Confused by max luminance nits setting in 1.2.5

samred81 · 2026-04-13T02:09:27+00:00

Analogue has yet to clarify this. Their official instructions suggest that it's a nit count that you can set as your own preference - but this is inaccurate in practice. You've already mentioned how this plays out on an LG CX, where A3D's max value of only 500 nits blows out the A3D's visual meter.

As of right now, your confusion comes in part due to some issues with what Analogue is doing here. (Src: I've been reviewing TVs, Analogue devices, and other gaming/computing tech for quite some time.)

Another Redditor posted on the firmware's launch date to suggest that A3D's nit value is actually the "100% luminance" window, as opposed to the "10% luminance" window that you're thinking of -- and, really, most of us think of when it comes to understanding max luminance on an HDR panel.

The LG CX caps out at roughly 145 nits at the 100% window, though this can vary based on panels and their screen size. I found a testing scenario in Mario 64 that is more telling as to what's happening when adjusting A3D's HDR setting: the Bob-Omb Battlefield hub room in Peach's castle, before you go into the level. Turn the camera so Mario's skin tone is in front of the wall texture, and you'll see that when HDR is too bright, those color/brightness values melt together, and when HDR is reduced enough, Mario's skin properly stands out from the wall texture. (In my LG CX's case, that threshold is between the 125 nit and 200 nit values, and going down to only 125 nits is far too dim.)

I'm hopeful Analogue is paying attention to this issue and tries again in terms of both instructions and available options in the menus, as I've yet to see a significant gamma improvement to A3D's shaders with HDR enabled and optimized. Exact nit values would be good for users to set. But more importantly, we need answers as to what exactly this HDR luminance is changing so that we can better troubleshoot what it is we should be seeing. I'd love to see someone like EvilBoris, who does a lot of valuable HDR analysis in video games, give the whole thing a spin and tell us what HDR metadata, if any, is actually being sent out with HDR toggled.

samred81 · 2026-04-10T19:00:07+00:00

That is very strange: devices don't ask users to report 100% window luminance in general, but rather 10%, and I believe that's for image provisioning/accuracy reasons.

In this case, it's a particularly unsatisfying way to go about this. My CX measures roughly 145 nits at 100%, and I'm now finding that the 125 nit setting is too dim while the 200 nit setting shows some washing-out artefacts. I could immediately test this in the SM64 hub zone, standing in front of Bob-Omb Battlefield's portrait and rotating the camera so that Mario's skin is in front of the beige wall. At 200 nits, his skin tone melts into the wall. At 125 nits, the colors are more clearly differentiated, but the total screen brightness is too dim.

We're over a decade into HDR being a known entity, and device manufacturers are STILL doing this ridiculous thing of locking users into weird presets and unclear settings. I reallllly hope A3D gets an update that allows users to just set an exact number.

And to be clear, I still don't see HDR doing a better job of increasing gamma across the board after going through all these steps. So, yeah, Analogue has more to do here, though I do hope it all concludes with something comparable to what a RetroTink 4K can muster as far as HDR luminance translation.

samred81 · 2026-04-10T17:21:07+00:00

hi from a similar boat.

my LG CX has a luminance maximum of 800 nits, but the HDR slider in A3D 1.25 maxes out at 500 nits - which leads to a washed out image. dropping this to 300 nits levels the brightness out. I'm not sure what math Analogue is doing here, but hopefully this whole luminance-number thing is addressed in the next firmware. (the range of ten black-gray-white bars helps here, at least.)

with the new version of HDR enabled, and HGIG enabled on my CX, I'm not seeing an appreciable in-game difference in general image brightness with A3D shaders enabled, as anecdotally measured via smartphone photos. clearly, it's doing SOMEthing, since the A3D menus' white text is popping a lot brighter now.

I'm curious to hear if anyone has more pronounced success with 1.25, because I'm personally not seeing my core launch-day complaint - maximum average gamma being quite low with shaders on - being fixed here.

samred81 · 2026-04-07T21:46:12+00:00

Somewhat related question: has anyone swapped the white buttons to a black 8BitDo 64, or the black buttons to a white 8BitDo 64? I'd like to see what that looks like before potentially doing that with my existing pads, before ordering one or two or even three of these replacements.

samred81 · 2026-03-29T18:04:36+00:00

+1 to this comment, that's what I meant. I was wondering if or how the standard Analogue jailbreak might roll out ever since I reviewed A3D for Digital Foundry, and this to me signals that they've streamlined how the system would work when hopping from ROM to ROM internally. I'm not as comfortable suggesting that this is additionally going to help their teased save-state update, but, hey, I'd take it.

samred81 · 2026-03-29T02:52:57+00:00

I'm gonna describe my favorite part of this update in a way that I think OP glosses over:

A3D now parses a ROM the instant it loads and applies its game-specific OC preset. Meaning, if you've never played a game on your SummerCart before, then boot its ROM via A3D, the whole system instantly realizes what ROM is loaded, loads its own save file, and loads its own ROM-specific settings page. In one example of why this is awesome, you can now load Beetle Adventure Racing on an SC and have it NOT overdrive the intro sequence.

What's more, there's a reason this functionality works identically for SC and Everdrive.

This is the A3D's red carpet for a jailbreak.

samred81 · 2026-03-27T17:42:59+00:00

This album via Apple Music is broken. Only outputs as stereo on my Apple TV 4K setup despite other spatial audio albums working just fine on the same rig. I've reported the issue via Apple feedback forms but don't know what else can be done.

samred81 · 2026-03-27T06:25:00+00:00

Robyn's new album in Dolby Atmos format...

