How do I force RGB color mode for my display (instead of YCbCr)?

[firko-learnin]

With the new option to convert displays to HiDPI without mirroring would it be possible add an option to force an RGB color space?

Certain monitors default to YPbPr resulting in blurry text and inaccurate colors, the current workaround for this is:
https://gist.github.com/GetVladimir/c89a26df1806001543bef4c8d90cc2f8

It seems pretty hit and miss at times however, especially when using multiple monitors and trying to identify the correct monitor to change (and persisting the change on restart).

---

UPDATE: The v3.x version of the app has a Color Mode selector menu that lets you change color mode easily on the fly on Apple Silicon Macs. No special hack required.

[waydabber]

Yes, I was aware of the issue as I had to use this workaround with my other LG display on earlier Monterey versions and also wrote a quick tutorial about it on macrumors back in the day - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-m1-and-lg-27uk850-w-washed-out-colors.2270452/post-30262233

I guess I could add a feature to automate this. I honestly thought this is not a problem anymore but apparently it is.

[ExtinctPatronageDeodorize]

I can confirm this is very much still a problem on M1 macbook, USB-C <-> DisplayPort cable and a certain 1440p LG monitor.

[ajkuftic]

This is definitely still an issue on the M1 Pro as well through both the built in HDMI port and a USB-C -> HDMI adapter.

[hyperknot]

There are now some scripts based on GetVladimir's work, can you have a look? This would definitely be a feature I'd be willing to pay for.

[waydabber]

Certainly, the feature can be added to the app (it's simple property list processing/editing, should be straightforward to do in Swift). I am planning to implement it, but want to finish all the DDC stuff first. Sorry about the rather slow progress. 😮‍💨

[hyperknot]

That's great to hear. FYI, there is a 30 page thread about RGB mode on MacRumors forum, I guess you'd have a lot of customers if this becomes a 1-click story.

[ajkuftic]

Certainly, the feature can be added to the app (it's simple property list processing/editing, should be straightforward to do in Swift). I am planning to implement it, but want to finish all the DDC stuff first. Sorry about the rather slow progress. 😮‍💨

You're doing great. Keep up the great work!

[PaemaHare]

I also still have this issue with my M1 Mac mini and Dell U3014 with USBC to miniDP cable

[Ezzahhh]

Just a quick question regarding this. If I have configuration override enabled for a monitor and I do the RGB fix manually in the plist file, I have found that when my machine goes to sleep and then wakes up the RGB setting is lost. Is this to do with the override or some other setting that is removing the RGB?

[waydabber]

The override should not affect his. It might be that a different layout is activated for some reason upon wake. Did you apply the RGB settings to all relevant entries in the plist file? You can also try doing it all over again (delete all plist files and set up a new one). If you have a notebook, you'll need to create a layout both for clamshell and non-clamshell mode and apply the forced RGB settings to both.

[law94air]

I used the sudowork m1 fix rgb script...It works on monterrey on my macmini m1 and lg c1 but when I choose hdr in display options to watch hdr content I can't go back to rgb mode without running the script again and rebooting....is there a way to automate switching between the two modes?

[waydabber]

@law94air - honestly I don't know, I'll spend some more time on this in the future, but it's just not an area I am working on. Upon switching to HDR it seems like the display layout is changed and the data in the config file is overwritten.

btw, you can get the supported modes (how macOS interprets the EDID and how it sets up color encodings) in the IO Registry tree. Run the following command in Terminal:

ioreg -r -t -c AppleCLCD2 | grep TimingElements > timings.txt

if you open the timings.txt created, you'll see what is the Pixel Encoding, EOTF, color depth data and other info for each interpreted mode.

[law94air]

@law94air - honestly I don't know, I'll spend some more time on this in the future, but it's just not an area I am working on. Upon switching to HDR it seems like the display layout is changed and the data in the config file is overwritten.

btw, you can get the supported modes (how macOS interprets the EDID and how it sets up color encodings) in the IO Registry tree. Run the following command in Terminal:

ioreg -r -t -c AppleCLCD2 | grep TimingElements > timings.txt

if you open the timings.txt created, you'll see what is the Pixel Encoding, EOTF, color depth data and other info for each interpreted mode.

Great thank you..
Will try out the commands

[waydabber]

I am not sure I'll add this feature but a probably better solution is to simply disable YCrCb in the display's EDID so only RGB remains as an option:

You should be able to this:

1. Export the EDID via the app:

2. Edit and save the EDID binary with an EDID editor (like the free AW EDID Editor):

3. Upload and apply the altered EDID via the app:

I am not sure if this works (I don't currently have a display with the issue) but technically it should.

[nabossha]

finally a fix that permanently works on my DELL U4021Q connected via OWC Thunderbolt 3 Hub to an M1 13" MacBook using only USB-C!

[pawelad]

FWIW, this worked for me but it stopped HDR from working on Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, so I decided to revert.

[ivanovishado]

@waydabber Hi, this doesn't work anymore for me. Do I need the Pro version of BetterDisplay to apply the EDID?

[waydabber]

Yes, applying EDID needs pro.

