Downloaded Wallpapers are too Dark/Muted using MPV but not VLC

[MelodicalVegetable]

Describe the bug
Custom/externally imported live wallpapers are too dark/dim.
Pre-installed Lively wallpapers work with good brightness.
Using VLC with/without GPU Decode fixes the issue, MPV w-w/o GPU creates the issue

To Reproduce

1. Install Lively
2. Activate a Default Installed Wallpaper (Works)
3. Import an external Wall Paper
   Expected behavior
   To have correct brightness.

Settings i tried:
In Monitor Display Settings:

• Disabling HDR and other Colour management settings.

In AMD display settings:

• Disable all display settings
• Tried changing both 'Video profile' and add 'Custom colouring' (which made whole screen changes but not address the actual issue)
  All changes were ineffective

(when disabling some settings in AMD, the background would temporarily flash to the correct brightness).
Another clue: When taking a screenshot the colours/brightness revert to what they should be

Screenshots/Video
MPV - GPU Decode OFF/ON - Pre-installed template: 'Music Tunnel' (works - brighter than shown in image) Unrelated, 'Music Tunnel' is a html wallpaper.
MPV - GPU Decode OFF/ON - Imported Wallpaper (Dark)

VLC - GPU Decode FF/ON - Imported Wallpaper (works)

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS: Windows 11 Pro Version 10.0.22631 Build 22631

Additional context

1. I Tried multiple external Live Wallpapers from different sources.
   The one featured in the photos:
   Format Mp4/MPEG-4, coded mp42, 60fps, bit rate 10.7Mb/s, File size 32MiB, AVC, 1920x1080 4:2:0 8 bit
   [Removed]
2. I Installed the VLC plugin by creating a file inside the Lively Install folder and copying the full VLC folder contents inside.
   When activating VLC inside lively, With or Without GPU Decode, it works correctly.

Is there some setting i would have to change for MPV for it to work?
I tried installing MPV and dragging to %APPDATA% but it made no change.

Log file (Important)
lively_log_20240722_232133.zip

[rocksdanister]

Are you sure the brightness setting is at 0? If so can you try changing it?

[MelodicalVegetable]

Thanks for the reply, i just checked yeah all the settings inside Lively are set to 0. I can only assume this issue pertains to MPV, i saw a few other posts on the reddit that share this issue, I'll post my solution about using VLC. But i was hoping you had some clue about MPV (VLC render doesn't turn off during full-screen does it?) Besides that your App is dope! Liking it very much, thank you :)

[rocksdanister]

@hooke007 Can you lend some help 😅, any idea whats happening here? I am not sending any color profile flag.

[hooke007]

There is no mpv's full log file in the OP for me to check.

[rocksdanister]

@MelodicalVegetable Can you generate and share full log:

1. Create directory in C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Lively Wallpaper\Mpv\portable_config
2. Create file mpv.conf with the content

--log-file="D:\\output.txt"

Change D:\\ to different driver letter as required (should be writable without admin rights.)
3. Play a video wallpaper in Lively and reproduce the issue.
4. Attach the output.txt file here.

[MelodicalVegetable]

I am unfamilar with MPV. I installed it separately in C:/Program Files to see if it would solve anything. Anyway using the portable installed MPV packaged with lively:
I wasn't sure if i generated the output.txt correctly but here is what i got.
What i did:

1. Go to mpv.exe file directory inside Lively: C:\Program Files\Lively Wallpaper\Plugins\Mpv
2. On the address bar, write cmd
3. Enter mpv --log-file="D:\\output.txt"

---

output.txt

I saw this in red- cmd:
Error parsing option sub-color (option requires parameter)
C:\Users\Dutch\AppData\Roaming/mpv/mpv.conf:51: setting option sub-color='' failed.
Error parsing option sub-border-color (option requires parameter)
C:\Users\Dutch\AppData\Roaming/mpv/mpv.conf:52: setting option sub-border-color='' failed.
Error parsing option sub-shadow-color (option requires parameter)
C:\Users\Dutch\AppData\Roaming/mpv/mpv.conf:55: setting option sub-shadow-color='' failed.
C:\Users\Dutch\AppData\Roaming/mpv/mpv.conf:69: fixed-length quoting expected - put "quotes" around the option value if you did not intend to use this, but your option value starts with '%'

I believe this is because i manually added a mpv.conf as i was guided to in a youtube video on independantly installing MPV.
I did this After experiencing the issue in lively.
I deleted that config file that was in AppData\Roaming. Issue still exists.
I ran it again.

output.txt

[rocksdanister]

On the address bar, write cmd

This is not the require log, you want the mpv log when Lively is using it.

