Samsung accused of altering TV behavior to look better in benchmarks
Samsung has been accused of benchmark manipulation by two TV testers. The tech megacorp has found itself in hot water regarding benchmarking, and not for the first time, after some of its TVs have been seen to alter brightness when certain criteria are met.
According to testing carried out by YouTuber HDTVTest(opens in new tab) on the Samsung S95B QD OLED, and by website FlatpanelsHD(opens in new tab) on the QN95B QLED, these two 4K HDR TVs run differently under certain test conditions compared to how they perform in everyday use.
HDTV explains it well in reference to the S95B: it comes down to the TV accurately matching luminance, EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function), and colour when using certain test window sizes (5%, 10%, 20%) most often used for benchmarking and certification. But when using non-standard window sizes to test, or when using the screen for normal day-to-day viewing, it doesn't offer as accurate a picture as it seems. This can lead to an over-brightened picture.
This accuracy is important for matching the reference HDR image on the TV, rather than boosting colours or brightness where they shouldn't be.
These aren't cheapo TVs, either. These models range from $2,000−$6,000.
FlatpanelsHD experienced similar behaviour on the QN95B, and reached out to Samsung Korea for comment.
«Samsung remains committed to relentless innovation to provide the best picture quality to our consumers,» it says. «To provide a more dynamic viewing experience for the consumers, Samsung will provide a software update that ensures consistent brightness of HDR contents across a wider range of window size beyond the industry standard.»
Samsung is addressing what it sees as a confirmed issue with HDR content across various window
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