sRGB Color Gamut Clamp and Modern Standby Assist

[ModrnJosh]

Hey there, as you might know, 2023 Asus ROG laptops now have an sRGB color gamut clamp (in GameVisual) which is extremely useful for creators not working in color-managed applications, or just people who don't like the wide-color-gamut look in Windows, so that you can more accurately reproduce sRGB.

Another new feature in 2023 Asus laptops is Modern Standby Assistant. This one I'm not sure how Asus makes it work, but basically it fixes the Modern Standby issue in which many laptops suffer from waking up, overheating, or running fans when they're supposed to be sleeping.

Would love if there were a way to implement/toggle these features in G-Helper! I would be happy to volunteer in pulling any code/ACPI stuff or whatever to assist as I have a 2023 Zephyrus G14.

[seerge]

@ModrnJosh Hello,

I know about sRGB, but don't know exactly how it does this.

1. Can you check if your system has a separate sRGB color profile somewhere either in windows "Color Management" utility, or under C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color ?
2. There is a standalone app from Asus that can also switch profiles, can you check if in your case it sees sRGB ? (on G14 2022 it doesn't)
3. It could be that sRGB can be turned somehow on "hardware" level (same as you would do it with external monitor onscreen menu). Then it would be some new endpoint in driver / bios. Can you do a dump like @vddCore explained here Endpoint discovery for different laptop models #38 (comment) and upload it here ?

As for Standby Assistant, what Asus says - that it puts laptop into hibernation after some time of a regular sleep:
https://kmpic.asus.com/images/2023/01/05/3259ce3f-bf25-48c6-b126-083d4025adc0.png

If that's the only thing it does, then it's just a setting inside windows power plan

By default (even on G14 2022) that "feature" in power plan is ON. So laptop would hibernate in 2-3 hours of sleep. I can theoretically add it as extra "checkbox" somewhere in the app, but not sure if turning it OFF will benefit people :)

[ModrnJosh]

Ok cool, so I'm attaching some screenshots to better assist here. I did try the standalone GameVisual app and unfortunately it did not have this feature. It looks like when you change the color profile in Armoury Crate that the ICC profile magically appears at the top of that folder, and it also appears in Windows Color Management. However when you switch to a different color profile, the old one is now gone and only the new one that you've selected is visible in that folder and in Color Management. You cannot select it within Windows display settings either, it just shows up there only after it's been selected in Armoury Crate:

The one at the top is the currently selected gamut clamp in Armoury Crate:

After selecting "P3" color gamut:

It makes it the default:

I'm also uploading the dsdt file here, let me know if that helps
dsdt.zip

[seerge]

@ModrnJosh oke, thanks! Do you mind to share that sRGB color profile with me here ?

And it looks like it should be some hardware sRGB switch somewhere, similar to one for multizone miniled. I checked your dsdt dump, but I don't see anything that would scream to be sRGB switch out of the box.

However I have noticed 2 new endpoints (comparing to 2022 model) that I'm curios to check 0x0012007E and 0x0012007F. It's absolutely not necessarily that they are related to display at all just in case.

If ((IIA0 == 0x0012007E))
{
    Local0 = (IIA1 + 0x000A0000)
    ^^PCI0.SBRG.MDSA = Local0
    ^^PCI0.SBRG.MDSE = IIA2 /* \_SB_.ATKD.WMNB.IIA2 */
    Return (One)
}

If ((IIA0 == 0x0012007F))
{
    ^^PCI0.SBRG.MS02 (IIA0, IIA1)
    Return (One)
}

If you feel adventurous, on your own risk you can try to run following in powershell as admin (try to set Device_ID to 0x0012007E or to 0x0012007F and Control_status to 0 or 1 and see if it changes something in the system)

Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007F; Control_status=1}

Generally speaking things like power limits or performance modes (that are set in similar way) reset after simple reboot, but anyway it's up to you to try or not :)

[AudreyAP]

My M16 2023 also has the SRGB/P3 etc options. Please let me know if I can provide anything to help figure out how this works.

@ModrnJosh Do you have any .icm files in your esupport folder? I have a folder called "ArmouryCrate ICM Config" but it is empty.

[AudreyAP]

As instructed above, here's my DSDT.DSL file:

M16 2023 DSDT.zip

[seerge]

@AudreyAP thanks, you also have those 0x0012007E + 0x0012007F endpoints. So you may also try command i linked in previous message if you want :)

[AudreyAP]

@seerge Cool!

Is there any way to make a "backup" of the current endpoint setting? Brand new laptop, would like to avoid experimenting without having a backup if possible haha.