I believe this is because i manually added a mpv.conf as i was guided to in a youtube video on independantly installing MPV.
I did this After experiencing the issue in lively.
I deleted that config file that was in AppData\Roaming. Issue still exists.

The Mpv player bundled with Lively is set --no-config to ignore external config files unless it is in in <Lively install location>\plugins\mpv\portable_config\ or C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Lively Wallpaper\Mpv\portable_config\

Follow this instruction to get the correct file #2322 (comment)

[MelodicalVegetable]

Yep, i did that i put the file in there with --log-file="D:\\output.txt" (removing the mpv from the front).

1. Exit and re-ran Lively
2. change wall paper to a working one, then change to imported wallpaper
3. no log generated
   Is there another step i need to actually generate the output?

[rocksdanister]

That should do it. Make sure the file extension is .conf

This is the relevant code for reference:

lively/src/Lively/Lively/Core/Wallpapers/VideoMpvPlayer.cs

Line 130 in d5ca68c

cmdArgs.Append(configDir is not null ? "--config-dir=" + "\"" + configDir + "\" " : "--no-config ");

lively/src/Lively/Lively/Core/Wallpapers/VideoMpvPlayer.cs

Lines 161 to 171 in d5ca68c

	private static string GetConfigDir()
	{
	//Priority list of configuration directories
	string[] dirs = {
	Path.Combine(AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory, "plugins", "mpv", "portable_config"),
	Path.Combine(Constants.CommonPaths.TempVideoDir, "portable_config")
	};
	return dirs.FirstOrDefault(x => Directory.Exists(x));
	}

[MelodicalVegetable]

Okay figured it out.
It wasn't generating anything when i made the output.txt file inside the
C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Lively Wallpaper\Mpv\portable_config\ ... location

I had to copy it to the
<Lively install location>\plugins\mpv\portable_config\ (Admin permission)
Here it is:
output.txt

1. Hardware Acc off
2. MPV selected
3. Exit
4. Deleted output.txt
5. Opened to Pre-installed theme (Fluids)
6. Changed to custom wallapaper (howls-moving-castle-1-moewalls-com)
7. Output.txt

[hooke007]

It selected the hdr swapchain.

[   0.120][v][vo/gpu/d3d11] Queried output: \\.\DISPLAY1, 3840x2160 @ 8 bits, colorspace: RGB_FULL_G2084_NONE_P2020 (12)

[hooke007]

Do you enable the option Automatically manage color for apps ?
Maybe a bug from Microsoft win11
ref mpv-player/mpv#14567

[MelodicalVegetable]

Yep it was HDR.
When i was testing values i didn't realise that i had to exit and restart Lively for any monitor settings (via windows) to take effect on the wallpaper. The AMD graphics settings changed live without restart.

HDR works when HDMI and/or DP is put into motherboard.
But not when plugged into graphics card.
Obviously that isn't great to use the iGPU instead of GPU.

I managed to configure it manually plugged into my GPU, i had to:
Set everything neutral: monitor brightness at 50% (on physical monitor) -> Set Enable HDR -> Set SDR content brightness to 50%
-> Use microsoft HDR calibration (barely helps lol)
-> Inside AMD go Settings-Display and turn on Custom Color -> Modify brightness (-55) Modify Contrast (163)
-> Now Change SDR Content brightness and then physical monitor brightness to fine tune it.

Hassle for anyone else that comes across this this is the option to manually configure, or disable HDR, or use VLC instead of MPV.
Why the fact that VLC works without these customisations and MPV needs this configs idk.

[hooke007]

mpv automatically selects the 'correct' swapchain that system told.
Not sure which update from Windows recently breaks something. Which makes it choose the BT2020 now.
You can manually force to stay in SDR swapchain by the option https://mpv.io/manual/master/#options-d3d11-output-csp