MonitorControl Pro

A comprehensive Windows GUI utility for controlling monitor settings via DDC/CI protocol. Adjust brightness, contrast, color temperature, input sources, and more — all without touching your monitor's physical buttons.

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Features

Display Controls

• Brightness & Contrast — Real-time adjustment via DDC/CI
• RGB Gain Control — Fine-tune red, green, and blue channels independently
• Color Temperature Presets — Quick access to Warm (5000K), 6500K (D65), Cool (9300K), and sRGB
• Sharpness Control — Adjust display sharpness if supported

Monitor Management

• Visual Monitor Layout — Click-to-select interface matching Windows Display Settings
• Input Source Switching — Switch between HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, DVI, VGA
• Power Control — Turn monitors On, Standby, or Off via software
• Apply to All Monitors — Sync settings across all connected displays
• Monitor Identification — On-screen overlays showing monitor numbers

Automation

• Auto Mode — Automatic brightness and color temperature based on time of day:
  • Day (7 AM - 6 PM): 80% brightness, neutral colors
  • Evening (6 PM - 9 PM): 60% brightness, slightly warm
  • Night (9 PM - 7 AM): 40% brightness, warm/reduced blue light
• Profile System — Save and load custom configurations
• Command-line Support — Launch minimized or with a specific profile

Advanced Features

• VCP Explorer — Query and set any VCP code for advanced users
• VCP Code Scanner — Discover which DDC/CI features your monitor supports
• DDC/CI Capabilities Viewer — View raw capabilities string from monitor
• Software Gamma Control — Independent RGB gamma curves via Windows API
• Factory Reset — Reset monitor to factory defaults (colors only or full reset)

GPU Monitoring (NVIDIA)

• Real-time temperature, utilization, and clock speed
• Memory usage and fan speed
• Power draw monitoring
• Digital vibrance slider (placeholder for NVAPI integration)

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• PowerShell 5.1+ (included with Windows)
• DDC/CI Compatible Monitor — Most modern monitors support this; ensure it's enabled in your monitor's OSD settings
• NVIDIA GPU (optional) — For GPU monitoring tab

Installation

Option 1: Direct Download

1. Download MonitorControlPro.ps1
2. Right-click and select "Run with PowerShell"

Option 2: From PowerShell

# Download and run
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/YOUR_USERNAME/MonitorControlPro/main/MonitorControlPro.ps1 -OutFile MonitorControlPro.ps1
.\MonitorControlPro.ps1

Option 3: Create a Shortcut

# Create a desktop shortcut
$WshShell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$Shortcut = $WshShell.CreateShortcut("$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\MonitorControl Pro.lnk")
$Shortcut.TargetPath = "powershell.exe"
$Shortcut.Arguments = "-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -WindowStyle Hidden -File `"$PWD\MonitorControlPro.ps1`""
$Shortcut.IconLocation = "imageres.dll,109"
$Shortcut.Save()

Usage

Basic Usage

.\MonitorControlPro.ps1

Command-Line Parameters

# Start minimized (useful for startup)
.\MonitorControlPro.ps1 -StartMinimized

# Load a specific profile on launch
.\MonitorControlPro.ps1 -LoadProfile "Gaming"

# Combined
.\MonitorControlPro.ps1 -StartMinimized -LoadProfile "Night Mode"

Keyboard Navigation

• Click on monitor rectangles to select different displays
• Use Tab to navigate between controls
• Slider values update in real-time

VCP Code Reference

The VCP Explorer tab allows you to query and set any DDC/CI VCP code. Common codes:

Code	Name	Range	Description
0x10	Brightness	0-100	Display brightness level
0x12	Contrast	0-100	Display contrast level
0x14	Color Preset	varies	Color temperature preset
0x16	Red Gain	0-100	Red channel gain
0x18	Green Gain	0-100	Green channel gain
0x1A	Blue Gain	0-100	Blue channel gain
0x60	Input Source	varies	Active input selection
0x62	Volume	0-100	Speaker volume (if available)
0x87	Sharpness	0-100	Image sharpness
0x8D	Audio Mute	1/2	Mute speakers
0xD6	Power Mode	1-5	Power state control
0x04	Factory Reset	1	Reset all settings
0x08	Color Reset	1	Reset color settings only

