2020 QLED T models (Q80T, Q90T, Q800T, Q900T) HDR game mode brightness / local dimming bug

[Rauttis]

I bought a Q80T a couple of days ago and have noticed a really annoying issue when using the tv with the combination of HDR and game mode.

I'm fairly certain this is a software bug in the TV since I can reproduce this issue with 100% accuracy, and it happens on the dot at the same moment every time. It's basically on a timer.

Basically when the game is displaying a HDR signal and game mode is enabled, exactly after 6 minutes the brightness of the TV suddenly drops by around 20 (50 -> 30). The value of brightness setting doesn't actually change however. Messing with the brightness setting does not restore the brightness to it's original state, but changing the local dimming setting from standard to low and then back to standard does. Switching game mode off and then back on also fixes the issue, but then it happens again EXACTLY after 6 minutes (I've timed this with a stopwatch).

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Or can someone maybe test this on their TV to see if you can reproduce it?

Exact repro steps on how I can reproduce this 100% of the time on the PS4 Pro:

1. Set brightness to max (50)
2. Set local dimming to standard (bug happens on high as well)
3. Enable game mode
4. Turn off game motion plus
5. Turn off intelligent mode and all the brightness related settings in eco settings, as these can influence the brightness level of the tv.
6. Launch a game that runs in HDR
7. Start your stopwatch
8. Do whatever you want in the game or you can also go back to PS4 menus, find a bright scene where you can notice a brightness drop easily
9. When the stopwatch hits 6 minutes, you should see the TVs brightness suddenly drop by a large amount. By eye the brightness drop seems about equal to dropping the brightness from 50 -> 30 by hand.
10. Go to picture settings and set local dimming to low (brightness does not change)
11. Set local dimming back to standard (brightness suddenly jumps to the original level. Brightness can be restored by switching input away and back as well, or by disabling and re-enabling game mode)
12. And again after EXACTLY 6 minutes the bug again repeats and the brightness drops down again

Some other notes: The PS4 has a screensaver that basically dims the screen if it is idle for a while. This is not the cause of this, this happens even when the console is in active use and the brightness can be restored temporarily by changing the local dimming setting like described above. I have not managed to reproduce this issue with game mode off, so it seems to be related to game mode.

Software version: 1304

[LCDeez]

The Tv is one big computer not a mechanical engine like a car has. A car has a bunch of moving mechanical pieces and a computer that controls them. A TV doesn’t have a bunch of moving mechanical parts.

[Tv52]

Ok bad example sorry.

I don’t know if you live long enough but in the past there was a possibility to buy cheeper graphic card and make it faster by changing firmware. The trick was that the manufactures created higher model of cards but if some of them was somehow faulty they changed firmware to disable the faulty parts and we had lower models. By replacing firmeare we could unlock them.

Of course this usually causes some small artifacts during the game but sometimes the speedup was worth it.

[LoreCannon]

Alright well - clock is ticking. I’ve started the return process and just gonna get a 77” LG CX if they can’t fix it in the next few days. Shame. Was ready to get behind Samsung again. 

[Suriya]

Yes i have q95t EU version it happens only in game-mode with game motion off. Not in any other presets or apps. It must be a software issue.

[jayh89]

This is the thing. As far as I know, EU and US Software updates etc are slightly different and even some hardware (q85t is EU only). @cod are you in EU? 

[cod]

I am, at least for the moment (UK).

Tried with Need for Speed, No Man's Sky, and Control last night, not a flicker. So either I'm completely blind to brightness variations, which seems fairly unlikely, or it's simply not happening with my set. And that's with Game Motion Plus on and off.

[Luke_H]

Just as an additional thought.. Oddly i began to think that the occurrence of this happening has somehow reduced.... I was wrong. Last night i decided to let my other half watch some mind numbing rubbish on Netflix.

Im running it via my Xbox one X. Normally id turn off game mode for watching Netflix but decided to leave it on. While enjoying Selling sunset, which is HDR 4k content it really hit home just how dramatic the drop really is. Frequency of the dimming seems inconsistent however with levels dropping only to start slowly building back up before dimming down again.

Game mode on, all other motion settings off. I normally set game mode to gain the lowest response times for gaming.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease sort Samsung! For something specifically marketed for gamers frankly this is poor.

[jayh89]

What software version is everyone on? I have 1302 but online it has 1302.4 but I can't get it on my TV??

[Luke_H]

Yeah same as you buddy.

[jayh89]

Very much hoping a fix is coming in August for this. I don't notice it much on Tsushima but I did with FIFA and TLOU2. It's very dependent on the game you're playing for whatever reason. I'm on live chat to Samsung now to push for them to do something but they're utterly useless.