Samsung Q80/Q80A QLED Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the Samsung 55 inch Q80A (QN55Q80A), and we expect them to be valid for the 65 inch model (QN65Q80A), 75 inch model (QN75Q80A), and the 85 inch model (QN85Q80A). These settings should apply to most content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which need a few additional changes, listed below.

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

For SDR content, there are five preset picture modes. We recommend choosing the 'Movie' picture mode, as it's 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,' and Sharpness at '0.' We also kept 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 Brightness setting depending on your specific viewing conditions. Changing this setting doesn't impact the overall picture quality as it increases the backlight intensity.

As we aim for an image that's as close as possible to the content creator's intent, we disable most image processing options, including Contrast Enhancer. You should adjust these to your personal preference, though. However, Local Dimming is the one setting we leave on 'High' because this increases both the brightness and contrast ratio.

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, and we recommend leaving the Picture Mode on 'Movie HDR'. Once you start playing HDR content, some settings change automatically, including the Brightness, 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 we recommend only enabling this setting for devices that require it.

If you find HDR content too dim, set Contrast and Brightness to maximum, set ST.2084 to maximum, and 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 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', adjust the Judder Reduction for 30fps content, and Blur Reduction for 60fps content. The LED Clear Motion setting controls the Samsung Q80A's Black Frame Insertion feature. Most of these settings will need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

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

The Samsung Q80A supports low latency motion interpolation, great for improving motion on low frame rate games. To enable motion interpolation in Game mode, enable Game Motion Plus, and adjust the sliders to your preference. The Judder Reduction slider adjusts the interpolation of low frame rate content (30fps), and Blur Reduction is for 60fps games. As mention before, the LED Clear Motion setting enables the Black Frame Insertion feature.

The Samsung Q80A supports FreeSync VRR natively, and it automatically works with compatible devices when you enable Game Mode. There's a 'Game Bar' feature that you can use to check if VRR is enabled; you can display it by pressing the Play/Pause button on the remote for a few seconds. You can also see other info with it.

The Samsung Q80A will usually detect when it's 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: 'Entertain,' and 'Graphic.'

When watching lower resolution content, the upscaling method may need to be adjusted depending on the specific format. You can adjust the screen position, zoom, and picture size from the Picture Size Settings sub-menu.