Smart TV technician helping fix HDR color issues via SmartThings

Steve H.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Samsung Smart TV & SmartThings, HDR10/HDR10+, game consoles (Xbox/PS5), picture calibration, HDMI & ARC/eARC, Wi-Fi & smart home hubs

SmartThings Hub HDR wrong colors — washed out, too dark, or oversaturated picture

Technician avatar Technician
Hey! Let’s figure out why your SmartThings Hub shows wrong colors in HDR and get the picture looking normal again. A few details help a lot:
• Exact TV and year (Samsung QLED/OLED, Crystal UHD, The Frame, etc.)?
• Is HDR content coming from a console (Xbox/PS5), streaming box (Apple TV, Fire TV), or built-in apps (Netflix, Disney+, Prime)?
• What does “wrong colors” mean for you — HDR looks washed out, super dim, oversaturated neon, or strange skin tones?
• Are you using any SmartThings scenes or Automations that change Picture Mode, brightness, or Energy Saving on the TV?
Once we know how SmartThings, the TV and HDR source are connected, we can fix the HDR color space and tone mapping instead of guessing in menus for hours.
Customer
I’ve got a Samsung QLED from a couple of years ago and use the SmartThings Hub to run “Movie Night” scenes. Since one of the recent updates, HDR movies from Netflix and my Xbox look wrong: dark scenes are unreadable, bright parts are blown out and skin colors look kind of gray/orange. SDR looks okay. It only happens when HDR kicks in, so basically HDR looks washed out and weird whenever SmartThings switches my scene.
Technician avatar Technician
Thanks, that helps. Classic combo: SmartThings scene + HDR picture mode + TV update fighting each other.
A few things typically cause wrong colors in HDR on Samsung TVs:
• SmartThings scene forces a specific Picture Mode (like Dynamic or Standard) that isn’t tuned for HDR, so highlights blow out and shadows crush.
• The TV keeps separate settings for SDR and HDR per input. After an update, HDR profiles may have reset or defaulted to eco/energy-saving, making HDR too dark.
• The console or streaming box sends HDR in the wrong color space or range (limited vs full, wrong RGB/YCC), so colors look flat or cartoonish.

We’ll go in this order:
1) Check the TV’s HDR picture mode and basic adjustments.
2) Make sure SmartThings Hub isn’t forcing bad picture settings in your Movie Night scene.
3) Confirm your Xbox/Apple TV/other source has HDR calibrated correctly.
That usually fixes “SmartThings HDR looks washed out” without needing to reset everything.
Customer
In SmartThings I have a “Movie HDR” scene that turns lights off and sets the TV to Movie picture mode. Since the update, when HDR starts the image gets extra dim and sometimes almost greenish in dark parts. Menus from the Xbox look super bright but the game itself is too dark. That’s when I really notice SmartThings Hub HDR wrong colors.
Technician avatar Technician
Great, let’s stabilise the TV side first — if the base HDR picture is wrong, SmartThings will just keep re-applying the wrong look.
Step 1 — Check HDR picture mode directly on the TV
1) Play an HDR movie or game so the “HDR” or “HDR10+” logo appears on the TV.
2) On the Samsung remote go to Settings → All Settings → Picture.
3) Confirm Picture Mode is Movie or Filmmaker (for movies) or Game/Game HDR for console gaming, not Dynamic.
4) In Expert Settings, check that:
  • Contrast isn’t maxed to the point white details blow out.
  • Color Tone is Warm1/Warm2 rather than Cool (which can make HDR look blue/green).
  • Any Eco or Power Saving options are off; they often make HDR far too dark.

Once HDR looks reasonable using only the TV menus, we’ll teach SmartThings to call that profile instead of forcing something that breaks HDR color accuracy.
Customer
I checked: in HDR it’s using Movie mode, but when my “Movie HDR” scene runs, brightness drops and blacks get crushed. If I manually turn off Eco and reset the picture, it looks better, but the SmartThings scene turns the dim image back on next time.
Technician avatar Technician
Yep, that means the SmartThings Hub Automation is overwriting your HDR tweaks each time it runs.
Step 2 — Clean up the SmartThings “Movie HDR” scene
1) Open the SmartThings app → Automations/Scenes and edit your Movie HDR scene.
2) Under the TV actions, look for anything that sets Picture Mode, Brightness, Contrast, or Energy Saving. For now, keep only the power/source change and light dimming; remove picture tweaks so the TV can use its own HDR profile.
3) Save the scene, then with an HDR movie playing, manually choose the Picture Mode and Expert Settings you like on the TV itself.