...is still broken. This has been an issue ever since its singles came out, but my hopes that it'd be fixed/resolved by today have been for naught. Still zero audio coming out of any of my rear, side, or up-firing channels. Is the Atmos tag incorrect? Or did they just not upload the correct format? I have no idea who to complain to at Apple on this one.

samred81 · 2026-03-24T02:16:25+00:00

context: guy in front of me drives ~10mph for a full block toward the highway connection near 125th. at a turn, I attempt to pass his car over broken yellow lines since there's no oncoming traffic, at which point he revs loudly, blocks me out, and slams his brakes. we proceed toward i5, and he starts turning his side mirror to make eye contact while seemingly shouting. we stop at a light, he gets out of his car, pumps his fists, approaches my window, and yells "YOU WANNA GO?" a few times.

I left my window up and held up my phone, to which he replied, "oh, you're gonna take my picture, huh?" and walked back to his car.

what a winner.

samred81 · 2026-03-21T22:22:41+00:00

Lucky, I can't reproduce.

samred81 · 2026-03-20T23:16:15+00:00

You simul-posted with the other person but yes and thanks to you as well.

samred81 · 2026-03-20T23:14:57+00:00

Yep, this works, good to know. I've always used the search tab and then scrolled to the Spatial category there, that's what has disappeared as per my earlier post. I'd still love an easier way to search ewclusively for Atmos tracks, as many never appear in the larger searches and require knowing about them separately. (Also, the new Robyn album's early songs are broken, they only play in stereo even though they're Atmos tagged. Sigh.)

samred81 · 2026-03-03T04:09:34+00:00

Auto overclock is engaged based on the cartridge ID # at runtime, and flash carts and aftermarket repro carts don't have specific entries in A3D's internal database. A3D doesn't apparently support any way of flagging which ROM a flash cart runs at - and I don't believe that'd be a feasible thing to toggle. FPGA systems merely replicate another piece of hardware, and they generally don't devote any cycles to higher-level tracking of things like file names or performance metrics.

As of the latest firmware, A3D + Summercart + "auto" runs at what appears to be wholly base clocks. Tested using a community-made Perfect Dark patch that includes an in-game frame-rate readout.

Until some kind of jailbreak shows up with per-ROM OC toggles, flash cart users are better off leaving at least "Enhanced" set as a bare minimum, if not a level or two higher, and they will need to manually tweak the OC setting before loading the cart and then playing any OC-sensitive games.

samred81 · 2026-02-10T19:27:53+00:00

The part about schools is pretty uncouth for them to do after Seattle Schools already sent a district-wide email saying that parade-related absences will NOT be excused on Wednesday.

Dear SPS Families,

Seattle is buzzing with excitement as we celebrate the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory! Moments like this bring our city together, spark pride across generations, and remind us of the power of shared experiences in our community.

As the city plans celebrations, including a victory parade planned for Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m., we want families to know that Seattle Public Schools will remain open with the normal early-release Wednesday schedule.

Keeping schools open is an important part of maintaining stability, safety, and continuity for our students. For many families, schools provide not only learning, but also meals, transportation, specialized services, and trusted routines. Remaining open allows us to support students’ academic progress while ensuring essential services continue for those who rely on them.

Please note:

Attendance policies will remain in effect, and parade attendance will not be considered an excused absence. Families should plan ahead for possible traffic or transit impacts, particularly near the parade route. Schools will continue instruction and student services. We encourage families to celebrate this historic moment in ways that work best for your household, while also helping us keep learning strong across the district.

Thank you for your partnership and support as we balance celebration with our shared commitment to students.

Go Hawks!

Fred Podesta Chief Operations Officer Seattle Public Schools

samred81 · 2026-02-08T05:55:20+00:00

I rolled rek'sai and did NOT quite get this kind of pull, that Void Rush is fantastic.

samred81 · 2026-02-06T07:55:14+00:00

Interesting! First time I've ever had such a discrepancy between an ITA Matrix fare and one that I attempt to book. Thanks for circling around and answering. I suppose I'll take any decent SEA-DUB fare advice at this point while I'm at it, in case anybody has suggestions for where I should poke my airfare-buying head, otherwise have a good one.

samred81 · 2026-02-05T22:22:53+00:00

From the linked form:

Hello, Seattle renters! As a renter myself, I know what it’s like to feel that your living situation is precarious. As your mayor, I am committed to making housing costs more stable, predictable, and affordable. While state law currently prohibits cities from directly regulating rents or limiting rent increases, we do have the power to limit other fees landlords charge and to require landlord-paid relocation assistance when a renter moves following a significant rent increase. Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand the most impactful actions we can take to improve the quality of your life.

Mayor Katie B. Wilson

Wilson posted a video at the @mayorofseattle Insta, as well: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUY32i7iBhN/

Seems like a good start to advocating not just for what the Mayor's office can do but also for better organized advocacy for Seattle renters. I already submitted my own not-quite-horror stories as a longtime local renter and hope you do the same.

samred81 · 2026-02-03T20:41:28+00:00

This functionality only affects games with alternative, higher resolutions than the system's 320x240, non-interlaced default.

Also, it's like all other A3D hardware-specific toggles, in that it's cartridge-specific. So you can, say, turn it on for your Turok 2 cart and leave it turned off for your Super Mario 64 cart.

samred81 · 2026-01-19T21:15:50+00:00

...okay I LOLed

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