[TFehrcodes]

I was hopeful that this would work for my M1 pro Macbook Pro 2021 14-inch connected to a Dell 27-inch 1440p monitor, but it did not :/ Regardless, thank you for your work!

[superluminal300]

When a LG C2 OLED is connected via HDMI 2.1 to a M2 Pro MBP, I am unable to toggle "YCrCb 4:4:4" to "Off" as the field is showing as "On" but greyed out within AW EDID Editor. Does anyone know how to work around it?

[waydabber]

All right, I added an enhancement for this, I'll give it some focus in an upcoming release. It would be nice to have the option to force RGB, do the HDMI->DP switch hack and the ability to add custom resolutions via DisplayID extensions easily in-app as these are probably the most common use cases for EDID overrides.

#1504

[YoungWolf3]

Great, I also purchased the app for Force RGB, and I am so happy it will be in the next version of the app! Thank you @waydabber for providing us with this incredible app!

[waydabber]

I plan to add it in an upcoming version of the app (when I get there), not necessarily the next. :) I am lagging behind with all the things that should be done (so many requests lol...) and interpreting + modifying the EDID will require a considerable effort to do right, so be patient. :) Meanwhile you can use the current method (which works great) that involves an external EDID editor. :)

[YoungWolf3]

Sounds great, thank you!

[a1liz]

It works, thank you so much!

[szferakarcolo]

Hey,

Is there a way to check which mode the monitor currently running?
The monitor itself does not indicate this unfortunately.

Thanks.

[waydabber]

Sadly I do not know of a foolproof method to detect how it runs currently on Apple Silicon. This needs more investigating though. But generally if you don't have any issues with how colors look like on your monitor, you should not be concerned about this - most displays render YCbCr to look totally ok. The main issue is YCbCr 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 but that will have obvious color issues. Switching to RGB is mostly relevant for displays which show YCbCr encoded video washed out or discolored due to a substandard color decoder (of course it might be relevant for purists as well, no matter what).

[Alvin-Junyi]

For those who still failed to have RGB output on their monitor after trying the method mentioned above, perhaps try this:

In addition to the previous settings, go to CEA extension-HDMI 1.4b vendor specific, disable "supports YCbCr 4:4:4 in deep color modes"
I tried this and solved the issue.
My setup:
Monitor: Dell AW2723DF
Macbook Air M2
Ugreen typec hub with HDMI 2.0 port (model 60383)
One problem with this workaround is that the HDR is no longer available. I am still looking for solutions before the force rgb function is officially built in BD.

[waydabber]

Thank you @Alvin-Junyi for adding this important finding!

[BufferError]

Thanks, this is what got it working for me also! (Dell SE3223Q)

[silviu-bucsa]

The solutions above worked for my setup as well:
M1 Max
Dell S2721DGF connected via HDMI - to - USB-C

[dndrlsnn]

This helped me a lot with my Acer X38S via HDMI to Macbook Pro M1

But does anyone know why after i edited the EDID (only dechecked in Header), i only have a maximum of 60hz refreshrate instead of 85hz which was the maximum before editing ?

[jaw3000]

I have this issue as well with a MacBook Air M1, Anker USB-C hub for HDMI, and an LG monitor on Ventura. This has always been a problem, and still is. The display output looks awful, and the hacks to try and get it to work properly have just not been worth it as they keep resetting and MacOS inevitably breaks things further on updates. This has never gotten any better. Interestingly, I was recently using a M2 Max MacBook Pro connected to the same display via its built-in HDMI connection, and it defaulted without issue to RGB color. No problem. It doesn't work however on an M1 Max MacBook Pro via the built-in HDMI (same as the MacBook Air M1 over USB-C). I'm not sure if this problem is fixed with the M2 models or not, but I was happily surprised to find it worked on the M2 Max by default.

Would there be anyway for BetterDisplay to indicate what color space is currently being used? YCrCb looks horrible, but I'm often not sure if the hacks to force RGB are even working (including the EDID hack). Maybe it looks a little better, but I'm not sure. DisplayPort generally looks the best no matter what, and has none of these issues.

[scottlaird]

FWIW, I have a M2 Max MBP (Ventura) with a Samsung QN700B 8k TV connected over HDMI 2.1, and it defaults to subsampled Y*, not RGB. This makes text almost unreadable. Forcing RGB via plist editing mostly works, but it drops back to YCrCb when reconnecting sometimes, as others have noted. Editing the EDID with the Analog Way editor seems to have dropped 8k support, which isn't exactly ideal.

It looks like disconnecting/reconnecting will eventually end up in RGB again, but being able to even see what is happening with the M2 would be great, and having an easy way to force RGB would be wonderful.

[dave-fl]

@waydabber Is there a mechanism to determine what colorspace is being used?

[waydabber]

Nothing scientific, you can try some test patterns that should make the difference more obvious. But RGB and YCbCr 444 should look the same. Some displays have an OSD option to check.

[RYJASM]

If you're on an LG OLED you can tap the green shortcut button a bunch of times and it'll pop up an overlay with the display mode.

[DavidSanan]

Hi, I tried this in my ACER EB321HQU but something seems to go wrong.

