Samsung QE75Q950R: Samsung's 8K TV improves

Presentation

Like its big brother, the Samsung QE75Q950R television has a 10-inch VA panel 100/120 Hz of 75 inches (≈190 cm) displaying a native 8K Ultra definition of 7,680 x 4,320 px. It uses the same Full Led backlighting system composed of 480 distinct zones, and above all it adopts the new filter allowing to reduce reflections and improve the viewing angles already at work on the Samsung QE65Q85R. Samsung announces a very high brightness peak of 4,000 cd / m², identical to that of the Q900R. It is compatible with HDR10, HDR10 + (competing standard of Dolby Vision carried by Samsung) and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma). The audio part is also identical to that of the Q9F and Q900R. It is a 4.2 system delivering 60 W. Finally, the Tizen in-house operating system animates the whole with henceforth AirPlay 2 compatibility and the presence of the Apple TV application allowing access to the iTunes catalog.

This Samsung QE75Q950R TV is sold for around € 7,000. It is also available in a 55-inch version (≈140 cm / QE55Q950R) for € 3,300, 65 inches (≈165 cm / QE65Q950R) around € 5,000 and 98 inches (≈249 cm / QE98Q900R) for the sum of 70,000 €. If the 65 inch model is not really of interest, either in terms of resolution or size / price ratio, the 75 inch model is in direct competition with Oled 77 inch televisions like the Sony KD-77AG9 sold € 8,000 or the LG 77C9 at the same price.

NB: All the brightness and colorimetric measurements mentioned in this article were carried out with a SpectraCal C6-HDR probe and the CalMAN Ultimate software.

Recommended article: OLED vs QLED: more different technologies than it seems.

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Image quality

The Samsung 75Q950R has an 8K Ultra panel that uses the same anti-reflection filter as the new Qled Q85R and 90R from Samsung. Because of this, it is very difficult to take pictures of the sub-pixels. The only image we were able to draw from it actually shows that it is a VA panel (the sub-pixels are crossed out with a cross characteristic of this technology). We find a very good native contrast at the expense of viewing angles which are more limited than on an Oled TV. However, the filter used by Samsung significantly improves the viewing angles compared to the Q900R. We had thus measured a loss of brightness of up to 54% at 45 ° on the sides on the Q900R, it is limited to 40% at 45 ° on the Q950R. This gain may seem anecdotal, but it is very real and allows to widen the angles of vision. As on the Q900R, the very high brightness of the panel allows the television to be placed in a very bright room without difficulty, a criterion which distinguishes it from the Oled models.

This Samsung QE75Q950R television delivers an excellent image in cinema mode. We measured the average delta E at only 1.6, a value below the threshold of 3 below which the human eye no longer perceives a difference between the colors displayed and the ideal colors. Rare thing at Samsung, no value exceeds a delta E of 3 and all the colors can be considered as faithful to the source.

The gamma curve is very well managed, even with the use of a dynamic backlight system that is impossible to disengage. We measured an average of 2.25 with the gamma manually set to 2.2. The default gamma was a little too much above the reference value, we prefer this one in SDR.

The color temperature is simply perfect with an average measured at 6,250 K fairly close to the 6,500 K reference and above all a perfectly stable curve over the entire spectrum.

The Full Led backlight system works very well and provides virtually endless contrast. On the other hand, if you force the panel to use the backlight, you can measure the native contrast whose rate here stands at 7,420: 1. This contrast value is obtained with a white at 169 cd / m² on the target at 35% and at 112 cd / m² on the target at 1% white, which results in an average of 140 cd / m² on the white and 0.02 cd / m² on black. On the 35% target, the contrast is 10,550: 1. In practice, the contrast is excellent and the new filter used by Samsung further enhances this contrast. The TV produces very deep blacks. The pumping effect is much less present than on the Q900R.

The scaling engine used by Samsung is very effective with Ultra HD content. The latter have enough detail to allow gaining precision. The Ultra HD image is thus more detailed than the native version, because the engine tries to increase the sharpness and the microcontrast.

With Full HD content, the TV does not have enough information to render the details, but the scaling is generally satisfactory.

Things get spoiled with SD content (480p) and the 8K Ultra panel brings nothing here at all. The image remains generally blurred and the scaling engine can do nothing about it.

The 8K Ultra panel coupled to the AI 8K engine from Samsung works very well on this TV and brings sharpness to Ultra HD content. The large screen size (75 inches) associated with this sharpness enhances the depth of field and the objects in the foreground sometimes appear in relief. We used this TV for a little over two weeks and the quality is no problem with a recoil of only 1.5 m, less than the diagonal of the screen (190 cm). Even with more distance, between 2 m and 3 m, the eye perceives a gain. Beyond that, there is not much interest. As with the Q900R, the 65-inch model - the Samsung QE65Q950R - doesn't seem very interesting to us. In this diagonal, it is better to choose a high-performance Ultra HD model (an Oled TV, a Samsung Q90R or a Sony ZG9). More generally, the 8K Ultra definition is only of interest on very large TVs whose diagonal is equal to or greater than 75 inches (190 cm). Currently, a 55 or 65 inch model in Ultra HD offers an already sufficient resolution with a conventional recoil (1.5 to 2 times the diagonal of the screen). Remember that there is still no native 8K Ultra content in Europe. Only NHK's Japanese channel BS8K broadcasts 8K content on the satellite in Japan.

