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[N1tr0sOx1d3]

Can´t tell how often I have watched the HDR channel and the 4k demo vids there and the picture is really "better" now, not a placebo. I trust my eyes There are many details from the top of my head like the sky from a Sony HDR vid or the ocean / fire effects which are "crisper" now.

In my case it´s really like the guy in the youtube vid tells when he shows the comparisons between the firmwares.

- I had massive black/grey banding and it´s *almost* gone, biggest improvement for me.
- Colours "pop" more, had to reduce gamma from 1 to 0 and reduce colour to 50 again (was 55)
- They somehow improved the Judder, not visible anymore (tested with Grand Tour, Episode 1, when people clapping), Sports and Judder tests on youtube.
- No more youtube bugs (videos "stacked" on top of each other)
- Light management is better, changing from light to dark is somewhat quicker, decrease in light bleeding.
- Bars are blacker when watching movies, looks perfect now



I use settings similar to the OP, no Dynamic Contrast or artificial stuff, but sharpness to 20 and I use the 10 point and colour settings from AVS (some user here posted them and I slightly altered them).

In UK and everything as posted above rings true for me also.

 

[MrNineties]

There are physical controls, just in case your remote goes MIA.

I had no idea this was a thing.

I'm shocked. TIL.

 

[Belker]

- I had massive black/grey banding and it´s *almost* gone, biggest improvement for me.

When you say 'banding' do you mean like in this picture?

http://www.avsforum.com/photopost/data/2327865/8/82/8266f3a2_2012-07-15_20-45-00_HDR.jpeg

If it is, I wonder what's going on. That kind of banding is a design flaw, so I'm trying to figure out how firmware could fix it.

If I paint grey and black bars on a window pane, then shine different brightnesses of light behind it, the bars will get equally brighter or darker with the light. The difference between them wouldn't change, right? Unless the TV could somehow detect it, but is that possible with a flaw like that?

 

[tootie923]

Would the 1201.6 firmware from UK site work on US KS8000?

I don't know for sure, but this poster says no. I'm not going to chance it.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-l...00-ks8500-owners-thread-286.html#post54625510

 

[De_Marco]

Hey Belker,
this is the gradient banding I am talking about. Looked liked that in dark movies too, it´s not only the amazon app.
I take pictures so you can see the difference, it really improved a lot and it baffles me how to do that with a different firmware.

Anyone still having problems with color banding? or maybe exchanged the set because of it?

The picture on my KS9000 (German 8090) looks great when I feed it 4k content (movies and PS4 games), almost no banding at all, even in dark scenes. It´s visible, but I *could* live with that.

However resolutions up to 1080p look really really horrible with that kind of banding. Also HDTV and especially menus like the amazon app launcher or (non 4k) movies that I stream via netflix and amazon, which I do a lot, have terrible banding in dark scenes.


Also last nights Blu Ray "Don´t Breathe" was unwatchable, it was dark most of the time and the banding was unbearable, felt like I was watching an old VHS tape or highly compressed YouTube video. But it also looked great again, when there was a "light source".
I tried every setting and I use the OP settings now on firmware 1154, but can´t get rid of the banding or even minimize it (only with brightness setting to "1") and I am pretty sure it´s the panel/motherboard itself and that no firmware could fix that.


So I really don´t know what to do now and if I go through all the hassle again with Samsung and the shop when I insist on another replacement set (wrote my story here with the first set).
But for 2000€ I can expect a working TV right?

The set is otherwise ok (and great at 4k) with minimal clouding and light bleed, so chances are, that I get a bigger lemon. I also don´t want to be without a TV again for 3 - 4 weeks. :/

4k is almost flawless though.

And here there are...it looks bright because of the lighting, almost no more banding and it´s the same in movies, too. Maybe that´s why I see such a drastic change in picture quality with this firmware.

 

[Gowans]

I’ve been having similar issues with the standard remote. I switched to the smart remote and it works fine. Could it be your batteries?

Yeah my other remote works. Might have to swap the batteries then.

Use the buttons on the tv.

It has buttons?

 

[Belker]

Hey Belker,
this is the gradient banding I am talking about. Looked liked that in dark movies too, it´s not only the amazon app.
I take pictures so you can see the difference, it really improved a lot and it baffles me how to do that with a different firmware.

