Samsung Q80C [Q80, Q80CD] QLED Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the 65-inch Samsung Q80C (QN65Q80CAFXZA​), but they're also valid for the 55-inch (QN55Q80CAFXZA), 75-inch (QN75Q80CAFXZA), 85-inch (QN85Q80CAFXZA), and 98-inch (QN98Q80CAFXZA) models. The 50-inch model (QN50Q80CAFXZA) doesn't have the same list of gaming features, so the gaming settings are different on that size. These settings apply to most types of content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which requires 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 dark 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 that's what we used for our calibration and all SDR content. If you prefer a brighter image, the 'Dynamic' preset is slightly 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 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'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 dark 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 'Movie' HDR Picture Mode delivers the most accurate image overall, as it tracks the PQ EOTF the best.

It's usually best to leave Color Space set to 'Auto', as the TV automatically chooses the color gamut to match the content. On the Samsung Q80C, though, this setting isn't working correctly, so you should switch to 'Native' if you start watching HDR content. If you notice any clipping or oversaturated colors, change it back to 'Auto'.

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 same 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 simultaneously. 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 Blur Reduction for content that's 60fps or higher and the Judder Reduction slider for low frame rate content, like Blu-Ray movies. The LED Clear motion setting controls the backlight strobing, or black frame insertion, feature on the Samsung Q80C. Most of these settings must be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

The Samsung Q80C removes judder from all sources without enabling additional settings. A Film Mode setting in the Expert Settings menu is also available with component and interlaced (480i, 1080i) sources. This doesn't remove judder but instead uses a form of frame blending.

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 then use the same settings for SDR or HDR.

Included in the Game Mode Settings menu is the Dynamic Black Equalizer, which is similar to the Black Stabilization feature found on many gaming monitors and is designed to make it easier to spot objects or players hiding in shadows by adjusting the gamma. You should adjust this setting to whatever looks best to you, and it may need to be adjusted depending on the specific game and level you are playing.

This TV supports FreeSync, HDMI Forum VRR, and G-SYNC Compatible variable refresh rate technology. It's enabled automatically when the TV is in 'Game' mode.

The Samsung Q80C 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 LED Clear motion setting enables the backlight strobing, or black frame insertion, feature.

The Samsung Q80C 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'. Even though this TV displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, text isn't clear due to the unusual subpixel structure, and Windows ClearType settings can't correct for this. To get a low input lag in 'PC' mode, you must also enable Game Mode.

The Samsung Q80C supports both ARC and eARC, allowing it to pass high-quality audio from a connected source 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'.

You may need to adjust the Digital Output Audio Delay setting if you notice any delay between the action on-screen and the audio. 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 Intelligent Mode Settings menu, we enabled the Adaptive Sound+ setting for our sound testing, as it's part of the TV's room correction feature, which adapts the TV's sound equalization to suit your room. Depending on your room, you may have better sound quality with this enabled.

We disabled Adaptive Volume for our testing, but if you find that commercials are louder than the content you're watching, this setting can even things out for you. We also disabled Adaptive Picture, which adjusts the TV's brightness to your room's lighting using a built-in light sensor, as we don't want the brightness to change with different content.

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 Q80C has a huge selection of accessibility features. It supports automatic closed captioning, high contrast mode, or even grayscale mode, 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.

This TV supports Bixby, Google Assistant, and Alexa voice assistants, but you can only have one active at a time. You can adjust the wake word for each assistant and specific settings for some. It also supports pass-through to a connected soundbar if your soundbar supports this feature.