Record the activity and television state
Identify whether the console is running a game, showing its home interface or using a media application. Note the television’s indicated picture mode for each observation. A change that follows the activity is different from an HDMI input that never receives an image.
Keep the exact TV model and the HDMI port in the record. Sony explicitly advises checking the television manual for ALLM support; an HDMI version label alone does not establish every optional display feature. Also distinguish a TV mode manually selected by the viewer from a mode the equipment selected automatically.
Inspect the console’s documented controls
Open Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output. Sony documents ALLM here and explains that a supporting television can switch to low-latency mode during games. Its current guide also states that VRR output can trigger low-latency mode even with ALLM set to Off.
For a deliberate comparison of game-mode switching, record both settings. Sony says completely turning off ALLM requires VRR to be off as well. This is a conditional explanation, not a recommendation to disable useful gaming features permanently or a promise about a TV’s separately selected picture mode.
Compare a media app without importing game assumptions
Return to the intended media app and observe the TV again. Sony’s no-ALLM-signal statement for media applications means the gaming trigger should not be assumed to describe that session. Use the TV’s own manual to identify any automatic content or picture behaviour it applies independently.
Keep HDR as a separate setting too. Sony documents Always On as converting non-HDR-compatible games and apps to HDR output, while On When Supported uses SDR for incompatible items. A changed HDR indicator and a changed low-latency mode are not interchangeable observations, even if both affect the perceived picture.
Restore the intended configuration after comparison
Change only one documented variable at a time and preserve the original gaming settings before a temporary check. Record the programme, app, console output information and television indication. This helps another person reproduce the actual transition rather than guessing from a photograph alone.
No console or television was tested here. The procedure follows Sony’s current support distinctions and does not certify a service, calibrate a display or infer that a movie should run at a game’s highest refresh rate.
Sources and scope
Scope notes distinguish published documentation, supplied information and editorial methods. They do not report a hands-on service test.
- PlayStation Canada: PS5 video output — Current primary support body: ALLM route, VRR interaction, no media-app ALLM signal and HDR mode definitions. Comparison procedure is proposed, not physically tested.