Thanks for the photos. It really is looking better for you - that's impressive. I will see if it's improved on my TV, too.

I think when we're all discussing this, we might have to give some extra context sometimes. You're right that that is banding and it is really improved.

However for a lot of people banding also means, or might primarily mean, the big vertical grey bars.
That's why was a bit confused.

The shifting patterns you had on your TV beforehand weren't issues to do with the panel, but the big vertical bars are, I think. While it's impressive that the shifting patterns can be fixed, maybe that's to do with how it handle colour gradients or something.

Thanks again for the photos.

 

[philm87]

Yeah my other remote works. Might have to swap the batteries then.



It has buttons?

Yeah. Not that obvious, hid under the bottom at the front. Should be mentioned in the manual. There's an option in the settings to enable/disable them, though I'm not really sure why they need to be disabled.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I think when we're all discussing this, we might have to give some extra context sometimes. You're right that that is banding and it is really improved.

However for a lot of people banding also means, or might primarily mean, the big vertical grey bars.
That's why was a bit confused.

The technical term for what he is discussing is posterization.

 

[ss_lemonade]

Hey Belker,
this is the gradient banding I am talking about. Looked liked that in dark movies too, it´s not only the amazon app.
I take pictures so you can see the difference, it really improved a lot and it baffles me how to do that with a different firmware.

I noticed this yesterday, the banding is gone from the Amazon splashscreen and app backgrouds. The app might have just been updated though to fix those issues because I am still on 1180 with my US ks9000.

 

[Gorger]

Samsungnow with new calibration videos for the 1201.6 patch.


For Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A4gPLWRwdM

For Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aj7QuxK2oo

For Movies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc3jtT9D6pg&t

Gonna try them out later.

 

[Symphonia]

I was about to ask if the SamsungNow calibration settings are any good. I’m keen to see how they are for Netflix, etc as I rarely play my PS4 these days, but I don’t want to mess my settings up in case they suck.

 

[AndyD]

I've got to say the builtin Steamlink app is working quite well. Played some Mad Max over the weekend and it's a lot of fun and nearly perfect with a wireless controller.

 

[nekkid]

Yeah. Not that obvious, hid under the bottom at the front. Should be mentioned in the manual. There's an option in the settings to enable/disable them, though I'm not really sure why they need to be disabled.

Demo displays, most likely.

Surprised people didn't know these were there. I use it for powering on/off pretty frequently.

 

[mckmas8808]

Samsungnow with new calibration videos for the 1201.6 patch.


For Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A4gPLWRwdM

For Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aj7QuxK2oo

For Movies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc3jtT9D6pg&t

Gonna try them out later.

Are these good settings?

 

[Samus4145]

Still no update here in US for me.

 

[Belker]

The technical term for what he is discussing is posterization.

THanks for this. I didn't know the term before.

I tried watching The Addams Family on my PS4 earlier, using a streaming app, and the judder was worse than it's ever been, both with and without the judder reduction on. (I only saw the artifacts with it on however).

After switching to the TV's own app, the judder was gone even with the judder reduction turned off. Really weird.

 

[Heel]

I would take SamsungNow's calibration settings with a grain of salt. Don't agree with some stuff like dejudder and trying to use white point balance settings across different panels.

A source of news and an opinion on firmware, that's about it.

 

[Insane Metal]

@Samsungnow

Smart LED off for HDR? Wtf? That makes zero sense.

 

[Heel]

@Samsungnow

Smart LED off for HDR? Wtf? That makes zero sense.

Haha, really? Didn't watch the latest, but saw some questionable stuff in other vids.

Yeah, avoid.

 

[Symphonia]

I’ll keep the Rtings settings then.

Cheers.

 

[jfoul]

Hey Belker,
this is the gradient banding I am talking about. Looked liked that in dark movies too, it´s not only the amazon app.
I take pictures so you can see the difference, it really improved a lot and it baffles me how to do that with a different firmware.












And here there are...it looks bright because of the lighting, almost no more banding and it´s the same in movies, too. Maybe that´s why I see such a drastic change in picture quality with this firmware.

Finally! This shit was driving me up the wall. Any idea when this firmware might release in the US?