[seerge]

@AudreyAP most of the settings (probably except turned off/on GPU) are being reset on reboot. So they are not stored permanently :)

In a worst case - you can do a hard reset but turning laptop off, then pressing and holding power button for 30 seconds and booting normally. It doesn't touch any data, just reset all "hardware" things (just in case this helps if your wifi has hanged and disappeared as it sometimes happens with mediatek cards)

[AudreyAP]

@seerge Ran command in PowerShell as admin:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007F; Control_status=1}

result ReturnValue PSComputerName
------ ----------- --------------
     1        True


PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007F; Control_status=0}

result ReturnValue PSComputerName
------ ----------- --------------
     1        True


PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007E; Control_status=1}
Invoke-CimMethod : Generic failure
At line:1 char:1
+ Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName Asus ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (AsusAtkWmi_WMNB...PNP0C14\ATK_0"):CimInstance) [Invoke-CimMethod], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : HRESULT 0x80041001,Microsoft.Management.Infrastructure.CimCmdlets.InvokeCimMethodCommand

PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007E; Control_status=0}
Invoke-CimMethod : Generic failure
At line:1 char:1
+ Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName Asus ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (AsusAtkWmi_WMNB...PNP0C14\ATK_0"):CimInstance) [Invoke-CimMethod], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : HRESULT 0x80041001,Microsoft.Management.Infrastructure.CimCmdlets.InvokeCimMethodCommand
```PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007F; Control_status=1}

result ReturnValue PSComputerName
------ ----------- --------------
     1        True


PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007F; Control_status=0}

result ReturnValue PSComputerName
------ ----------- --------------
     1        True


PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007E; Control_status=1}
Invoke-CimMethod : Generic failure
At line:1 char:1
+ Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName Asus ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (AsusAtkWmi_WMNB...PNP0C14\ATK_0"):CimInstance) [Invoke-CimMethod], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : HRESULT 0x80041001,Microsoft.Management.Infrastructure.CimCmdlets.InvokeCimMethodCommand

PS C:\Windows\system32> Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName AsusAtkWmi_WMNB) -MethodName DEVS -Arguments @{Device_ID=0x0012007E; Control_status=0}
Invoke-CimMethod : Generic failure
At line:1 char:1
+ Invoke-CimMethod (Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/wmi -ClassName Asus ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (AsusAtkWmi_WMNB...PNP0C14\ATK_0"):CimInstance) [Invoke-CimMethod], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : HRESULT 0x80041001,Microsoft.Management.Infrastructure.CimCmdlets.InvokeCimMethodCommand

There was no visible change in the display, unfortunately.

[seerge]

@AudreyAP oke, thanks for trying. Probably it's something else (mb new power limit ? :)

Well, then for now, it's a bit difficult for me to (remotely and blindly) figure out how does sRGB switch works to be honest.

Mb just save that sRGB color profile somewhere, and try to force / import it again in color management tool ? :/

[AudreyAP]

This may not actually be necessary:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/auto-color-management-in-windows-11-64a4de7f-9c93-43ec-bdf1-3b12ffa0870b

This is a new feature, currently in the "beta" or whatever channel Microsoft calls it - this should completely remove the need for profile switching.

This repo seems to have a tool to get it working:

https://github.com/dantmnf/MHC2

We should get this feature in the next big Windows update though?

EDIT: I figured it out. The second link is unrelated to the first. The second link is for MHC, a separate but useful feature that seems to be what ASUS is using here. Nothing is being done in hardware, they simply have a couple different profiles that they load and that MHC manages.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/wcs/display-calibration-mhc

[AudreyAP]

@seerge Would you be at all interested in adding a mechanism to simply load different files into windows color management? The solution here seems to be switching between display modes w/ AC, copying the profiles out, then simply re-applying them after disabling AC.

(EDIT: Profiles are stored in C:\ProgramData\ASUS\GameVisual! No need to switch in AC This profile does not work, but profiles copied from C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color after AC loads them work. I just copied it to my desktop, then added the file to color management. Colors change to match SRGB or P3 when switching it in the Windows display settings. AC seems to be dynamically generating these clamped files based on the input device profile?

)

Users could also use https://github.com/dantmnf/MHC2 to generate their own profiles if they have a colorimeter.

In my opinion, the best way to do this would be to add a (default hidden?) second row of buttons below the display refresh rate settings, allow users to enter a "title" for each button, and enter a path to an .icm file for each button. G-Helper simply then needs to use the windows API to load the .ICM file when a button is clicked, just like asus does.

One thing to consider is that you might need to re-apply the profile when switching between igpu and dgpu - ie if a user has selected one profile in dgpu mode, then switched to eco, then changed profiles, when they switch back to dgpu the dgpu "display" would have the first profile selected instead of the second.

You can just do this in windows with the default profile switcher, but opening up the menus is a pain in the butt and would not account for GPU switching. Would be really cool if you could implement it :)

[ModrnJosh]

@AudreyAP Great work looking into all of this! I can confirm that my ArmouryCrate ICM Config folder is also empty. But yeah reading into all that it seems to be what's happening here. If it's on the software-level like that then I hope it can be something that is implemented into G-Helper! Anything would be better than switching in Windows every time. Even opening Armoury Crate and switching there can be a bit tedious, but the feature itself is super useful.

[AudreyAP]

@ModrnJosh the setup process seems to erase some of the eSupport folder... I think I'm going to try to do a cloud recovery, then force shutdown the machine before it can actually unpack anything. That should give me the full esupport download with all of the raw files that Asus seems to delete after installation.

I'm just glad that Microsoft has finally done something about the atrocious color management system... It's unbelievable that it's taken this long!