Washed-out or too-dark HDR when streaming with Moonlight and Sunshine
Short answer: A washed-out or overexposed picture usually means HDR is on in Windows but the stream is SDR, because HDR isn’t enabled in Moonlight or the client doesn’t support it. Turn on “Enable HDR” (Apple TV: “Request HDR Video”), check that every device in the chain meets the HDR requirements, then calibrate by streaming the Windows HDR Calibration app to the TV. SDR on both ends is a fine fallback.
Checked October 30, 2026 against Moonlight PC v6.2.0 and Sunshine v2026.914.233613 (latest stable releases) and their documentation. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
1. Make the stream actually HDR
Sunshine’s docs say HDR must be turned on in the host OS and in Moonlight. If only the host is in HDR, the stream is SDR and probably overexposed. That is the classic washed-out look.
- Moonlight PC: turn on “Enable HDR”.
- Apple TV: turn on “Request HDR Video” under Video Options.
- If the option is greyed out or missing, Moonlight’s docs say an HDR requirement isn’t met.
2. Check the requirements
| Part | What’s needed |
|---|---|
| Host | Windows (Sunshine HDR is officially supported on Windows and experimental on Linux), with an NVIDIA, AMD or Intel GPU that can encode HEVC Main 10 (Sunshine also lists AV1 10-bit). |
| Host display | HDR turned on in Windows. That may need an HDR-capable monitor or an EDID emulator dongle connected to the host. |
| Apple TV client | tvOS 11.3 or later and a TV that supports HDR10. |
| Other clients | An HDR10-capable display. Moonlight’s guide lists the requirements for Android and Windows clients. |
| Linux host | KMS capture (NvFBC and X11 don’t support HDR) and an HDR compositor such as Gamescope or KDE Plasma 6. |
3. Known HDR quirks to try first
- If HDR is already on in Windows when the stream starts, Moonlight notes you may need to turn HDR off and back on for the stream to enter HDR mode properly.
- Virtual display with wrong HDR colours: on Windows, Sunshine’s
dd_wa_hdr_toggle_delayturns HDR off and on again automatically after a delay (about 500 ms is the recommended value). It is off by default and slows down stream start, so only use it if you have this problem. - A mismatch between stream resolution and host display resolution can cause scaling artifacts with HDR.
- Older games that use NVIDIA’s NVAPI HDR instead of native Windows HDR may not display properly.
4. Calibrate for the TV, not the monitor
HDR calibration can be very different between your PC monitor and your TV. Sunshine recommends streaming the Windows HDR Calibration app to the client and saving a calibration profile to use while streaming. You may also need to adjust a game’s own HDR brightness settings for the TV.
Apple TV: Apple’s Match Content settings (Settings › Video and Audio › Match Content) include Match Dynamic Range, which lets the Apple TV switch to the dynamic range of what’s playing instead of staying in one mode.
5. When SDR is the better choice
HDR streaming is still fiddly. Some GPU encoders give lower quality or performance in HDR, and the Apollo project’s README goes as far as calling HDR “generally not recommended” for any streaming setup right now. If you can’t get it right, turn HDR off on both the host and Moonlight and you get a correct SDR picture.
FAQ
Why does Moonlight look washed out when HDR is on in Windows?
The stream is probably SDR. Sunshine’s docs say that if HDR is on in the host but not enabled in Moonlight, the stream is SDR and likely overexposed. Enable HDR in Moonlight, or turn it off on the host.
Why is the HDR option greyed out in Moonlight?
One of the requirements isn’t met: the host GPU must encode 10-bit HEVC, the host needs HDR on (which may need an HDR display or EDID dongle), and the client and TV must support HDR10.
Do I need an HDR monitor on the PC to stream HDR?
You need HDR turned on in Windows, which may need an HDR-capable display or an EDID emulator dongle. A virtual display that supports HDR is another route on Windows.
Sources
- Sunshine docs: Getting Started (official Sunshine docs)
- Moonlight wiki: Additional requirements for HDR streaming (official Moonlight docs)
- Sunshine docs: Configuration (official Sunshine docs)
- Apple Support: Change video and audio settings on Apple TV (Match Content) (official Apple docs)
- Apollo README (virtual display, HDR notes) (project README)
- Moonlight PC source: settings screen (SettingsView.qml) (Moonlight source, master branch)
- Moonlight for Apple TV source: settings list (Root.plist) (Moonlight source, master branch)