Can I use a shortcut to switch to an HDR viewing setup?

Yes. First find a resolution, refresh rate and HDR combination that works on your display, then use a shortcut to request that setup. A manual viewing shortcut is useful when your comfortable desktop mode and preferred video mode differ.

For a connected 4K display that supports the requested mode, this CLI example selects native-sized LoDPI output and requests HDR:

For the rendering background, see how macOS scaling, HiDPI and LoDPI work.

betterdisplaycli set -name="Living Room TV" -resolution=3840x2160 -hiDPI=off -hdr=on

Replace the display name and resolution with your verified choices. BetterDisplay must be running, and enabling HDR through integration requires Pro. The command does not create an unavailable mode or guarantee a particular refresh rate. Check its result and the resulting Display Mode, Refresh Rate and HDR state before relying on it.

To run it from the keyboard, put the command in a macOS Shortcuts Run Shell Script action and assign that shortcut a keyboard shortcut. Use the actual absolute path to your installed CLI executable. Create a separate return shortcut with your usual desktop settings. The viewing command does not save your previous settings for automatic restoration.

HiDPI and HDR can work together. Turning HiDPI off is one possible viewing choice, not an HDR requirement. If a particular scaled HDR combination is unavailable, compare a smaller HiDPI size or lower refresh rate as described in HDR and HiDPI modes.

Launching a video player is also different from detecting that it is playing HDR content. Test a deliberate shortcut first instead of assuming that every window opened by that player needs the same mode. See CLI examples for display selection and Shortcuts integration for running shell commands.