Optional but useful: in Picture → Expert Settings → Color Space, leave it on Auto. If it is forced to “Native”, HDR can look oversaturated and strange with SmartThings scenes. This alone fixes many “SmartThings HDR oversaturated or neon colors” complaints.
Customer
Okay, I removed the extra picture actions from the scene. HDR looks better, but on Xbox HDR games are still either too dark or too bright compared to the dashboard. Is that still the TV or wrong HDR settings on the console?
Technician avatar Technician
Good question. When HDR looks fine in menus but wrong in games, it’s usually the console calibration, not SmartThings.
Step 3 — Re-run HDR calibration on the console
• On Xbox: Settings → General → TV & display options → Calibrate HDR for games. Follow the on-screen instructions, making sure you don’t crush blacks or blow out highlights in the test images.
• On PS5: Settings → Screen and Video → Video Output → Adjust HDR, and step through the three calibration screens until the logo is barely visible.
• Keep the console’s color format on Auto or YCC 4:2:0/4:2:2; forcing full RGB when the TV expects limited can produce washed-out HDR or strange gamma.

After this, your Samsung HDR10/HDR10+ picture should look consistent: darker than SDR but not muddy, with bright highlights that don’t look fake.
Customer
That helped for the Xbox. Netflix HDR from the built-in app still looks a bit dull compared to SDR. It’s not as crazy as before, but HDR movies through SmartThings scene still feel too flat.
Technician avatar Technician
Got it — now we fine-tune HDR on the TV and let SmartThings help instead of hurt.
Step 4 — Adjust HDR tone mapping on the TV
1) With HDR content playing from Netflix on the TV itself, go to Picture → Expert Settings.
2) Set Contrast Enhancer to Low or Off depending on taste; High can make HDR look fake or washed out.
3) Make sure Gamma/ST.2084 and Shadow Detail aren’t pushed too far negative (too dark) or positive (milky blacks). A small tweak can fix “HDR too dark on Samsung TV”.
4) Double-check that any Ambient/AI Brightness or Energy Saving feature is off while tuning, so the TV doesn’t keep dimming HDR.

Step 5 — Use SmartThings Smart Calibration (if available)
Some models support Smart Calibration in the SmartThings app. It measures your screen with your phone and adjusts color and HDR tone mapping automatically. Running that once can really clean up SmartThings Hub HDR color issues.
Customer
Makes sense. If I get everything looking good now, how do I stop SmartThings from messing it up after the next update? I don’t want HDR colors to go crazy again every time the hub or TV gets new firmware.
Technician avatar Technician
Totally fair. Once SmartThings HDR colors are fixed, we want them to stay fixed.
Prevention tips
• Keep SmartThings scenes focused on power, input and lights, not detailed picture tweaks. Let the TV’s HDR profile handle color and tone mapping.
• Create one “baseline” HDR setup per input: tune HDMI 1 for your console, HDMI 2 for streaming box, and internal apps once, then avoid constant big changes.
• After firmware updates, quickly check one HDR movie or game. If something looks off, run through Picture → Expert Settings before editing scenes again.
• If SmartThings adds new controls (like AI Energy Mode or extra picture toggles), don’t enable them inside scenes until you’ve tested how they affect HDR.
This way, a future update is less likely to dump you back into “SmartThings Hub wrong colors HDR” territory.
Customer
What if after all this, HDR still looks bad? At that point do I just turn HDR off, or is there anything else an expert can do remotely with SmartThings and my TV?
Technician avatar Technician
Good question. Worst case, you still have options before giving up on HDR entirely.
Step 6 — Reset HDR picture and update firmware
• On the TV, go to Settings → Picture → Expert Settings → Reset Picture to get rid of years of tweaks that might be breaking HDR.
• Check for the latest firmware on the TV and, if possible, update the SmartThings app and hub. Some HDR color bugs are fixed in newer software.

Step 7 — Decide per-device if HDR is worth it
• On some older or entry-level sets, HDR can be more trouble than it’s worth. For that device, you can set Apple TV/Xbox/PS5 back to 4K SDR and let only the best sources use HDR.
• In many cases, though, a proper reset + calibration + SmartThings cleanup makes HDR look great again.

