HDR on a Pioneer VSX-933

Terence Eden — Wed, 29 May 2024 11:34:49 +0000

I bloody hate hardware manufacturers. I wanted to use HDR on my PlayStation 5. The console supports it, my TV supports it, my amp supports it, my cables support it. Yet it wasn't working. I tried everything - updating firmware, replacing cables, and even reading the manual. Nothing.

And then I stumbled on the answer thanks to a random forum post.

Perform the following procedure when the unit is on.

While pressing DIMMER on the main unit, press AUTO/DIRECT to display the current setting on the display. While this is being displayed, while pressing DIMMER on the main unit, repeatedly press AUTO/DIRECT to switch the setting.

To exit the settings, release your finger. After a few seconds, the display goes out and the switching is complete.

Once the setting was changed to "Enhanced" HDR worked! But why isn't it in the manual? A bit of searching for the text finds a file called manual/sup/upd/hdmi_4k_pio.pdf .

So I assume that this is a supplement meant to update the original manual - it is mentioned as new functionality introduced after a firmware update. But why isn't it in the main manual?

If you visit the VSX-933 product page you can download the manual, but there's no mention of a supplement or an update. The original manual was released in 2018, and the supplement in 2019.

I wonder what other features this amp is hiding that Pioneer simply haven't bothered to tell anyone about?

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HDR on a Pioneer VSX-933