Check whether your display chain shows full RGB (0-255) or crushes it to limited / TV range (16-235). Glance at the quick check, then run the guided test to get a named verdict and the exact fix for your device.

Quick range check

Full black 0Limited black 16
Limited white 235Full white 255

If 0 and 16 look identical, or 235 and 255 look identical, your chain is clipping a range - run the full test for a verdict.

Fix it: per-device settings

Golden rule: both ends of the cable must match - Full on both, or Limited on both. "Auto" often guesses wrong, so set it manually.

NVIDIA GPU

NVIDIA Control Panel > Display > Change resolution > Output dynamic range = Full.

AMD GPU

AMD Software > Display > Pixel Format / Color Range = Full RGB 4:4:4.

Intel graphics

Intel Graphics Command Center > Display > General > Quantization Range = Full.

PlayStation 4 / 5

Settings > Screen and Video > RGB Range. Automatic usually works; if blacks look wrong, force Limited for a TV or Full for a PC monitor.

Xbox

Settings > General > TV and display options > Video fidelity > Color space: Standard = Limited (TV), PC RGB = Full (monitor).

Sony TV

Picture settings > HDMI Black Level (or Video range). Match it to what the source actually sends.

Samsung TV

Picture > Expert Settings > HDMI Black Level: Normal = Full, Low = Limited.

LG TV

Picture > Additional settings > Black Level: High = Full, Low = Limited.

Which setup are you?

PC to monitor

Set Full range on both ends. Monitors expect every value 0-255; Limited here causes grey blacks and dull whites.

PC to TV

Check the TV "HDMI Black Level" first, then match the GPU output range to it. A mismatch gives a crushed or washed-out picture.

Console to TV

Limited / Standard on both ends is the safe default for TVs. Only use Full / PC RGB on a PC monitor.

Streaming looks washed out

Video content is mastered in limited range by design. If only videos look washed out, the bug is in the video path - not your display range.

Gradient banding lab

Pixel-exact canvas ramp. CSS gradients are dithered by the browser and hide real banding - this one is drawn value by value.

Steps
Channel
Range
How to read it
  • Wide, obvious steps in Smooth mode: 6-bit panel or heavy processing.
  • Faint fine lines: normal 8-bit quantization.
  • Shimmering or crawling noise: FRC temporal dithering.
  • Regular repeating bands in the smooth gray ramp: limited-range round trip (only 219 of 256 levels survive).
  • Perfectly smooth: at least 8 bits, banding-free. A browser canvas cannot prove 10-bit output.
  • The 8-step mode must show exactly 8 crisp bars - if neighbours merge, that end of the range is clipped.

Display capability report

What your browser reports about this screen. Informational only - it cannot detect the cable range.

Color gamut—
Dynamic range—
Reported color depth—Browsers report 24-bit almost everywhere, including on 10-bit panels - treat this as informational only.

P3 vs sRGB red

sRGB red
P3 red

If the right square looks deeper and more saturated, your display and browser run a wide-gamut (P3) pipeline. Identical squares = sRGB pipeline.

Tip: Windows HDMI often ships with Limited Range by default. In NVIDIA Control Panel > Resolutions > Output dynamic range set to "Full". On AMD, Radeon Settings > Display > Color Range = Full. On game consoles the label is "RGB Range" or "HDMI Black Level".
Limited-to-full math: full = round((v - 16) x 255 / 219). Limited video maps black to 16 and white to 235; values 1-15 are "blacker than black" and 236-254 are "whiter than white".
Honesty note: a web page cannot read the HDMI signal itself, so every verdict here is judged by your eyes on known test patterns - exactly how calibration discs work too.
⌨ Free Color Range Test by KeyboardTester.click