ColorControl for NVIDIA, AMD, LG, and Samsung Devices

Why ColorControl combines GPU presets and TV control

ColorControl addresses a practical Windows automation problem. Display settings are commonly controlled through separate vendor utilities, while television functions require a remote, an app, or a network command. The project places NVIDIA and AMD presets alongside controllers for compatible LG WebOS and Samsung Tizen devices.

The NVIDIA and AMD controllers can include color depth from 6 to 16 bpc, RGB or YUV format, refresh rate, dithering, and HDR in a preset. Each preset can receive a global keyboard shortcut. The NVIDIA controller adds controls for VESA Full RGB or CEA Limited RGB/YUV dynamic range, color space, temporal or spatial dither mode, dither bit depth, HDR, SDR brightness, and NVIDIA driver settings.

TV control broadens the scope. The application can discover compatible LG and Samsung devices, control them through their platform interfaces, launch applications on LG televisions, change selected LG picture settings, and send service-menu commands. It can also change television power state after PC startup or resume, before shutdown or standby, and around screensaver activation. This makes the application relevant to people who want display settings to follow a workstation routine, but it also makes hardware compatibility a central adoption concern.

The README targets LG WebOS and Samsung Tizen televisions from 2018 or newer and says older devices might work. It does not publish a complete model and feature matrix, so users should not assume that every television supports every command.

How ColorControl presets control several device types

The preset is ColorControl's central execution object. For graphics devices, a preset contains selected display properties that the application can apply. A field must be included through the "Include" menu item before it can be applied. This distinction affects configuration: checking that a preset contains the intended values is not the same as checking the preset's inclusion state.

General presets can specify a name, target device, shortcut, and sequential steps. A target defaults to "Globally selected device", which corresponds to the device selected in the application's device selector. Steps may represent remote-control buttons such as RIGHT, LEFT, and ENTER. LG-only steps can launch an installed application or change properties including backlight, contrast, and pictureMode.

NVIDIA and AMD presets can also be added to a general preset sequence. This gives a single shortcut or process trigger the ability to change PC graphics settings and send television commands. The operations are sequential, so an early failure may affect later steps. However, the README does not document timeout behavior, retry counts, error reporting, or continuation after a failed step. Users who need transactional handling should not assume that ColorControl rolls back an earlier setting when a later action fails.

ColorControl can also execute a preset when a Windows process is running. The README links to the v4.0.0.0 release notes for details about that feature, but the main README does not define process matching, multiple-trigger handling, or failure behavior. Process-triggered presets remain documented features with important implementation boundaries.

Installing the extracted Windows application

The README describes a portable installation. Extract the `.zip` file into a folder of your choice, ensure the required runtimes are installed, and run `ColorControl.exe`. This section has no package-manager command because the README does not document one.

The runtime list needs careful attention. The README says the application requires .NET 9, then lists `.NET Desktop Runtime 10` and `.NET ASP.NET Core Runtime 10`. It does not explain that version mismatch. A new installation should therefore verify the executable against the two runtimes explicitly listed rather than assuming that the .NET 9 phrase is a complete dependency declaration.

The documented launch command is:

ColorControl.exe

Running it starts the application. Per-user settings are stored in `C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Maassoft\ColorControl`. If the Windows Service is installed, some settings are stored under `C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\Maassoft\ColorControl`. The different locations mean that service behavior and ordinary user behavior may not read exactly the same settings tree.

For a first real use, launch the GUI, confirm that the intended NVIDIA, AMD, LG, or Samsung device appears, and create one narrow preset. For graphics cards, include only the fields that should change, review the values, and then assign a shortcut. For TVs, either accept the permission prompt following discovery or add the device manually with a name and IP address. A MAC address is required only for Wake-On-Lan.