 

[Insane Metal]

Table with different settings for the KS8000 used by various sites: https://postimg.org/image/n61uafnhv/

 

[TMCN]

I've been out of the game for a little bit, bare with me.
This TV saving firmware version: 1201.6; I suppose the NA equivalent has not come out yet?


Also has anyone from Canada gotten the Steam link app yet? Valve said it had been released worldwide, but I'm not seeing it on smart hub. Anyway to force a smart hub update?

 

[meltingparappa]

This is blowing my mind.

I want to load up a save from the end of FFXV

Spoiler

final campfire cutscene

or Nier Automata

Spoiler

final credits

where the banding/polarization was crazyballs bad and see if it's any better.

 

[LastNac]

How do people feel about the digital foundry settings?

 

[Heel]

Table with different settings for the KS8000 used by various sites: https://postimg.org/image/n61uafnhv/

Should probably put this in the OP. It's at least ballpark useful to see a consensus on a particular setting.

Color balance, not so much.

 

[Sturtiebe]

What are now the best settings?

I like colour full picture in games.

My settings :
Backlight:7
Sharpness:7
Colour:50
Contrast:90

Smart LED:OFF
Dynamic Contract:OFF
Colour Space:AUTO
Gamma:-1
RGB:AUTO


Is this the best settings?

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Should probably put this in the OP. It's at least ballpark useful to see a consensus on a particular setting.

Color balance, not so much.

My gripe with that chart is that it has a row with "HDMI Black Level". That setting is entirely dependent on the source, and just having "Normal" in the chart is going to result in people complaining that it doesn't look right. The best value for that setting on a chart like this is "Auto", or even better "It Depends on the Source*" and there's a little asterisk at the bottom with a couple paragraphs explaining that confusing mess.

How do people feel about the digital foundry settings?

That's what I started with and I liked them but A) I've done a lot of tweaking since then, B) Those settings were from several firmwares ago, and C) My panel, your panel, and their panel are different, separated by days, weeks or months of manufacturing time, not to mention two different known factories. These settings are at best a starting point from which you will need to adjust to suit your own panel and preferences.

As a result, there are no "best settings" that you can get from the Internet. Just a good starting point. If you like certain settings, they are the best...for you and your panel.

 

[ss_lemonade]

This is blowing my mind.

I want to load up a save from the end of FFXV

Spoiler

final campfire cutscene

or Nier Automata

Spoiler

final credits

where the banding/polarization was crazyballs bad and see if it's any better.

My guess is that scene was a video and it's a video artifact problem since you could look up the same scene on youtube and see the same banding issues.

About the Amazon thing though, wouldn't that just be the app receiving an update or something that addressed the issue?

How do people feel about the digital foundry settings?

I have only read the article, haven't seen the video but one thing they haven't mentioned is to ensure that you use normal black level (TV) and full RGB (PS4) when dealing with a standard PS4 (note Standard, not Pro) and HDR games. This is only based on my experience though with my KS9000, where limited RGB would give me crushed blacks with HDR content, making some games extremely dark in HDR mode. I've seen similar reports from LG OLED users as well.

 

[Zantetsuken]

Hey Belker,
this is the gradient banding I am talking about. Looked liked that in dark movies too, it´s not only the amazon app.
I take pictures so you can see the difference, it really improved a lot and it baffles me how to do that with a different firmware.


And here there are...it looks bright because of the lighting, almost no more banding and it´s the same in movies, too. Maybe that´s why I see such a drastic change in picture quality with this firmware.

That's a pretty good improvement. Mine looks exactly like that so hopefully the update will come soon.

 

[Yoday]

It's getting rather frustrating that this update still isn't out in the US. Has there ever been a release gap this big?

 

[VincentMatts]

It's getting rather frustrating that this update still isn't out in the US. Has there ever been a release gap this big?

yeah its annoying, Samsung fucking suck at updates. Takes them FOREVER on every device. One of the reasons i despise buying samsung products.

 

[TMCN]

It's getting rather frustrating that this update still isn't out in the US. Has there ever been a release gap this big?

I feel ya man.

 

[Symphonia]

It's getting rather frustrating that this update still isn't out in the US. Has there ever been a release gap this big?

Now you know how us Brits feel when everyone gets other firmware updates months before us, ha.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Sorry, but every single picture quality upgrade after a patch turned out a placebo and I fail to see how this one ain't one either. My picture looks the exact same.

