LCD TV Reviews

In the past we've been reluctant to provide the precise settings we have determined to produce the best image. There are good reasons for such reluctance. But readers have been asking for it, so this information is shown here.

Keep in mind, however, that unit-to-unit sample variations, the viewing environment, and the source might render these recommendations less than optimum. So we strongly recommend that you confirm the results on your sample by using one of the many display setup DVDs that are available. This will help you to set up the user video controls correctly, and get as close as possible to an optimum picture short of a full calibration. The latter is best left to a trained and properly equipped technician, such as those trained and certified by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF).

In my case, all of the settings shown here were obtained in as dark a room as I could manage. A darkened room—variations in wall reflections aside—is as close as we can come to an environment the reader can duplicate. In the case of the Samsung, if you find a need for a brighter image with the room lights on, I suggest that you start by first increasing the backlight control.

I found that even an increase of a single step on the brightness setting shown above could raise the black level enough to make the screen visible on a video black image even in a darkened room, though just barely.

And you might find, as I did, that you will get this slightly lighter video black when you set up the black (brightness) level using the PLUGE with gray scale pattern (such as on Digital Video Essentials chapter 12-2) that most of us use for black level setup. I had to use a PLUGE with a 5% gray window (from the 1280x720 section on the Digital Video Essentials HD DVD) to get the complete fade-to-black result described in the review. That's the setting shown above.

Which is correct? That's a philosophical discussion for another time, but I would argue, at least for now, that a setting made by using the PLUGE with 5% window pattern may be more effective for very dark scenes.

All of this, of course, assumes that you're using the picture settings shown above, and in particular that you avoid the black level "enhancements" offered in the menus.

Mode: Movie
Contrast: 90
Brightness: 46
Sharpness: 25
Color: 50
Tint: R56/G44
Backlight: 3
Color Tone: Warm2
Size: Just Scan (16:9 for 480i and 480p sources)
Digital NR: Off
Active Color and DNIe: N/A in Movie Mode
LED SmartLighting: On
Detailed Settings
Black Adjust: Off
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Gamma: -1 to +1 0 (see text)
Color Space: Auto
White Balance:
Offset - R17, G16, B15
Gain - R14, G12, B12
My Color Control: All 15 (centered)
Edge Enhancement: Off
xvYCC: Off
LED Motion Plus: Off
Film Mode: On
Energy Saving: Low
HDMI Black Level: Normal