PS4 Pro Troubleshooting: How To Display 4K HDR On An LG TV

LG was one of the many TV manufacturers that had trouble displaying a 4K image in HDR from the PS4 Pro when the Pro launched late last year. By the end of November LG was talking about a firmware update to solve the problem so I was surprised when the PS4 Pro told me the LG OLED 65BP6 I bought in mid-June wasn’t capable of displaying a 4K HDR image. With the HDMI channel on the TV set to the HDR mode, all I got was sound and a black screen from the Pro. Here’s how to solve the problem for anyone else who has it.

First, set up the LG TV to display HDR. Go to Setup>General>HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color and set the HDMI port that receives input from the PS4 Pro to On. If the screen is black, go to Settings>Sound and Screen>Video Output Settings>Video Output Information on the PS4 Pro. You should see something similar to the following.

What to check first

Every link in the video chain has to support 4K HDR to get a 4K HDR image on the screen. If the PS4 Pro is connected directly to the TV, this means the PS4, the TV and the cable that connects them; if there’s an A/V receiver or processor in the chain, add the receiver/processor and its input and output cables to the list.

The first thing to do is make sure every component in the chain is running the current version. For the Pro, go to Settings>System Software Update to check and update if necessary. For the LG TV it’s Settings>General>Check for updates. If you have an A/V receiver, consult the manual.

Your cables are probably good but it doesn’t hurt to make sure. In theory, any HDMI cable purchased after 2009 should be capable of passing a 4K HDR signal. In practice, this may not always be case. This article will tell you what you need to know about HDMI cables and 4K HDR.

If your components are running the current versions and your cables are good, you’ve arrived at the probable source of the problem – HDCP 2.2. HDCP is a copy protection protocol for high-bandwidth digital content that encrypts data passed from the source (the PS4 Pro) to the next link in the chain (the TV or A/V receiver). Both the Pro and the LG OLED 65BP6 support HDCP 2.2 but the handshake between the two is the problem.

There’s a way to fix this, which I’ll get to in a moment, but first you need to make sure the HDMI ports on your TV (and your A/V receiver if you’re using one) are HDCP 2.2 enabled. Some TVs and A/V receivers only support HDCP 2.2 on some of their HDMI ports. All of the ports on the LG OLED 65BP6 support HDCP 2.2 but this may not be true for all LG screens. Check the manual for your screen (and A/V receiver) to make sure the ports you’re using support HDCP 2.2.

How to fix the problem

Solving the problem is a two-stage process.

Stage 1. First you have to boot the Pro into safe mode. Do this by turning the system off and then holding down the power button until you hear two beeps. The first beep will sound immediately, the second after 7 to 10 seconds. Connect a Dualshock 4 controller directly to the Pro with the supplied USB cable and press the PS button to enter safe mode. Go to Set HDCP Mode and check HDCP 1.4 only. Click OK on the next screen and the Pro will restart in normal mode.

Stage 2. When you’re in normal mode, go to Systems>Settings and uncheck Enable HDCP. Go to Settings>Sound and Screen>Video Output Settings and set Resolution to 2160 – RGB. RGB Range, HDR and Deep Color Output should be set to Automatic; if they’re not, set them.

While you’re in Video Output Settings, click Video Output Information and you should see the following.

That’s it, you’re good to go. The PS4 Pro should now pass 4K HDR to the LG screen. If it's working, a small “HDR” tag will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the screen for a few seconds when a game launches.