Input Source Values

Value	Input
0x01	VGA
0x03	DVI
0x0F	DisplayPort 1
0x10	DisplayPort 2
0x11	HDMI 1
0x12	HDMI 2
0x13	USB-C

Power Mode Values

Value	State
0x01	On
0x02	Standby
0x04	Off

Profiles

Profiles are saved as JSON files in %APPDATA%\MonitorControlPro\

Profile Contents

{
  "Name": "Gaming",
  "Brightness": 80,
  "Contrast": 70,
  "Red": 50,
  "Green": 50,
  "Blue": 50,
  "Gamma": 100,
  "GammaRed": 100,
  "GammaGreen": 100,
  "GammaBlue": 100
}

Example Profiles

Night Mode — Reduced brightness and blue light

{
  "Name": "Night Mode",
  "Brightness": 35,
  "Contrast": 50,
  "Red": 50,
  "Green": 48,
  "Blue": 40,
  "Gamma": 100,
  "GammaRed": 100,
  "GammaGreen": 95,
  "GammaBlue": 80
}

Photography — Accurate colors for editing

{
  "Name": "Photography",
  "Brightness": 50,
  "Contrast": 50,
  "Red": 50,
  "Green": 50,
  "Blue": 50,
  "Gamma": 100,
  "GammaRed": 100,
  "GammaGreen": 100,
  "GammaBlue": 100
}

Troubleshooting

Monitor Not Detected

1. Enable DDC/CI — Check your monitor's OSD settings for DDC/CI option and ensure it's enabled
2. Check Cable — DDC/CI works best over DisplayPort and HDMI; some adapters don't pass through DDC/CI signals
3. Try Different Port — Some monitor ports may have DDC/CI disabled

Settings Not Applying

• Some monitors have a delay (~50ms per command)
• Certain VCP codes may not be supported by your specific monitor
• Use the VCP Scanner to discover which features your monitor actually supports

Laptop Display Not Working

Laptop integrated displays typically don't support DDC/CI. Use Windows brightness controls or WMI-based tools instead.

"No DDC/CI Monitor" Message

Your monitor either:

• Doesn't support DDC/CI
• Has DDC/CI disabled in OSD
• Is connected through an incompatible adapter/dock

Technical Details

APIs Used

• dxva2.dll — Windows DDC/CI implementation
  • GetPhysicalMonitorsFromHMONITOR
  • GetVCPFeatureAndVCPFeatureReply
  • SetVCPFeature
  • CapabilitiesRequestAndCapabilitiesReply
• gdi32.dll — Software gamma control
  • SetDeviceGammaRamp
• user32.dll — Monitor enumeration
  • EnumDisplayMonitors
  • GetMonitorInfo

Data Storage

• Profiles: %APPDATA%\MonitorControlPro\*.json
• No registry modifications
• No admin rights required

Inspiration & Credits

This project was inspired by and incorporates concepts from these excellent open-source projects:

• Twinkle Tray — System tray brightness control, time-based automation
• Monitorian — Clean WPF implementation, unison mode concept
• ControlMyMonitor — Comprehensive VCP exploration
• MonitorConfig — PowerShell DDC/CI module
• LightBulb — Gamma-based color temperature
• display-switch — Input source switching concepts

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Edit MonitorControlPro.ps1 in your preferred editor (VS Code with PowerShell extension recommended)
3. Test changes by running the script directly

Areas for Improvement

• System tray mode with persistent background operation
• Hotkey support for quick adjustments
• Multi-monitor profile linking
• AMD GPU monitoring support
• NVAPI integration for digital vibrance
• WMI fallback for laptop displays
• Scheduled profile switching
• Per-application profiles

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

Disclaimer

This software interacts with monitor hardware via DDC/CI protocol. While DDC/CI is a standard protocol and this software uses official Windows APIs, use at your own risk. The author is not responsible for any damage to monitors or other hardware.

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Made with PowerShell and WPF
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