I can disable the YCrCb modes in both Feature Support and Header Option.

But after I upload the new EDID into Better Monitor (latest version 2) and apply the new EDID, the default resolution is 1080p (the resolution for this monitor is 1440p), while having the same problem as before (according to a discussion opened and help from @waydabber (thanks man!) this solution could fix my problem, potentially chroma subsampling ). I tried adding it manually in CEA Extension Video Data UHDTV 2160p (16:0) 60Hz, which seems to match the native resolution of the monitor, Better Display shows it but as Unavailable.

Anybody knows how I could solve this? Thanks!

[marc-chiesa]

Similar problem on my LG DualUp. Color actually looks ok, but I can only get up to 1080p which is not exactly a great match for the monitor’s true aspect ratio 😅

[dave-fl]

If you have access to a windows machine I recommend using custom resolution utility. I found it gave me better control over EDID generation and the EDIDs it created were compatible with Mac.

For Dual Up you can put the LG into Debug mode and see exactly what is going on with respect to Color Mode.

What I noticed with Mac’s non RGB mode is that it essentially runs like 6 bit color reducing the overall bandwidth of your monitor so that you can achieve a higher refresh rate.

I have a 5k monitor and a dual up and in order to run my 5k@72Hz I had to reduce the refresh rate of my Dual Up to 45Hz when running in RGB mode. Alternatively I could use a Non RGB mode running at a hair below 60Hz Eg 59.5Hz.

[SystemFuchs]

Hi there, fighting with my MBP 15" M2 Max, MacOS Sonoma and my Dell U4021QW. The monitor is directly (no hub) connected through Thunderbolt (already tested different cables). Always uses Y*** color mode at 5120x2160/60Hz. When I turn down to 5120x2160/30Hz RGB color mode is used.

Tested the monitor with Windows 11 & 5120x2160/60hz RGB is no problem.

Used AW Edid Editor & disabled Y*** color modes at both location, no luck. When I load the modded EDID file, there is no more possibility to chose 60Hz refresh rate and at 5120x2160 only 30Hz are possible. Already tried a EDID file, which was generated through CRU under windows but got no luck, same result. Any suggestions?

[steeve]

On some monitors, such as the Dell U4021QW, one needs to turns off additional settings:

It does enable RGB, however only in 30hz (over Thunderbolt).

[SystemFuchs]

What seems to help my with my U4021QW is to install the Dell Color Management App on my Mac.
Since then, it is possible to use the Display with 60Hz/RGB

[DarthZurath]

Was "force RGB" feature added? If not, is there still plans to add it? Thanks.

[waydabber]

Yes, I plan to add EDID related features like this in a future update, it's just that for the current v2.3.x releases I mostly focus on display groups and related features (syncing, layout protection, UI scale matching etc). The related issue is on the planned enhancements list.

[DarthZurath]

Nice. Thanks for reply!

[nevrending]

On Dell AW3225QF on HDMI to Macbook Pro M2 Pro, steps I did to force RGB:

1. EDID Base > Version & Revision - change Version to 4, select Yes on the prompt

2. EDID Base > Feature Support - turn OFF "YCrCb 4:4:4"

3. CEA Extension > Monitor Support - turn OFF "YCrCb 4:4:4" and "YCrCb 4:2:2"

4. CEA Extension > HDMI 1.4b Vendor Specific - turn OFF "Supports YCbCr 4:4:4 in Deep Color modes"

5. CEA Extension - DELETE (click on the X) "YCbCr 4:2:0 Capability Map"

Hope this helps!
I have tried combinations of the suggestions in this discussion but still unable to get RGB color space enabled until I did the above.
Please share if anyone found any other solution with less changes.
Note: if colour appears washed out, try enabling HDR (I use "DisplayHDR True Black")

[Anaphylaxis]

Is there a way to disable RGB 4:4:4 and force YCbCr 4:4:4?

[nevrending]

@Anaphylaxis sorry just saw your comment. I'm not too sure about that. Can't seem to find a way to enable toggling RBG 4:4:4

[waydabber]

Just want to note that for the next app version I'll be adding some commands to programmatically change the following (on Apple Silicon Macs with natively connected external displays):

• YCbCr vs RGB
• Chroma subsampling
• Limited and full range (HDMI)
• Connection bit depth (8bpc, 10bpc, 12bpc etc)

Here is how to use it: #3229 (comment)

Note: with this method you don't need configuration editing or EDID override at all. I plan to add perhaps an UI for it as well.

I also added a section under Display Information... so you can easily check the current (and preferred) connection mode.

[waydabber]

Also added a proper menu for this:

[RYJASM]

Now this is why we're here makes popcorn

[waydabber]

This is how the color mode selector looks like on the v3.x version. The app lists the supported color modes (parsed by the system based on the EDID) and lets you switch to an other one.

The OS normally uses various factors to decide the preferred mode (you can query that using betterdisplaycli) but sometimes that is not the right answer as we all know.

[waydabber]

• added configuration protection for color modes so if the OS changes it, the app changes it back to the protected setting (if available).

[waydabber]

The v3.x.x release is now available for testing. https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/releases