PS4 Pro Patch Disables 4K Gaming On Older 4K HDMI 1.4 Displays; No Word from Sony [Video]
A handful of PS4 Pro owners are currently reporting the issues when hooking up their consoles to HDMI 1.4 displays.
First spotted by WccFtech, the tech site says that the PlayStation Europe forums are plagued with complaints regarding the topic, with many finding that the 2160p options are greyed-out or unsupported when using HDMI 1.4.
Prior to the Pro's launch, Sony had also warned users that a premium HDMI cable will be required to fully appreciate the console's two display options: 2160p YUV420 and 2160p RGB.
According to Eurogamer which was listed on PlayStationLifeStyle says that the "2160p YUV420 is interesting in that this allows PS4 Pro to connect to older 4K screens, which lack the full HDMI 2.0 implementation. After reducing chroma information, the required bandwidth drops down in half, allowing HDMI 1.4 screens to get a full 60Hz signal."
Eurogamer also added some resolution issues, noting that "the compromise is that hard reds, blues and greens can show low resolution artefacting." Furthermore, their tests shows that they have found that it's not an issue in a typical living room environment. The "2160p RGB doubles the bandwidth requirement, meaning HDMI 2.0 is a must, and sends the framebuffer through losslessly to the 4K screen."
But the reason PS4 Pro owners have taken this issue with the lack of support is because, according to WccFtech; it suddenly became unavailable for those using HDMI 1.4 displays after the launch of firmware 4.05. Sony still thinking to release an official response, but those who reached out to PlayStation support reveals that a fix is in the works.
This will not the first time when the gamers have had trouble getting the PS4 Pro to work on 4K displays: the system was showing blank black screens on a number of different 4K HDR UHDTVs, with forcing users to switch from HDCP 2.2 to HDCP 1.4 as a workaround.
Various TV manufacturers have also affirmed that fixes would be rolling out soon, as LG rolling out updates for affected models, but this just highlights the unoptimized and unplanned nature of this new 4K "iterative cycle" which Sony kicked off with the PS4 Pro.
