Samsung Q50/Q50R QLED Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the Samsung 32" Q50R (QN32Q50R), which is the only size available at this time. These settings should apply to most types of content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which require a few additional changes, listed below.

One of the first things we did was disable all of the Eco Solution options, as we don't want the TV to adjust the image during testing.

For SDR content, there are four preset picture modes. We recommend choosing the 'Movie' picture mode, as it is the most accurate one out of the box and allows for the most customization. From the Expert Settings menu, we recommend leaving the contrast at '45', brightness at '0', and sharpness at '0'. We also left Color at the default value of '25', and Tint (G/R) at '0'. Finally, we chose the 'Warm2' Color Tone, as it was closest to our calibration targets. We set the Gamma to '2.2', as that is closest to our calibration target.

To make the image brighter in SDR, you should adjust the Backlight depending on your specific viewing conditions. Changing this setting does not have any impact on the overall picture quality. The Brightness setting is a picture adjustment setting, and we do not recommend adjusting it.

As we aim for an image that is as close as possible to the content creator's intent, we disable most image processing options, including Digital Clean View, Auto Motion Plus, and Contrast Enhancer. You should adjust these to your personal preference, though.

HDR is automatically enabled for the native apps. When you start playing HDR content, a small HDR icon appears next to the picture mode on the quick settings menu. Once you start playing HDR content, some of the settings change automatically, including the Backlight, which increases to 'Max'. We recommend leaving these settings to their default settings in HDR.

For HDR to work from external devices, Input Signal Plus usually has to be enabled from the External Device Manager menu for the input you are using. Older devices may have compatibility issues if this option is left enabled, so it is recommended to only enable this setting for devices that require it.

If you find HDR content too dim, set Contrast Enhancer to 'High'.

Although we disable most motion enhancing functions for most of our tests, you should adjust these to whatever looks best for you. Some settings may need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

Although we usually leave these settings disabled during most of our testing, you should adjust the settings in the Auto Motion Plus Settings menu to your liking, as different people prefer different levels of motion interpolation. If you want to enable motion interpolation, set Auto Motion Plus to 'Custom,' and adjust the Judder Reduction slider for low frame rate content, like Blu-Ray movies. The LED Clear Motion setting controls the Q50R's Black Frame Insertion feature. Most of these settings will need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

The Samsung Q50R can't remove judder from any source, unfortunately.

From the base SDR and HDR settings, very few changes are required for a great gaming experience. When you start gaming, it is best to enable Game Mode from the General settings tab in order to get the lowest input lag, and use the recommended settings for SDR or HDR. For HDR gaming, it is important to make sure that Input Signal Plus is enabled for the input you are using.

Unfortunately, unlike most Samsung TVs, the Q50R doesn't support FreeSync.

The Q50R will usually detect when it is connected to a PC, and will automatically enter PC mode, to ensure proper chroma 4:4:4 support. You can also manually enable PC mode by changing the input icon to 'PC.' In PC mode, some settings are disabled, including many picture settings, and there are only two Picture Modes: 'Standard,' and 'Dynamic.' For low input lag in 'PC' mode, Game Mode must also be enabled.