This thread is specifically for late 2015-2016 4K sets that accept and display HDR inputs, yet lack the dynamic screen contrast or full 10bit wide color gamut to display the 1000 nits that HDR is meant to display.
Off the top of my head, this should apply to some Vizio, LG, and Samsung sets.
Since we all know going into this thread that our tvs will not be able to display the HDR image perfectly, yet can still process it nonetheless, we can use this to share settings for our specific models to get as great of an image as possible -- or alternatively, determine if that specific model isn't worth using the HDR mode on at all.
I'll go first. 2016 Samsung sets come in 2 flavors - 4K UHD intended for mid range to budget, and 4K "SUHD" which basically is their higher end tvs that sport some additional features, such as dynamic lighting across the screen and a higher overall peak brightness rating.
The reason why this is so important specifically is because of what a tremendous value their 2016 "UHD" sets offered in comparison to their "SUHD" sets. For the size I wanted, specifically 65 inch, a UHD with proper settings would be just as good for basically 90 percent of content I display on it. Specifically the KU6300 series had tremendous sales on Black Friday. I'm assuming a number of you have this set as well, so let's jump right in for this specific model.
In short: there is no easy answer. HDR is accepted, but you have to fiddle around a lot to make it look "correct." Colors are definitely different, and when you get it right the HDR version is without question superior in my opinion. The rays of light in Last of Us Remastered for example, are more of a natural yellowish/orange during sunset that cast light reflections on buildings. The SDR mode looks dull in comparison, with a darker orangish ray of light in the abandoned school scene, lacking the bright light reflections across the buildings. You don't need 1000 nit tv to see the different voice in color palate here.
KU6300 settings I use:
- First and foremost, all 2016 Samsung sets have a glitch of some sort where, when displaying in game mode, the screen settings between HDR and regular content do not discreetly switch automatically. As you may or may not know, certain screen settings need to be radically altered to make the image look "right" in HDR. So, I'm going to share my settings for both
Regular Content:
Backlight: Anywhere from 5-15 (this one above all else is personal preference and modified based on the lighting of your room)
Brightness: 45. Default setting that will bring you closest to native image.
Contrast: 85. Best setting in my experience based on hours and hours of testing
Color: 50. Default
Sharpness: 0. The lower, the closer you are to showing the native. Default is 50 and you'll see right away that the image is too grainy and has a post processed look.
All motion settings should be greyed out if you are in Game mode. All they do is add post processing which increases input lag.
HDMI Black level should be Auto. Default is "Normal" for some reason which can conflict with the console's settings.
Dynamic Contrast off. Just distorts the native image.
Color tone: Standard. Closer to native, which is what I'm striving for
Color space: Native
Those are the game changer settings. The rest I leave at default, but anyone is welcome to add suggestions or their own personal preferences.
Now for HDR. To even get it working on a Samsung TV, HDMI UHD color should be selected to on in the tv picture settings. For all UHD sets, only HDMI 1 supports this. Meaning if you want HDR on both your PS4 Pro or Xbox one S, you gotta manually switch out or buy an hdmi switched that supports HDCP 2.2
Once that's done here are my discreet settings I recommend for HDR content:
Backlight: 20. Been discussed many times, but in short HDR is meant to have higher highs and lower lows, so a max brightness is needed to prevent it from looking too dark. If set correctly, the image should look more natural as opposed to bright as fuck.
Brightness 45. Default seems closest to native
Contrast: 100. All related to the higher highs/lower lows, a maxed out contrast will get you closest to what the HDR image is supposed to show.
Color: 55. Here's where more tweaking is going to be more dependent on your personal preference. If left at a default "native" 50, the color will be slightly washed out looking. I'm assuming this stems from the fact that these sets are not rated for the full wider color gamut and therefore the set isn't exactly on the mark with what the PS4 is trying to display. Use the home menu as a baseline. With color pushed up to 55 or even 60, you'll get that solid shade of blue in the background that doesn't look washed out. Still tweaking here
Balance and the rest I leave at default. Any tweaks I made only left me with a worse picture.
Dynamic contrast. This is a tricky one because setting this to low instantly brightens up the image, which helps darker HDR games like ratchet or First Light. However, what I've found is it's actually distorting the image even more. Once again using the PS4 menu as a baseline, setting the tv to Dynamic Contrast low or higher completely washes out the native colors of the menu. I recommend leaving it off.
Color tone: Standard
Color space: Native
What do you guys with this set, or similar, think? It's not easy because even if the image still isn't perfect, the HDR mode of every game I've tried simply looks more sharp compared to the SDR.
