5 Samsung TV settings to change for the best possible picture

1. Turn off Eco Mode to restore brightness

Nearly all Samsung TVs ship with Eco Mode enabled by default. This feature limits power consumption by reducing the TV's brightness and contrast levels. While saving energy sounds beneficial, the actual savings are typically minimal.

To disable Eco Mode, press the gear button on your Samsung remote to access settings. Navigate to All Settings, General and Privacy, Power and Energy Saving, Energy Saving Solution. Then toggle Energy Saving Solution off. In all likelihood, you'll immediately notice the screen looks brighter and colors appear more vibrant.

2. Disable Brightness Optimization

While you're in the Power and Energy Saving menu, turn off Brightness Optimization as well. Modern Samsung TVs include optical sensors that detect ambient room lighting and automatically adjust screen brightness and color temperature accordingly.

In theory, this optimizes the picture for your environment. In practice, it often produces worse results, especially in rooms where lighting changes frequently throughout the day. If you're watching TV on a sunny day with clouds periodically blocking the sun, the constant brightness adjustments become distracting. Disabling this feature gives you consistent picture quality that you control manually.

Simply toggle Brightness Optimization off in the same menu where you disabled Eco Mode.

3. Choose Movie, Cinema or Filmmaker picture mode

Samsung's Movie, Cinema and Filmmaker picture modes provide more accurate color representation and reduce unnecessary image processing that can introduce artifacts or quality issues. These modes aim to display content as filmmakers and directors envisioned it.

To change this setting, go to All Settings, Picture, and Picture Mode. Then simply test these modes to see which you prefer. Avoid Dynamic mode (Samsung's version of Vivid mode), which makes colors overly intense and gives everything a harsh, artificial appearance.

Dynamic and Sports modes are designed for bright retail environments where TVs need to pop on display floors, not for comfortable home viewing.

4. Adjust brightness levels for SDR and HDR content separately

Finding ideal brightness depends on what type of content you're watching. SDR (standard dynamic range) and HDR (high dynamic range) content look best at different brightness levels, and Samsung TVs let you adjust each independently.

For SDR brightness, open any streaming app but don't start playing content yet. Go to All Settings, Picture, Expert Settings, and Brightness (on some Samsung models, this is under Picture Setup). Adjust the slider to your preferred level — this is subjective, so choose what looks comfortable to your eyes.

For HDR brightness, find HDR content first. YouTube TV labels many videos as HDR, or you can search "HDR video" on YouTube. With HDR content playing, go back to the same brightness menu and adjust the slider.

5. Experiment with Local Dimming settings

Local Dimming controls how your TV's backlight dims specific zones to improve contrast between bright and dark areas of the image. Samsung TVs offer three Local Dimming options: Low, Standard and High. Go to All Setting, Picture, Expert Settings, and Local Dimming to access this setting.

Low reduces the halo effect around bright objects against dark backgrounds but may not maximize contrast. High keeps bright areas punchy and vibrant, though it can occasionally produce slight halos around bright objects on dark backgrounds. Standard sits between these extremes.

Test all three options while watching content with both bright and dark scenes to determine which looks best to you.