The AutoMotion Plus motion compensation system is efficient and helps to produce - thanks to the 120 Hz panel - a sharp image in motion. The rendering with setting AutoMotion Plus to "Automatic" is good, but it is preferable to use the custom settings in order to limit the camcorder effect. The TV also offers a Clear Motion Led backlight scan whose image flicker is visible.

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HDR

The Samsung QE75Q950R television is compatible with the HDR10, HDR10 + and HLG formats. It ignores the Dolby Vision promoted by Dolby.

As on the Q900R, the maximum brightness can reach 4,000 cd / m² in standard mode, but the EOTF curve is then not respected. In Cinema mode, we measured a light peak at 1,500 cd / m², lower than that measured on the Q900R which could reach 2,280 cd / m². The brightness peak remains twice as high as that of the Oled models, which rises around 750 cd / m².

The TV perfectly follows the EOTF curve of reference in yellow up to 65% of luminance, then it smooths the signal until reaching the maximum capacities of the TV.

HDR Cinema mode provides the best color rendering. The average delta E is measured at 3 and the colors of the HDR mode can - for the most part - be considered as faithful to the source.

The Samsung QE75Q950R television only covers 69% of the color space. We are still far from 100%, but this is the case for all televisions on the market, including the Oled models which do not exceed 70% or 71%.

More interesting, the Q950R displays 91% of the DCI-P3 color space. This space is notably used in the cinema and by Ultra HD Blu-ray.

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Video games

The Samsung QE75Q950R has an afterglow of only 11 ms. This is one of the best times recorded on an LCD TV, a bit better than that of the Q900R. In addition, this television has one of the best delays on the market. The 16 ms measured represent only one image of delay per second compared to the source (at 60 Hz). The action performed with the joystick is reflected almost instantly on the screen. All of this makes it a great companion for gaming. Samsung still offers the Motion Plus Games option which allows the motion compensation engine to be used in games at the cost of a slight increase in display delay (25, 8 ms). Finally, new for 2019, the Dynamic Black Equalizer function allows you to unblock dark areas. We then lose loyalty, but this is not the most important thing for competition.

The default rendering in HDR is quite good since the average delta E is 4.9. In SDR, the Delta E is 4.7. In all cases, you must go to the settings to change the color nuance to "Chaud2" and choose the automatic color space to find a temperature closer to 6,500 K and slightly more accurate colors.

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Clouding

The Full Led backlight system - and its 480 backlight zones - has already proven itself on the Samsung 65Q9FN and 75Q900R. The Q950R is currently the LCD TV that has more backlight areas. The risk of clouding (grayish cloud effect) is less than on an Edge Led model, because the filter - which can be damaged during transport - plays a less important role in the distribution of light. Finally, we did not notice any light leaks on our test model. Blooming (halo effect around luminous objects on a black background) is significantly reduced on this model compared to the Q900R thanks to a new processing algorithm and the new filter which limits light leakage off axis.

The average difference in uniformity of white across the entire screen is measured at only 12% - the eye does not detect anything below 20%. This is very good value for a 75 inch LCD TV, which is mainly explained by the use of a homogeneous Full Led backlight.

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Audio

If, on paper, the audio system of the Samsung Q950R is identical to that of the Q900R that we tested, it consists of four speakers and two subwoofers delivering a total power of 60 W. In fact, the audio system of our test model is a little behind compared to that of its predecessor. The frequency response curve is nowhere near as stable and the sound - even if it's good for a TV - could be better. Mediums are a bit muffled while low-mids are a little too present.

The television embeds an Intelligent audio mode which exploits a dynamic equalizer according to the contents viewed by the viewer. This mode uses the microphone of the remote control to calibrate the TV, which is already a guarantee of quality, but its operation did not convince us. As often, the dynamic equalizer is content to press the bass and treble by increasing the overall volume, and the final result is not necessarily more flattering. It is better to deactivate the Intelligent mode.

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Consumption

The backlight system consisting of 480 backlight zones consumes a lot of energy. The LEDs used are more powerful than on an Ultra HD model in order to let light pass through this panel, the pixel density of which is doubled. On our benchmark with a white calibrated at 150 cd / m², the Samsung QE75Q950R consumes 185 W, ie a relative consumption of 120 W / m², higher than that of the Q900R and that of an Oled TV. In comparison, the Samsung QE65Q9F is content with 75 W / m². The Samsung Q900R consumes much more than the models equipped with an Edge Led backlight system, such as the Sony KD-65XG8505, record-holder of the category with its 56 W / m², the Samsung QE55Q6FN (61 W / m²) or even the Sony KD-65XF9005 (71.3 W / m²). Standby consumption is always less than 1 W.

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Conclusion

The Samsung Qled QE75Q950R is an excellent LCD TV that displays a very well calibrated image whether in SDR or HDR. Compared to the Oled models, it is distinguished by a higher brightness peak and a very efficient anti-reflective filter which allow it to be installed in a very bright living room. If you use an Ultra HD source, this 8K panel and the scaling engine bring a gain of sharpness, but the native 8K contents are still non-existent and the scaling engine shows its limits with HD and SD content. This Samsung QE75Q950R television is a serious competitor of the Sony 77AG9 and LG 77C9 sold at the same price. In contrast, the 98-inch model, the Samsung QE98Q950R, is - pending the Sony ZG9 test - the best very large TV.

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