[Bug] Incorrect color rendering and handling for Dolby Vision files (macOS Apple Silicon)

#12 · open · 4 comments

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brumatheus99

## Bug Description When playing Dolby Vision video files (specifically profiles 5, 7 MEL/FEL, or 8.1), PowerVLC does not handle the display correctly. This results in completely distorted color rendering (washed-out colors for P7 and overly saturated colors for P5/8.1), instead of outputting the correct colors to a compatible display. ## Test Environment - **Operating System:** macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 (25G83) - **Hardware Architecture:** Mac with Apple Silicon (ARM64) - **PowerVLC Version:** Version 2.0.0 (Sep 1, 2026) - **Tested File Formats:** `.mkv` and/or `.iso` files - **Affected Dolby Vision Profiles:** Profile 5, Profile 7 (MEL/FEL), and Profile 8.1 ## Steps to Reproduce 1. Launch PowerVLC on a Mac equipped with Apple Silicon. 2. Open a video file containing Dolby Vision metadata (e.g., a 4K UHD DV Profile 7 MEL/FEL remux). 3. Observe the colorimetry of the image from the very first seconds of playback. ## Expected Behavior PowerVLC should read the Dolby Vision metadata and, if unable to pass it through directly to the display, apply a proper tonemapping algorithm to restore natural colors, similar to what other macOS media players do (such as Infuse with DV P8.x or P5 videos). ## Observed Behavior The player either ignores or misinterprets the DV metadata. The colors are completely over-saturated (in the case of DV P8/P5 videos) and washed out (for DV P7 videos). [View the image comparison between PowerVLC and VLC](https://slow.pics/c/VgtWjwBG)

Comments

brumatheus99

I have the same problem with an HDR video. https://slow.pics/s/R7xxGSYO

Olsro

https://workupload.com/file/kBYnTw2f6tK Here is a custom build you can try right now with an attempt to fix the issues. The patch is included in the archive in case you wanna compile by yourself. The included launchers let you compare HDR/Dolby Vision, HDR without Dolby HDMI switching, and SDR tone mapping. Please send the corresponding logs, your Mac/display models and connection type if the problem persist on this new test build.

brumatheus99

This version works well, and the colors are good in HDR and Dolby Vision.

Olsro

PowerVLC 2.1 is now released, I hope you like it. That bug should be fixed on it. I let you close the issue if it is fully solved on your side Thanks again for your time at reporting it, it's how PowerVLC can be better for anyone else