Running documented ColorControl commands from Windows

ColorControl supports execution of saved presets from the command line. The README says this works whether the graphical interface is already running or not. Its documented command set is reproduced here:

Syntax  : ColorControl command options
Commands:
--nvpreset  <preset name or id>: execute NVIDIA-preset
--amdpreset <preset name or id>: execute AMD-preset
--lgpreset  <preset name>      : execute LG-preset
--sampreset <preset name>      : execute Samsung-preset
--help                         : displays this help info
Options:
--nogui     : starts command from the command line and will not open GUI (is forced when GUI is already running)
--no-refresh: when using LG or Samsung-preset: skip refreshing devices (speeds up executing preset)

The command does not create presets. NVIDIA and AMD presets may be addressed by name or ID, while the documented LG and Samsung forms use a preset name. Names containing spaces must be enclosed in double quotes.

`--nogui` suppresses the graphical interface when launching a command and is forced if ColorControl's GUI is already running. `--no-refresh` skips device refreshing for LG or Samsung presets. Skipping refresh can reduce execution time, but the README does not explain when a cached device record becomes invalid or how stale data affects execution.

The README also includes an incomplete quoted example, so this article does not reconstruct its missing preset name. The complete syntax above is the authoritative example. The documentation does not define exit codes, structured output, or retry behavior, which limits its usefulness as an unattended automation interface without additional validation.

Local-network TV discovery and explicit limitations

LG and Samsung detection depends on Windows being able to see the television on the network. The README directs users to check Digital Media Devices in Windows Device Manager. If the television is absent, the documented path is Windows Settings, then "Devices", "Add Bluetooth or other device", and "Everything Else", followed by selecting the television by name.

The README warns that users may have to add the television more than once because Windows can detect it as multiple devices. If it does not appear during device discovery, ColorControl cannot automatically control it, and the documentation points users to network settings on both the PC and television. This makes local discovery a prerequisite rather than a guarantee.

A permission prompt appears when ColorControl first sends commands, when required permissions change, or when a new application version needs renewed authorization. This prevents automatic setup in some cases: a user may need access to the television during installation. The README also warns that an application upgrade may trigger another permission request.

WinPcap is no longer required by default. Npcap is mentioned only for users who encounter WinPcap errors, with installation in WinPcap compatibility mode. The README describes WinPcap as deprecated under Windows 10.

ColorControl is the wrong choice when operations must cross routed networks without documented discovery or remote access. It is also unsuitable when rollback, model-level compatibility certification, or a complete headless service deployment procedure is mandatory.

Release cadence and GPL upgrade considerations

The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-05-02. Release v11.0.0.0 was also published on 2026-05-02. The preceding listed releases are v10.4.0.0 from 2025-09-28 and v10.3.0.0 from 2025-05-30.

Those dates indicate recent repository and release activity. They do not establish that every hardware combination or feature is covered by tests. A user upgrading across several major versions should review the release notes for changes to controllers, CLI behavior, runtime dependencies, and permissions. The README specifically notes that a new ColorControl version might require TV authorization again.

The repository identifies GPL-3.0 as its license. It also contains `LICENSE.txt`, `LICENSE-NOVIDEO.txt`, and `LICENSE-THIRD-PARTY.txt`. The README does not explain the scope of `LICENSE-NOVIDEO.txt` or the terms attached to bundled components. Anyone modifying or redistributing the project should inspect those license files and component notices separately. This article does not provide legal interpretation.

The documented extraction workflow also leaves upgrades manual. There is no stated rollback command, automatic downgrade procedure, or in-place migration process. Since presets and service settings live under application-specific profile directories, users should verify whether imported settings remain available before removing an older release.

Editorial conclusion

ColorControl fits Windows users who need repeatable NVIDIA, AMD, LG, or Samsung actions through presets, shortcuts, triggers, and CLI commands. It is a poor fit for users who require remote-network control, documented rollback, or an unambiguous runtime installation matrix. Verify first that the target GPU or TV is detected, confirm which listed .NET runtime version loads successfully, and inspect each preset field because ColorControl applies only settings explicitly included in that preset.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. License: GPL-3.0
3. Maassoft/ColorControl on GitHub
4. README
5. Releases