Changing These 6 Settings On My Samsung Tv Greatly Improved The Performance

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Samsung S95F OLED TV
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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Say you precocious picked up a shiny caller TV. You unbox it for illustration a kid astatine Christmas and hole to indulge successful each its ocular glory. You deliberation to yourself, "This is 2025. TV exertion is sizzling, and it's going to look astonishing nary matter what." So you plug it successful and don't return 1 look astatine nan default settings. Big mistake.

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I've been blameworthy of it. And I'm OK pinch that because it's wide accepted that nan mostly of consumers neglect to change nan astir basal settings erstwhile mounting up their TVs. Even if your TV is simply a fewer years old, you whitethorn person ne'er modified its defaults.

For Samsung TVs, successful particular, you tin alteration a fewer settings to amended your viewing acquisition and make a dystopian endurance thriller look that overmuch much appealing. The pursuing are six tips for doing conscionable that.

1. Turn disconnected Eco Mode

Samsung Micro LED TV astatine CES 2025
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Pretty overmuch each TVs now travel pinch a shape of "Eco Mode" turned connected by default. Eco Mode is designed to limit powerfulness usage by attenuating nan TV's brightness and reducing its opposition level. A caller study recovered that enabling Eco Mode saves arsenic small arsenic $7 a twelvemonth connected your electrical bill. (That's virtually little than 2 cents per day.) Whether "eco" is short for economy or ecology, that's not a important saving, and location are myriad ways to much efficaciously trim your c footprint.

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To disable Eco Mode, click nan cogwheel fastener connected your Samsung distant to entree nan settings. Then travel this path: All Settings > General and Privacy > Power and Energy Saving > Energy Saving Solution. Lastly, toggle Energy Saving Solution off.

2. Turn disconnected Brightness Optimization

While you've already navigated to Power and Energy Saving, spell up and disable Brightness Optimization by toggling it disconnected arsenic well.

Many TVs now travel pinch optical sensors that tin observe really agleam your room is and really lukewarm aliases acold that ray whitethorn be. Then, nan TV adjusts automatically, supposedly optimizing brightness and colour somesthesia based connected that data. This isn't ever reliable, and nan characteristic mightiness extremity up giving you worse results, particularly successful a room wherever illumination whitethorn change, for illustration connected a sunny time pinch large clouds darkening nan sky.

3. Choose a Picture Mode designed for film

Samsung Q80C 98 inch Neo QLED TV
Adam Breeden/ZDNET

I find that Movie, Cinema, aliases Filmmaker modes are mostly champion because they purpose to supply nan astir meticulous and religious practice of nan contented creator's vision. Also, by reducing unnecessary image processing, these modes minimize nan consequence of introducing artifacts and different image value issues. 

Go to All Settings > Picture Mode. Then flip done these 3 options (Movie, Cinema, aliases Filmmaker) to find your favorite.

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The default Standard mode tends to output a cooler aliases bluer colour temperature. TVs often travel pinch a Vivid mode, which Samsung calls Dynamic mode. I'd counsel staying distant from that, arsenic some Dynamic and Sports modes tin make colors look excessively intense, pinch nan full image having a harsh radiance. These modes are much commonly utilized by retailers erstwhile mounting up show TVs, arsenic nan colors will popular much vibrantly successful storefronts.

4. Adjust Brightness levels to suit your eyes

Finding an perfect brightness level will dangle connected what benignant of contented you're watching. While HDR (high move range) is steadily becoming much prevalent, decades of movie are still constricted to SDR (standard move range). However, you tin easy set your brightness levels for some scenarios.

For SDR, unfastened immoderate app, specified arsenic Prime, and don't commencement playing a video yet. Now spell to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Brightness (Note that connected definite Samsung models, this is recovered nether Picture Setup.) Move nan sliders to find nan saccharine spot (in your opinion) for SDR brightness.

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To set HDR brightness, you'll first request to find a video displayed successful precocious move range. Going to YouTube TV is simply a speedy measurement to guarantee you are watching HDR contented because galore of its videos are branded pinch short descriptions indicating their type. Alternatively, you tin simply hunt for "HDR video."

The brightness level you take is simply a matter of individual preference, but you will spot a favoritism erstwhile viewing some technologies (SDR/HDR). HDR looks champion to maine pinch nan brightness maxed out. You mightiness find that SDR looks perfect erstwhile group astatine a little level.

5. Experiment pinch Local Dimming

Another mounting that impacts brightness levels is Local Dimming, which is disposable connected Samsung TVs successful 3 options. Go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Local Dimming.

Experiment pinch this by sampling Low, Standard, and High to spot which 1 suits you best. Set to Low, Local Dimming provides little halo and blooming astir agleam objects connected acheronian backgrounds. On Samsung TVs, my penchant is High because it keeps flashpoints agleam without surrounding images pinch a halo.

Now that you've modified Local Dimming, you mightiness want to spell backmost and cheque your brightness levels connected some SDR and HDR contented to spot if they're satisfactory.

6. Turn disconnected Motion Smoothing for cinematic viewing

Samsung S95F OLED TV
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Most movies are (and ever person been) filmed astatine 24 frames per second. The intent of Motion Smoothing is to interpolate images successful footage changeable astatine 24 FPS successful bid to trim blur and juddering. This tin beryllium beneficial erstwhile watching sports because unrecorded tv is changeable astatine 30 FPS.

Another communal default feature, however, is Motion Smoothing, which has earned nan estimation of giving TVs a "soap opera effect." By that explanation alone, you astir apt get nan idea. I deliberation of it arsenic glossy vs. matte successful photographic prints, with glossy describing nan soap opera effect, which resembles a unrecorded broadcast. While I'm ever aiming for an immersive viewing experience, I don't request to consciousness for illustration I'm connected nan group pinch nan actors and unit shooting nan scene.

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Go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Picture Clarity Settings(Note that connected Samsung TVs, Motion Smoothing is called Picture Clarity aliases Auto Motion Plus.)

From here, you tin wholly move Picture Clarity (Motion Smoothing) disconnected aliases take Custom Settings. There, you tin set nan sliders for Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction, which you mightiness opt to summation if watching a shot lucifer aliases playing a video game. For accepted (filmic) aesthetics, though, turning disconnected Motion Smoothing is nan measurement to go.

If you get a caller Samsung TV this Christmas, congratulations! Now, return a fewer minutes to maximize its potential. If you person an older model, you tin still dainty yourself to a better-looking image pinch a fewer clicks of nan remote.

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