Wrong colors on VLC and PotPlayer

[keeper182]

I was converting with HandBrake some videos taken with a GoPro camera in order to reduce their sizes, when I noticed that when played they have different colors :
- the original GoPro videos are over saturated with dark midtones
- the converted with HB are desaturated with light midtones

At first I thought it was a conversion issue, but then I realized that the original weren't playing correctly either.
The issue appears only with certain players, like VLC and PotPlayer, while Microsoft Movies & TV reproduce them correctly, both with the same saturation and brightness.

I leave the log of the files here.

ORIGINAL:
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 1
Codec ID : mp41 (mp41)
File size : 467 MiB
Duration : 1 min 5 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 60.3 Mb/s
Frame rate : 29.970 FPS

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L5.1
Format settings : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference fra : 2 frames
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=15
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1 min 4 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 60.0 Mb/s
Width : 3 840 pixels
Height : 2 160 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.241
Stream size : 465 MiB (100%)
Title : GoPro AVC
Language : English
Encoded date : 2024-02-25 22:23:17 UTC
Tagged date : 2024-02-25 22:23:17 UTC
Color range : Limited
colour_range_Original : Full
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
Codec configuration box : avcC

------------------------------------------------
CONVERTED:
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (mp42/dby1/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size : 195 MiB
Duration : 1 min 4 s
Overall bit rate : 25.1 Mb/s
Frame rate : 29.970 FPS

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L5.1
Format settings : CABAC / 5 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference fra : 5 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1 min 4 s
Bit rate : 24.9 Mb/s
Width : 3 840 pixels
Height : 2 160 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.100
Stream size : 193 MiB (99%)
Writing library : x264 core 164 r3107 a8b68ebf
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=5 / deblock=1:-1:-1 / analyse=0x1:0x131 / me=umh / subme=10 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.15 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=30 / lookahead_threads=5 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=8 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=300 / keyint_min=30 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=25000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=240000 / vbv_bufsize=240000 / nal_hrd=none / filler=0 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date : 2024-03-15 21:48:03 UTC
Tagged date : 2024-03-15 21:48:03 UTC
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
Codec configuration box : avcC


I had this issue few years ago and I solved changing the rendering option in PotPlayer (which is the one I mostly use), but none of the options solved the problem this time. (last time the files where from a different camera, I had different hardware too, also PotPlayer was a different version).
What would you suggest? (other than starting to use Movies & TV app :D )
Thanks for the attention.

[Emulgator]

There ?
Color range : Limited
colour_range_Original : Full

[Ritsuka]

It's 2024 and many players still fail to display full range correctly. The fact that GoPro sets color range to "limited" in the container, and "full" in the bitstream doesn't help either. Which what is the right one? Who knows.

[FranceBB]

The fact that GoPro sets color range to "limited" in the container, and "full" in the bitstream doesn't help either. Which what is the right one? Who knows.

It's limited tv range with unclipped highlights.
In other words, the black starts at 16 (i.e 0.0V) but then highlights are unclipped so they go beyond 235 (i.e 0.7V) and can spike all the way up (I'm not sure if I've ever seen them reach 255 but I've definitely seen them in the 245 region).

Why?
Dunno.

[huhn]

super white or whiter then white (wtw).

this shouldn't have anything todo with a limited range flag or full range flag.

these are nearly all mastering "errors" or more side effects. some swear to keep them intact for something.

if a go pro records them like this i see no issue in that it's just which flag do you trust there is not perfect answer just a case of fixing the file if you ask me to one flag only.

[keeper182]

Thanks guys for your comments, I just realized that the converted version is displayed just like the original when played with Movies & TV app, so the problem only occurs with PotPlayer (or VLC) when playing the original full range file.
I still haven't found a solution, but at least I know that the converted file is fine.