https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=528119
Bug ID: 528119
Summary: NVIDIA: screen flashes white in HDR fullscreen Vulkan
games with "Prefer efficiency"; "Prefer color
accuracy" stops it
Classification: Plasma
Product: kwin
Version First 6.8.1
Reported In:
Platform: NixOS
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: colour-management
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
CC: [email protected]
Target Milestone: ---
DESCRIPTION
With HDR enabled and Color accuracy set to "Prefer efficiency and performance",
the whole screen intermittently flashes white while RetroArch (Vulkan, HDR
enabled in RetroArch) runs fullscreen at 3840x2160 @ 119.88 Hz. Setting Color
accuracy to "Prefer color accuracy" stops the flashing completely, with nothing
else changed.
The NVIDIA driver exposes the DRM plane COLOR_PIPELINE property on its primary
and overlay planes (checked with drm_info), so with "Prefer efficiency" KWin
appears to offload HDR color conversion to the KMS color pipeline and switch
back to the shader path when needed. The flashes look like individual frames
presented with the wrong color pipeline / transfer function.
The same hardware on Windows (same TV, 4K 119.88 Hz, HDR, RetroArch Vulkan with
HDR) does not flash. The same problem also appeared on CachyOS around the same
time, so it is not distro-specific.
Ruled out:
- NVIDIA driver version: downgrading 615.78.08 -> 615.71.09 did not help.
- HDMI bandwidth: dropping to 100 Hz did not help.
- VRR is set to Never.
KWin logs "Failed to allocate a graphics buffer for a swapchain" several times
during the session.
Possibly related: bug 527279 (color differences between the composited and DRM
color pipeline paths, on AMD).
STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. NVIDIA GPU with driver 615.x (open module), HDR TV over HDMI.
2. Display settings: HDR on, 3840x2160 @ 119.88 Hz, Color accuracy "Prefer
efficiency and performance".
3. Run RetroArch with the Vulkan video driver, HDR enabled, fullscreen, and
scroll through the UI.
OBSERVED RESULT
The screen flashes white intermittently while the Retroarch UI runs.
EXPECTED RESULT
No flashing, the same as with "Prefer color accuracy".
SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: NixOS 26.11 (unstable, 2026-10-27)
KDE Plasma Version: 6.8.1
KWin: 6.8.1
Qt Version: 6.12.0
Kernel Version: 7.3.0
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, driver 615.78.08 (open kernel
module)
Display: LG TV (EDID name "LG TV SSCR2", 2023), HDMI, 3840x2160 @ 119.88 Hz,
HDR, peak brightness override 1450 nits, SDR brightness 200 nits
RetroArch: 1.22.2, Vulkan, HDR on, fullscreen
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Workaround: Color accuracy -> "Prefer color accuracy".
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