes start closest to the D65 white point films are mastered at.

   • Colour temperature: Warm or Warm 2 on most brands.
   • Off: motion smoothing, dynamic contrast, noise reduction and edge enhancement.
   • Sharpness: its neutral point, often 0; check it later with the 1:1 pattern.

3. Set black level with the near-black bars

   Open the brightness pattern in a dark room. Lower the TV's brightness (on some TVs called black level) until the 0% bar merges with the background, then raise it until the 1–2% bars are just visible. Too high and blacks look grey; too low and shadow detail disappears.

4. Check highlights with the white bars

   Open the contrast pattern. In HDR modes contrast usually sits at or near its maximum, so use the bars as a check: the steps from 90% to 100% should stay distinct. If the top steps merge, lower contrast a little or change the TV's tone-mapping setting.

5. Check colour

   Open the colour gain ramps. Every ramp should move smoothly from dark to bright without a band where it suddenly flattens. Leave the colour (saturation) and tint controls at their defaults unless a ramp clearly clips or skin tones look tinted.

6. Fix sharpness and overscan

   Use the 1:1 pixel and overscan patterns. Set picture size to the option that shows every pixel, such as Just Scan on LG, Screen Fit on Samsung or Full pixel on Sony, and lower sharpness until the single-pixel lines show no white halos.

7. Repeat for each format

   Switch the app to the next format (SDR, HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG) and repeat steps 2 to 6. It takes a few minutes per format, and each one keeps its own settings.

Going further with a colorimeter

Eye calibration gets black level, highlights and processing right. White balance and colour accuracy need a meter such as an X-Rite i1Display Pro, Spyder or Klein, read by software like the free HCFR.

Use the 10% windows on OLED and Mini-LED TVs: large bright fields trigger the TV's automatic brightness limiter and skew the readings. Measure the 10-step grayscale first, adjust 2-point or multi-point white balance, then check the primaries and secondaries against Rec. 709 for SDR and Rec. 2020 for HDR.

Common mistakes

• Calibrating in SDR. Your HDR films keep their factory settings. Always check the HDR badge first.
• Starting from Vivid or Standard. Store modes exaggerate colour and sharpness; you spend the whole session undoing them.
• Leaving the light sensor on. The picture keeps changing as the room light changes, so no setting holds.
• Chasing brightness in HDR. HDR is meant to have dim average scenes with bright highlights. If it looks too dark everywhere, check the room lighting and tone mapping before raising brightness.

Frequently asked questions