Console HDMI and 4K TV Settings Explained
The console is usually configured correctly. The television is usually not, and one setting is buried under a strange name.
The short answer
A console that looks worse than expected on a 4K television is most often caused by the TV's HDMI port not being set to accept full-bandwidth signals, a setting hidden under names such as HDMI Enhanced Format, HDMI UHD Colour, or Input Signal Plus depending on manufacturer. Without it, the port silently limits itself and blocks 4K at 120Hz, HDR and VRR. Enabling it per port, then selecting game picture mode, resolves the majority of picture quality complaints.
Verified and last updated August 12, 2026.
- Time needed
- 12 min
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Read time
- 3 min
People buy a 4K console, connect it to a 4K television, and it looks worse than they expected. The console is almost always configured correctly.
The television is the problem, and specifically one setting that manufacturers have each decided to name differently.
The setting everyone misses
Samsung calls it Input Signal Plus. LG calls it HDMI Deep Colour. Sony calls it HDMI Enhanced Format. All are off by default, all must be enabled per port, and without it the port silently limits itself.
Step 1: Enable the full bandwidth setting on the HDMI port
Find it under its local name 4 minutes
Open the television's settings, find the external input or connection section, and look for a per-port option matching one of those names. Enable it for the port your console is plugged into. It must be set per port rather than globally, which is the second reason people miss it. The screen may flicker or the input briefly drop while it renegotiates.
Without this, the port negotiates a reduced signal. No 4K at 120Hz, no full HDR, no VRR, regardless of what the console is capable of sending.
Step 2: Use the right port and the right cable
Not every HDMI port on a television is equal. Many 4K sets provide full bandwidth on only one or two, with the rest limited. The manual says which.
The cable that came with the console is certified and fine. Expensive cables make no difference to a digital signal at normal lengths.
Step 3: Switch to game picture mode before calibrating
Game mode disables the post-processing that adds input lag. It also makes the picture look less immediately striking, which leads people to switch back to a cinematic mode and accept fifty milliseconds of delay without realising.
Do not do that. Stay in game mode and calibrate within it.
This ordering matters for HDR specifically: put the television into game mode first, then run the console's HDR calibration. Calibrating first and switching modes afterwards calibrates against settings you are not using. The PS5 settings guide covers where that calibration lives.
What works
What doesn't
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions
What is the full bandwidth HDMI setting called?
It depends entirely on the manufacturer, which is why it is so widely missed. Samsung calls it Input Signal Plus, LG calls it HDMI Deep Colour or Ultra HD Deep Colour, and Sony calls it HDMI Enhanced Format. All do the same thing: allow the port to accept the full signal rather than a reduced one, and all are off by default.
Do all HDMI ports on my TV support 120Hz?
Usually not. Many 4K televisions have only one or two ports with the full bandwidth needed for 4K at 120Hz, and the remaining ports are limited. The manual specifies which, and the ports are sometimes labelled. Plugging a console into the wrong port silently caps what it can output.
Do I need an expensive HDMI cable?
No, but you do need one certified for the bandwidth you want, and the cable included with the console is fine. Beyond certification, price makes no difference to a digital signal. Very long runs are the exception where quality genuinely matters, and even then certification rather than price is the thing to check.
Why does game mode look less impressive?
Because it disables the post-processing that makes television footage look striking, and that processing is what adds input lag. The trade is deliberate and correct for gaming. If it looks flat, the answer is calibrating within game mode rather than abandoning it for a mode that adds fifty milliseconds of delay.
About the author
PC Hardware & Performance Editor
Marcus has been building, breaking and repairing gaming PCs since 2011, first as a weekend favour for friends and then for eight years as a bench technician at an independent repair shop in Portland, where roughly a third of the job was diagnosing machines that "ran fine yesterday".
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