Samsung TV benchmark brouhaha: Scandalous cheating, or tempest in a teapot?

Two Television set overview web-sites, flatpanelshd and HDTVTest, have accused Samsung of manipulating the general performance of its TVs in get to deliver improved benchmark final results than they would usually be entitled. No just one likes cheating, but the query remains: Just how a great deal does it make any difference in this case?

Especially, Samsung stands accused of boosting brightness and colour to make HDR (significant dynamic range) information pop the bulk of the time the Tv set is in Filmmaker method, and then minimizing people values again to standard for particular exams that reviewers typically use to measure coloration and brightness. The full objective of Filmmaker mode, of study course, is to present visible material as correctly and as close to the artist’s intent as the Tv is able, so this type of tweaking in fact is not kosher.

All that stated, reviewers never rely entirely on benchmark quantities or take a look at devices to evaluate a TV’s impression high quality. We primarily rely on our eyeballs and use on benchmark numbers and machines readings to corroborate what we see. We want our ordeals, the information we collect, and the conclusions we make to jive with the activities that our visitors get when they depend on our thoughts to make buying decisions.

In this scenario, we observed the distinction in shade saturation and highlights in between two of the latest OLED TVs in our Samsung S95B assessment and our LG G2 Evo Gallery Version assessment. We preferred the S95B overall, even however the LG ended up getting the a lot more correct of the two. So, Samsung is fundamentally remaining accused of offering great image through improvement, but less than conditions that really don’t get in touch with for it. Most likely they must have only labeled these settings Vivid Filmmaker mode and identified as it a working day.

LG Electronics

A term from the defendant

At any rate, we attained out to Samsung for remark on this concern, and this was their reply:

“Samsung Electronics does not use any algorithm for the function of yielding unique examination final results. When tested below business specifications, findings from our individual exams, as perfectly as by an independent 3rd-occasion organization, display that HDR content is precisely shown on many window measurements, and not just at 10%.

“With Samsung’s marketplace-main Quantum HDR technology, the peak brightness also stays at identical concentrations across window measurements of 10% or smaller sized, with no damaging the panels. Samsung stays committed to providing the ideal photograph high quality to our people, and stands by our Television set goods which include Neo QLED Tv to present ideal-in-course viewing experiences.”

Samsung

Getting a expert cynic, I will have to take note that Samsung uses the present–not past–tense in that statement, and that it came after the maker rolled out a firmware update that promised to “fix the difficulty.” Remaining generous, I know Samsung is obsessed with brightness and detail, so I can picture scenarios the place one thing like this could possibly happen by incident or out of pure enthusiasm, as opposed to an intent to deceive reviewers.

That explained, I’m not questioning the motives of either HDTVTest or flatpanelshd, both. They saw what they saw, and I have a tough time not arriving at similar–if not the same–conclusions.

Base line: Must you treatment?

If you’re the sort of purchaser who likes to dig deep into Tv set technological know-how: calibration, excessive precision, creative intent and filmmaker manner, and the like, potentially you really should care. In that situation, seem to see if flatpanelshd and HDTVTest revise their testimonials when they’ve examined the Tv following applying Samsung’s firmware update.

If you’re a additional standard consumer who’s just on the lookout for a wonderful Television set viewing practical experience, it is probable that none of this will ultimately make any difference. Until, that is, you assume obtaining the S95B would reward Samsung’s potentially poor behavior. And getting explained that, we nonetheless think the Samsung S95B is a wonderful Tv set.