Final Cut Pro 10.8.1 - problem with HDR videos since upgrading to MacOS Sequoia

I don't do formal HDR work but I've done lots of HDR HLG tests in FCP using an Apple Studio monitor and LG 5k monitor, both connected via Thunderbolt to my M1 Ultra Mac Studio. I've also tested on my M1 Max MacBook Pro 16. I've also uploaded HDR tests to Youtube and Vimeo and tested streaming playback on the above machine.

In general it works OK but Safari support for Youtube HDR is sketchy. It works well on Vimeo and MacOS Firefox works better on Youtube for streaming HDR content.

With those exceptions, in general I haven't seen any problems on recent prior or current versions of MacOS and FCP. But I don't have any machines which connect to monitors via HDMI.

I think there are some limitations on HDMI cable and endpoint versions for full support of 4k/59.94 Rec.2020 HLG with Dolby Vision 8.4 (what FCP exports). I don't recall any of the above posts stating what resolution and frame rate were being used.

It would be a good test to try 1080p at 23.98, 25.0 or 29.97 and see if that works using Rec.2020 HLG with Dolby Vision 8.4. That lowers the bandwidth a lot, which brings the scenario inside more specs for cables and endpoints. If making that change works better, that tends to imply it's a cable or endpoint issue.

When using HDR output from an Apple computer to an external monitor, a key issue is what display profile is used. If the display profile is not configured for HDR or one of the new presets like XDR P3-1600 nits, it won't look right. The newer Apple monitors have presets and the older ones and non-Apple monitors normally use ICC profiles. Which one is in use is shown in System Settings>Displays.

On any Mac with either built-in monitors like XDR MacBook Pros or with external monitors, you can test HDR by going to Youtube and searching for "HDR channel" and trying to stream those with Safari and Firefox. If you right-click and select "Stats for Nerds" that should indicate 'Color HLG / bt2020.' If it does not, there is a problem independent of FCP.

iPhones 12 and later can record HDR using 10-bit Rec.2020 HLG Dolby Vision. That does not have to be ProRes. If you enable HDR recording on the iPhone, you can upload that directly to Youtube or play the local file on an HDR-capable Mac -- without editing. That is another way to test whether your computer playback system can handle local or streaming HDR playback. Only if that works on the given computer and monitor is there any need to pursue whether you can edit and grade that using FCP: Adjust HDR camera settings on iPhone - Apple Support

Correct - it is still unresolved. I've installed every MacOS Sequoia update when they were released and just installed FCP 11, and the issue still persists.

Editing to add that I've spoken with tech support multiple times about this, but they don't have any updates. Last update I received from support was mid-October saying they don't have any updates, and they'd get back to me once they hear something from engineering. It's been two months have passed since Sequoia was release and the problem first appeared, but there are still no updates.

Oh, no. I don't have a contact at Apple. I just reached out to the support team through the Apple website support page located here:

Final Cut Pro - Official Apple Support

I think it would be good for others to contact them too so they know it's not just an isolated case. My guess is only a small percentage of users edit in HDR, so the issue we're experiencing probably doesn't come up very often.

I'd suggest contacting them through their official contact page I posed above (or search for Final Cut Pro Support) if you don't like to click unknown links. If you call, you'll probably end up at with the Mac support team (this always happens to me for some reason), and they'll transfer you to the FCP team.

The email I received was pretty generic and said, "Thanks for your patience. I’m still waiting to hear from our engineers about your case. As soon as I receive a response, I’ll email you to coordinate a good day and time to call."

I ended up calling support today to see if there was an update and let them know the issue still exists in FCP 11. The person I spoke with (different person than the person I spoke to before - they can't transfer you to a specific advisor) saw all the notes and said they updated them so the engineers know about FCP 11. They're just waiting on the engineering team to get get back to them with an update, which can take some time.

I've contacted Apple support a few times before, and they are actually very good about getting back to you once they know something, so if I get any updates, I will be sure to update it here.

Good tip to try, it does show on the LG in HDR when it's mirroring the desktop. Hmmm wonder what is going on that it no longer outputs HDR from FCPX as an extended monitor? I guess I should put in a ticket with Apple on this.

Just installed FCP 11, and the issue has not been fixed.

So the thing to figure out is if it's how your Mac is communicating with your specific monitor or if it's a general problem that applies to all HDR . This seems unlikely or there would likely be loads of posts about it. I've not installed Sequoia yet and don't intend to for a while so can't test directly. I will try installing it on an external drive later to check it out on my MacBook Pro XDR monitor to see if I am getting the same issue

Anyway I'm not entirely clear what is happening but you seem to be saying that Quicktime Player shows the original clips as HDR but the clips rendered by FCP are not showing as HDR either in FCP or Quicktime. When you have clips opened in Quicktime and open the Movie Inspector, Video Details, Code Points what numbers do you see for the original clips and those rendered as HLG by FCP. For HLG HDR you should be seeing 9-18-9 tags.

OK so I installed Sequoia on an external drive connected to my M1 MacPro with XDR screen, set to HDR P3-ST2084 display preset (the correct one as recommended by Apple and the one I always use), and I installed the latest version of FCP. I am not having any issues seeing HDR video (PQ or HLG) properly - not washed out, not interpreted as SDR in either the Final CUt viewer or rendered in Quicktime and they look identical as usual.

I suggest you check the color conform settings for your footage to see that it is not being interpreted as SDR. If so then change it manually to HLG. Otherwise it might be something to do with your monitor not getting the correct HDR signal from your Mac? In any case, it doesn't appear to me to be a general problem with Sequoia.

No worries. I wanted to have a look at Sequoia anyway so it’s installed on an external drive for now. I always wait a bit when a new macOS arrives in case of problems as going back to an older version is not easy.

I am also having this issue! I'm on an M1 MAX and FCPX 10.8.1. I use an external monitor and it gets HDR from the M1 from everything via the HDMI port EXCEPT FCPX! Its all muted down. The screen on the laptop shows HDR footage in HDR. However it won't output via HDMI port to a monitor in HDMI from FCPX. I've tried everything, including making a new library. Like I said it shows it as HDR in FCPX but it will no longer output via HDMI in HDR.

I have changed display settings several times, the monitor I'm using will show HDR photos etc, just nothing out of FCPX via the M1's HDMI port.

I believe this is a bug with either Sequoia or FCP 10.8.1

That's exactly my point Tom, it won't show as HDR out of FCPX from the HDMI!!! I have it set as extended display. And then in FCP I always use that for just the program output. Has worked perfectly since I got the M1 MAX. Now it won't output HDR in FCPX to the monitor. It used to, now it doesn't! All I did is upgrade to Sequoia. When it's being used as an extended display in any other mode (editing photos in lightroom, showing a mirror of my display etc.) it outputs in HDR as I showed in that photo where it says "HDR".

I appreciate your interest in this, but I've troubleshot it for hours and it's just not working in FCP to output an HDR signal over the built in HDMI on the M1 Max with Sequoia.