Off the top of my head, this should apply to some Vizio, LG, and Samsung sets.
Since we all know going into this thread that our tvs will not be able to display the HDR image perfectly, yet can still process it nonetheless, we can use this to share settings for our specific models to get as great of an image as possible -- or alternatively, determine if that specific model isn't worth using the HDR mode on at all.
I'll go first. 2016 Samsung sets come in 2 flavors - 4K UHD intended for mid range to budget, and 4K "SUHD" which basically is their higher end tvs that sport some additional features, such as dynamic lighting across the screen and a higher overall peak brightness rating.
The reason why this is so important specifically is because of what a tremendous value their 2016 "UHD" sets offered in comparison to their "SUHD" sets. For the size I wanted, specifically 65 inch, a UHD with proper settings would be just as good for basically 90 percent of content I display on it. Specifically the KU6300 series had tremendous sales on Black Friday. I'm assuming a number of you have this set as well, so let's jump right in for this specific model.
In short: there is no easy answer. HDR is accepted, but you have to fiddle around a lot to make it look "correct." Colors are definitely different, and when you get it right the HDR version is without question superior in my opinion. The rays of light in Last of Us Remastered for example, are more of a natural yellowish/orange during sunset that cast light reflections on buildings. The SDR mode looks dull in comparison, with a darker orangish ray of light in the abandoned school scene, lacking the bright light reflections across the buildings. You don't need 1000 nit tv to see the different voice in color palate here.
KU6300 settings I use:
- First and foremost, all 2016 Samsung sets have a glitch of some sort where, when displaying in game mode, the screen settings between HDR and regular content do not discreetly switch automatically. As you may or may not know, certain screen settings need to be radically altered to make the image look "right" in HDR. So, I'm going to share my settings for both
Regular Content:
Backlight: Anywhere from 5-15 (this one above all else is personal preference and modified based on the lighting of your room)
Brightness: 45. Default setting that will bring you closest to native image.
Contrast: 85. Best setting in my experience based on hours and hours of testing
Color: 50. Default
Sharpness: 0. The lower, the closer you are to showing the native. Default is 50 and you'll see right away that the image is too grainy and has a post processed look.
All motion settings should be greyed out if you are in Game mode. All they do is add post processing which increases input lag.
HDMI Black level should be Auto. Default is "Normal" for some reason which can conflict with the console's settings.
Dynamic Contrast off. Just distorts the native image.
Color tone: Standard. Closer to native, which is what I'm striving for
Color space: Native
Those are the game changer settings. The rest I leave at default, but anyone is welcome to add suggestions or their own personal preferences.
Now for HDR. To even get it working on a Samsung TV, HDMI UHD color should be selected to on in the tv picture settings. For all UHD sets, only HDMI 1 supports this. Meaning if you want HDR on both your PS4 Pro or Xbox one S, you gotta manually switch out or buy an hdmi switched that supports HDCP 2.2
Once that's done here are my discreet settings I recommend for HDR content:
Backlight: 20. Been discussed many times, but in short HDR is meant to have higher highs and lower lows, so a max brightness is needed to prevent it from looking too dark. If set correctly, the image should look more natural as opposed to bright as fuck.
Brightness 45. Default seems closest to native
Contrast: 100. All related to the higher highs/lower lows, a maxed out contrast will get you closest to what the HDR image is supposed to show.
Color: 55. Here's where more tweaking is going to be more dependent on your personal preference. If left at a default "native" 50, the color will be slightly washed out looking. I'm assuming this stems from the fact that these sets are not rated for the full wider color gamut and therefore the set isn't exactly on the mark with what the PS4 is trying to display. Use the home menu as a baseline. With color pushed up to 55 or even 60, you'll get that solid shade of blue in the background that doesn't look washed out. Still tweaking here
Balance and the rest I leave at default. Any tweaks I made only left me with a worse picture.
Dynamic contrast. This is a tricky one because setting this to low instantly brightens up the image, which helps darker HDR games like ratchet or First Light. However, what I've found is it's actually distorting the image even more. Once again using the PS4 menu as a baseline, setting the tv to Dynamic Contrast low or higher completely washes out the native colors of the menu. I recommend leaving it off.
Color tone: Standard
Color space: Native
What do you guys with this set, or similar, think? It's not easy because even if the image still isn't perfect, the HDR mode of every game I've tried simply looks more sharp compared to the SDR.