If you’d like, we can hop into a live session, look at your exact TV model, SmartThings Hub setup and HDR sources together, and dial in picture settings without you having to guess.
Customer
After removing picture actions from the scene, recalibrating Xbox HDR and adjusting Movie mode like you said, HDR finally looks right. No more neon faces or super dark scenes when SmartThings runs my Movie Night. Colors look natural again. Thanks!
Technician avatar Technician
Summary: when a SmartThings Hub gives wrong colors in HDR, start by fixing the TV’s HDR picture mode and turning off eco dimming, then remove aggressive picture changes from SmartThings scenes and recalibrate HDR on your console or streaming box. Optional Smart Calibration in the SmartThings app can fine-tune color and tone mapping. If HDR is still off, a picture reset and firmware update usually do the trick. Not sure which setting is breaking your HDR? Open the chat and an expert will walk through it with you, step by step.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when SmartThings Hub shows wrong colors in HDR: first, play HDR content and set a proper HDR Picture Mode on the Samsung TV (Movie/Filmmaker/Game), turning off Eco and overly aggressive contrast enhancements. Next, remove picture adjustments from SmartThings scenes so they do not override HDR settings. Then recalibrate HDR on your console or streaming box and, if supported, run Smart Calibration through the SmartThings app. If colors are still off, reset picture settings and update firmware before considering disabling HDR on specific devices.

Main reasons SmartThings Hub HDR colors look wrong

Most SmartThings Hub wrong colors HDR problems come from a mismatch between what the TV expects and what SmartThings or your devices are sending. Samsung TVs keep separate profiles for SDR and HDR, and each HDMI input can have its own Picture Mode. When a firmware update or new scene forces modes like Dynamic or adds Eco dimming, HDR can look washed out, too dark or oversaturated. On top of that, consoles and streaming boxes have their own HDR calibration and color space options; if these are set incorrectly, skin tones will look off and highlights may clip, even if the basic SmartThings scene seems fine.

How to test if SmartThings HDR colors are really fixed

After you adjust the TV, SmartThings scenes and any consoles, test with a few different HDR titles. Play a dark HDR movie, a bright HDR clip and an SDR show, and confirm that HDR colors on your Samsung TV look richer but still natural, without glowing faces or crushed shadows. Switch SmartThings scenes on and off and watch for sudden changes in brightness or color temperature. If the picture stays consistent and HDR no longer looks flat or cartoonish, your SmartThings Hub HDR calibration is in good shape. If one input still looks wrong, focus on that specific device instead of redoing everything.

SmartThings Hub HDR wrong colors — quick troubleshooting tips

Most cases are fixed by cleaning up picture modes, scenes and HDR calibration.

Quick path: with HDR content playing, set an appropriate Picture Mode on the TV, disable Eco and extreme contrast enhancements, and leave Color Space on Auto. In SmartThings, remove picture adjustments from scenes so they do not override your HDR profile. Re-run HDR calibration on your Xbox, PS5 or Apple TV to match the TV’s capabilities. If HDR still looks off, reset picture settings and update firmware, then decide per device whether HDR or 4K SDR looks better in your room.

Disclaimer: This information is AI-generated and intended for general guidance only. For advice specific to your Samsung TV model, SmartThings Hub configuration, and HDR sources, please consult a verified expert on Whizz-Tech before making decisions.

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FAQ

Why do HDR colors look washed out or too dark with SmartThings Hub?

Usually because SmartThings scenes, TV picture modes and HDR device settings do not match. A scene might force the wrong mode or enable Eco dimming, while the console sends HDR with the wrong calibration. Fixing the TV’s HDR profile and simplifying scenes normally clears up the SmartThings Hub wrong colors HDR issue.

Should I let SmartThings change my TV picture mode for HDR?

You can, but it is safer to keep SmartThings actions simple. Let the TV handle HDR picture mode and tone mapping, and use SmartThings mainly for power, input and lighting. If a scene forces Dynamic or custom settings, HDR can look artificial or washed out after updates.

How do I get more natural HDR colors on my Samsung TV?

Play HDR content, switch to Movie, Filmmaker or Game mode, and in Expert Settings turn off heavy Eco dimming and extreme contrast enhancements. Leave Color Space on Auto, then recalibrate HDR on your console or streaming box. If things are badly off, reset picture settings and start from a clean slate.

When should I reset picture settings or disable HDR?

If multiple apps and devices all show wrong HDR colors even after calibration, a full picture reset plus firmware update is a good next step. If your particular TV still cannot produce satisfying HDR, it is fine to keep certain sources in 4K SDR instead of forcing HDR all the time.

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