Samsung Q70D [Q70, Q72D] QLED Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the 65-inch Samsung Q70D (QN65Q70DAFXZA), but they're also valid for the 55-inch (QN55Q70DAFXZA), 75-inch (QN75Q70DAFXZA), and 85-inch (QN85Q70DAFXZA) models. These settings apply to most types of content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which require a few additional changes, listed below.

These settings are meant to provide a starting point; they're not meant to be copied 1:1. They provide the most accurate image in a moderately lit room, but you should adjust them to match your preferences and viewing conditions.

For SDR content, a few different preset picture modes are available to choose from. The 'Movie' picture mode delivers the most accurate image out of the box and allows for the most customization, so we used it for our calibration and all SDR content. If you prefer a brighter image, the 'Dynamic' preset is a bit brighter overall but less accurate.

From the Expert Settings menu, the Brightness setting controls the intensity of the backlight. You should adjust this to your viewing conditions and personal preferences. Changing this setting has no impact on the overall picture quality. If you have the Brightness Optimization setting enabled from the Power and Energy Saving menu, this setting will adjust automatically depending on the level of ambient light in your room.

We left Contrast at '45' and set Sharpness to '5.' 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's closest to our calibration target of 6500K. If you're not satisfied with the picture quality of your set, adjusting the Color Tone is a good place to start. We set the Gamma to '2.2,' as that's also closest to our calibration target for a moderately lit room. You should adjust that setting to your viewing conditions.

As we aim for the most accurate image possible, we left Contrast Enhancer disabled for our testing. We also left the Shadow Detail setting at '0,' as that's the most neutral setting. If you find that the TV is crushing details in shadows or boosting shadows too much, you should adjust these settings to your personal preference.

HDR is automatically enabled for native apps. When you start playing HDR content, a small HDR icon appears next to the picture mode on the quick settings menu, and some of the settings change automatically, including Brightness, which increases to 'Max.' We left all the picture settings at their defaults in HDR, but you should adjust them to whatever looks best. In HDR, the 'FILMMAKER MODE' HDR Picture Mode delivers the most accurate image overall, as it best tracks the PQ EOTF. This ensures that most content is displayed at the brightness level the content creator intended.

It's usually best to leave Color Space set to 'Auto,' as the TV automatically chooses the color gamut to match the content. We also left HDR Tone Mapping at 'Static' as this setting best tracks the PQ EOTF, but you can set this to 'Active' if you want a brighter overall image.

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.

The following are the results of calibrating the white balance of our unit to 6500K in HDR. They are provided for reference and shouldn't be copied as the calibration values vary per individual unit, even for the same model and size as the TV we reviewed, due to manufacturing tolerances. If you want to try them, you'll need to enter all values shown, as all of them are active at the same time. If you have worse picture quality, simply reset them to the default values.

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

Although we usually leave these settings disabled during most of our testing, you should adjust the settings in the Picture Clarity Settings menu to your liking, as different people prefer different levels of motion interpolation. If you want to enable motion interpolation, set Picture Clarity to 'Custom,' and adjust the Judder Reduction and Blur Reduction sliders to taste. The LED Clear Motion setting controls the black frame insertion feature on the Samsung Q70D. Most of these settings will need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you're watching.

The Samsung Q70D automatically removes judder from the native apps, requiring no additional settings. Unfortunately, it doesn't remove judder from any external sources, regardless of the settings used.

Very few changes are required for a great gaming experience from the base SDR and HDR settings. When you start gaming, enabling Game Mode from the Game Mode Settings tab in the External Device Manager is best to get the lowest input lag and use the same settings for SDR or HDR.

The Samsung Q70D supports low latency motion interpolation, which improves motion on low frame rate games. The options are almost identical to the Motion Interpolation settings. To enable motion interpolation in Game Mode, enable Game Motion Plus, and adjust the sliders to your preference. The Blur Reduction setting adjusts the interpolation of high frame rate content (60 fps and higher), and the Judder Reduction slider adjusts the interpolation of low frame rate content (30 fps). The Clear motion setting enables the black frame insertion feature.

The Samsung Q70D usually automatically detects when it's connected to a PC and enters 'PC' mode to ensure proper chroma 4:4:4 support, which is essential for clear text from a PC. You can manually change the Source from the home menu to 'PC on TV.'

The Samsung Q70D supports both ARC and eARC, allowing it to pass high-quality audio from a connected source through to a connected soundbar or home theater receiver. To use it, you must set the HDMI eARC Mode to 'Auto' and Digital Output Audio Format to 'Pass-Through.'

If you notice any delay between the action on-screen and the audio, you may need to adjust the Digital Output Audio Delay setting. The setting needed varies depending on the audio device, so you'll have to play with the setting to get the audio to match. For eARC devices, this should adjust automatically, but you might still need to adjust it.

From the Power and Energy Saving menu, we left everything disabled, as we don't want the screen to change while taking measurements. There are a few helpful settings here that you may wish to enable, though. The Brightness Optimization feature automatically adjusts the brightness level based on the ambient light level in your room, so if you watch at night, it automatically dims the TV from your daytime viewing setting. If this setting is enabled, you can set a minimum brightness level by adjusting the Minimum Brightness setting.

The Brightness Reduction and Motion Lighting settings are power-saving modes. Again, we left these disabled, but if you want to limit the power consumption of the TV, these settings help.

The Samsung Q70D has a huge selection of accessibility features. It supports automatic closed captioning, high contrast mode, and even grayscale mode, just to name a few. There's also an option to disable the picture entirely, leaving the audio, which is great if you want to listen to music and don't need the screen on.