 

[dragonzdogma]

It's getting rather frustrating that this update still isn't out in the US. Has there ever been a release gap this big?

what is the new update supposed to do?

 

[Clutchman]

what is the new update supposed to do?

It should be coming within the next few days or it can be a couple of weeks. They usually roll them out fairly quick depending on the region you are in.

 

[TMCN]

It should be coming within the next few days or it can be a couple of weeks. They usually roll them out fairly quick depending on the region you are in.

Not quite the question, but still handy to know!

 

[vatstep]

Sorry, but every single picture quality upgrade after a patch turned out a placebo and I fail to see how this one ain't one either. My picture looks the exact same.

Yeah, I don't buy it. Unless you have two of the exact same panels side by side with different firmware installed, you can't do a true A-B comparison. And for that reason I think it's mostly a placebo effect.

 

[Heel]

Sorry, but every single picture quality upgrade after a patch turned out a placebo and I fail to see how this one ain't one either. My picture looks the exact same.

Yeah, I don't buy it. Unless you have two of the exact same panels side by side with different firmware installed, you can't do a true A-B comparison. And for that reason I think it's mostly a placebo effect.

I suppose it could work the other way around if you're pessimistic enough.

 

[Symphonia]

Yeah, I don't buy it. Unless you have two of the exact same panels side by side with different firmware installed, you can't do a true A-B comparison. And for that reason I think it's mostly a placebo effect.

 

[Caramello]

What are now the best settings?

I like colour full picture in games.

My settings :
Backlight:7
Sharpness:7
Colour:50
Contrast:90

Smart LED:OFF
Dynamic Contract:OFF
Colour Space:AUTO
Gamma:-1
RGB:AUTO


Is this the best settings?

I have the following.

Mode: Game Mode
Backlight: 20 if HDR, will change depending on room lighting otherwise.
Brightness: 45
Contrast: 100
Sharpness: 0
Colour: 50
Tint: 50

Smart LED: Off
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Colour Space: Auto
Gamma: -1

Also never use HDR+ mode. It's a fake HDR mode for video without HDR support in case you were unaware.

 

[LastNac]

I have only read the article, haven't seen the video but one thing they haven't mentioned is to ensure that you use normal black level (TV) and full RGB (PS4) when dealing with a standard PS4 (note Standard, not Pro) and HDR games. This is only based on my experience though with my KS9000, where limited RGB would give me crushed blacks with HDR content, making some games extremely dark in HDR mode. I've seen similar reports from LG OLED users as well.

It always tells me my black level is auto and it is grayed out.

 

[jfoul]

I'm having this weird issue where my tv won't turn off when I hit power off on the smart remote.

I have to keep unplugging it.

I was having issues with the remote not turning on my TV. The light would flash on the TV, but it wouldn't power on. I had to keep re-seating the remote batteries (And tried new batteries). Eventually I called Samsung, and they had me do a hardware reset on it, and it's worked fine since.

I think the process is

• Remove batteries
• Hold the power button on the remote for 8-10 seconds
• Re-insert batteries.

 

[vatstep]

I suppose it could work the other way around if you're pessimistic enough.

Well that's how I live my life.

But seriously, maybe I'm just not as sensitive to issues with PQ. For example I've never even bothered with any of the auto motion plus settings since judder is not something that bothers me or that I even notice.

 

[Syrus]

Id posterization is fixed and it wasnt an Amazon update then thats great.

Samsungnow claims the backlighting has improved too and less light bleed. Well see

 

[ss_lemonade]

To those excited about the upcoming update because of those Amazon app screenshots, have you even tried opening the app right now? Because I'm looking at it right now and I also do not see the awful banding/posterization/etc issue anymore on the splashscreen and backgrounds. It's been like this for a few days now and I'm still on 1180

It always tells me my black level is auto and it is grayed out.

Interesting. Do you have a standard PS4 too?

 

[Insane Metal]

People, smart LED needs to be on for HDR.

 

[MilkyJoe]

How do people feel about the digital foundry settings?

I use them, but with a few tweaks, I'd say they are a good starting point, then play around to your liking. 0 sharpness is not something I'd recommend though, have mine on 15.


Anyone else's Smart remote turn on their Xbox?