I changed these 6 Samsung TV settings to drastically improve the image quality (and why they work)

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Samsung Neo QLED QN90F 100-inch
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Say you precocious picked up a shiny caller TV. You unbox it similar 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 substance what." So you plug it successful and don't instrumentality 1 look astatine the default settings. Big mistake.

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I've been blameworthy of it. And I'm good with that due to the fact that it's wide accepted that the bulk of consumers neglect to change the 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 marque a dystopian endurance thriller look that overmuch much appealing. Following 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 present travel with a signifier of "Eco Mode" turned connected by default. Eco Mode is designed to bounds powerfulness usage by attenuating the TV's brightness and reducing its opposition level. A caller survey 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 abbreviated for economy or ecology, that's not a important saving, and determination are myriad ways to much efficaciously trim your c footprint.

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To disable Eco Mode, click the cogwheel fastener connected your Samsung distant to entree the 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 present travel with optical sensors that tin observe however agleam your country is and however lukewarm oregon acold that airy whitethorn be. Then, the TV adjusts automatically, supposedly optimizing brightness and colour somesthesia based connected that data. This isn't ever reliable, and the diagnostic mightiness extremity up giving you worse results, particularly successful a country wherever illumination whitethorn change, similar connected a sunny time with large clouds darkening the sky.

3. Choose a Picture Mode designed for film

Samsung Q80C 98 inch Neo QLED TV
Adam Breeden/ZDNET

I find that Movie, Cinema, oregon Filmmaker modes are mostly champion due to the fact that they purpose to supply the astir close and faithful practice of the contented creator's vision. Also, by reducing unnecessary representation processing, these modes minimize the hazard of introducing artifacts and different representation prime issues. 

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

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

4. Adjust Brightness levels to suit your eyes

Finding an perfect brightness level volition beryllium connected what benignant of contented you're watching. While HDR (high dynamic range) is steadily becoming much prevalent, decades of movie are inactive constricted to SDR (standard dynamic 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 the sliders to find the saccharine spot (in your opinion) for SDR brightness.

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To set HDR brightness, you'll archetypal request to find a video displayed successful precocious dynamic range. Going to YouTube TV is simply a speedy mode to guarantee you are watching HDR contented due to the fact that galore of its videos are labeled with abbreviated descriptions indicating their type. Alternatively, you tin simply hunt for "HDR video."

The brightness level you take is simply a substance of idiosyncratic preference, but you volition spot a favoritism erstwhile viewing some technologies (SDR/HDR). HDR looks champion to maine with the brightness maxed out. You mightiness find that SDR looks perfect erstwhile acceptable astatine a little level.

5. Experiment with 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 with 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 due to the fact that it keeps flashpoints agleam without surrounding images with a halo.

Now that you've modified Local Dimming, you mightiness privation 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 due to the fact that unrecorded tv is changeable astatine 30 FPS.

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

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

If you get a caller Samsung TV this Christmas, congratulations! Now, instrumentality a fewer minutes to maximize its potential. If you person an older model, you tin inactive dainty yourself to a better-looking representation with a fewer clicks of the remote.

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