To get 4K HDR through a Sony STR-DH790, press AMP MENU on the remote, go to <HDMI> > SIG. FMT. on the receiver’s front display, pick the input your 4K device uses, and change it from STANDARD to ENHANCED. Then turn on the matching high-bandwidth setting on your TV for the HDMI port the receiver is plugged into, and use Premium High Speed HDMI cables for both connections.
This setting isn’t in the menu you see on the TV screen. It lives only in the receiver’s front-panel menu, which is why many owners miss it. Also know the limit: Sony’s spec sheet for the STR-DH790 tops out at 4K at 60 Hz, so it won’t pass the 4K/120 mode some newer game consoles offer.
Why STANDARD blocks HDR
The STR-DH790 can handle two sizes of 4K video signal, and each HDMI input has its own setting for which size to accept.
| SIG. FMT. setting | What it handles | Typical result |
|---|---|---|
| STANDARD | Regular video formats, including lower-bandwidth 4K such as 4K/60p 4:2:0 8-bit | Picture works, but a player or console may drop to 4K/30, turn HDR off, or reduce color detail |
| ENHANCED | High-bandwidth formats Sony lists as 4K/60p 4:4:4, 4:2:2, and 4K/60p 4:2:0 10-bit | Full 4K/60 with the extra color data that HDR uses |
HDR video uses 10-bit color, and at 4K/60 that pushes the signal into Sony’s high-bandwidth list. So if an input is set to STANDARD, your source device may decide the path can’t handle HDR and switch it off.
When the input is set to ENHANCED and everything else matches, the STR-DH790 passes all three HDR formats Sony lists in its specs: HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), and Dolby Vision.
Before you change the setting: check your hookup
- Two good cables. Use a Premium High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (rated for 18 Gbps) from the source to the receiver, and another from the receiver’s HDMI TV OUT jack to the TV. An older cable on either hop can cause a blank screen once you switch to ENHANCED.
- No adapters. Sony warns that HDMI-to-DVI cables can cause lost picture or sound.
- The right TV port. Plug the receiver into a TV HDMI input that supports 4K HDR and HDCP 2.2. On many TVs only some ports do. Every HDMI jack on the STR-DH790 supports HDCP 2.2, so any receiver input will work.
How to set HDMI Signal Format to ENHANCED
Do this for each input that has a 4K HDR device on it, such as a 4K Blu-ray player, streaming box, or console. Watch the receiver’s front display, not the TV.
- Turn on the receiver.
- Press AMP MENU on the remote. The menu appears on the receiver’s front display.
- Use the up and down arrows to select <HDMI>, then press the center enter button.
- Select SIG. FMT. and press enter.
- Select the input your 4K HDR device is connected to and press enter.
- Select ENHANCED and press enter.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 for any other 4K HDR inputs.
- Press AMP MENU to close the menu.
If a setting looks dimmed on the display, it isn’t available right now. Press the left arrow or BACK to go up a level.
Turn on the TV’s matching setting
Sony’s troubleshooting page says to check the TV for a similar high-bandwidth setting. The receiver can pass the full signal, but many TVs limit their HDMI ports until you turn this on. Turn it on for the specific TV input the receiver is plugged into. Each brand uses its own name:
| TV brand | Setting name | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Sony | HDMI Signal Format (choose an Enhanced format) | On many Sony TVs: Settings > External Inputs > HDMI Signal Format |
| Samsung | Input Signal Plus (HDMI UHD Color on 2018 and older models) | Settings > General > External Device Manager |
| LG | HDMI Ultra HD Deep Colour | The menu path varies by model. Check your TV’s manual. |
| Other brands | Names vary; look for an enhanced or 4K HDR option for the HDMI input | Check the TV’s input settings or manual |
Turn on HDR at the source
Your player or console has to send HDR too. Most have an HDR or video output setting. For example, on a PlayStation 4, Sony says to go to Settings > Sound and Screen > Video Output Settings and set HDR to Automatic. Streaming apps also need a title that’s actually offered in HDR.
Troubleshooting 4K and HDR on the STR-DH790
The screen went black after you picked ENHANCED
This almost always means one of the cables or the TV port can’t handle the high-bandwidth signal. Sony’s fix for a missing picture is to set SIG. FMT. for that input back to STANDARD. Since the menu shows on the front display, you can do this even with no picture on the TV. Then swap in 18 Gbps Premium High Speed cables, confirm the TV’s enhanced setting is on for that port, and try ENHANCED again.
You get 4K, but only at 30 Hz, or HDR won’t turn on
- Check that SIG. FMT. is set to ENHANCED on the input you’re actually using. The setting is separate for each input.
- Check the TV’s enhanced setting for the port the receiver connects to, not the port you used before the receiver.
- Try a general fix that often helps with HDMI handshake problems: turn off the source, the receiver, and the TV, then turn them on in this order: TV, receiver, source.
- If it still fails, unplug each HDMI cable at both ends and plug it back in. Sony lists this for picture problems.
Your console offers 4K/120 but you can’t get it
The STR-DH790’s HDMI specs list 4K at 24, 25, 30, 50, and 60 Hz. 4K/120 isn’t on the list, so the receiver can’t pass it. If you want 120 Hz gaming, one option is to plug the console straight into the TV and send the sound back to the receiver over the HDMI TV OUT connection. With a TV that has eARC, Sony says that link can carry Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, and multichannel PCM. Our STR-DH790 Atmos setup guide covers turning eARC on.
No picture at all, even on STANDARD
- Make sure the right input is selected on the receiver. Press the input button on the remote or turn INPUT SELECTOR.
- Set the TV to the HDMI input the receiver is connected to.
- Check that the source device itself is set up to output video. Some players need their own setup first.
It worked, then stopped after a reset
A factory reset puts every input’s SIG. FMT. back to its default. Check each 4K input and set it to ENHANCED again. The STR-DH790 reset guide lists the other settings a reset erases.
Where Sony documents this
The steps above come from Sony’s STR-DH790 Operating Instructions (the “Setting for HDMI” section) and the Help Guide. If you want to compare notes, Sony’s “No 4K content appears on the TV screen” page lists the same checks in short form.