Samsung QN85D – Some Settings Cannot Be Adjusted.

[User1243954]

I  just bought a new Samsung TV for a lot of money, and these settings have a big impact on the viewing experience, so they should be manageable. It's wrong that these features can't be turned on or off, but are instead forcibly enabled all the time.... So:

When I watch a movie, the TV automatically adjusts the panel's backlight constantly. (automatic panel dimming) 
For example, in dark scenes, the backlight dims, but then suddenly brightens when subtitles appear. Or when a dark scene comes on, white text and content, such as subtitles also get dimmed along with the dark scene... 
I don’t want this. I know this is a feature, but the END USER SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE ABLE TO TURN IT ON OR OFF! 

The same issue applies to the "Local Dimming" setting, which only offers Low, Standard, and High options – but no way to disable it completely. THIS TOO SHOULD BE SOMETHING THE END USER CAN TURN OFF IF THEY WANT! 

And yes, I have already turned off everything under the Power and Energy Saving settings.

Because of this, I want to return the Samsung TV I just purchased, and buy an LG TV instead, as it allows these settings to be disabled.

I will never buy a Samsung TV again.

[JAMES4578]

Hi @User1243954  Welcome to the Samsung Community     

Firstly checking you have tried turning Intelligence Mode off, General & Privacy - Intelligent Mode Setting  off.

I know you have tried various adjustments, does it not make any difference which picture Mode you are using. 

For instance try Standard Mode.

Picture Mode - Standard

Expert Settings- Local Dimming , check options to see if can disable
Regardless see if this helps: Expert Settings- Contrast Enhancer Off

some advice on calibration here https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/qn85d-qn85dd-qled/settings

Make not much difference but you could also experiment with a Factory Reset.

[User1243954]

Okay, interesting..... by switching the picture mode from Movie to Standard mode, it seems that the panel no longer constantly adjusts the brightness, and in dark scenes, the brightness stays the same! 
How can I completely disable HDR? The HDR performance on this TV is absolutely terrible, and it looks awful. How do I turn it off when watching a series on the Prime app?

EDIT: 
I JUST NOTICED WHILE WATCHING A MOVIE THAT IT STILL DOES THAT. CAN SAMSUNG RELEASE FIRMWARE UPDATE THAT DISABLES THAT FEATURE COMPLETELY OR EVEN ALLOW THE USER TO CHOOSE IT ON OR OFF THEMSELVES?

[AndrewL]

@User1243954: While HDR is content specific, you can disable any HDR upscaling effects by heading to Settings > All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Auto HDR Remastering (Off) > HDR Tone Mapping (Off).

[JAMES4578]

Oh right, hopefully that is of some benefit. Unfortunately there does not seem to be any way to disable HDR for that specific content on the apps

[User1243954]

How can I prevent my TV from forcing HDR content so that I can always watch in SDR, for example, on the Prime app? The HDR performance on my TV is absolutely terrible.

[User1243954]

Okay how do I turn Local Dimming off completely?
The options are only Low, Standard, and High but where is the Off option?

[User1243954]

UPDATE 5.4.2025:
I just noticed while watching a movie that the TV is still doing automatic panel dimming. Could Samsung release an update that would allow the user to turn that on or off? On my other TV, an LG TV, you can turn it on or off (automatic panel dimming)...

[User1243954]

Now watching Civil War and in this scene a person is being interviewed outside against a wall. The TV can't decide whether the scene is bright or dark, so the entire screen keeps dimming and brightening repeatedly constantly flickering back and forth. Is this Local Dimming, or something else? 

[User1243954]

OKEY, if I use Chromecast but as a PC icon on the TV. Local Dimming is off then!!! (And it does look better when Local dimming is off!) 

But this still doesn't solve the problem if you watch normal TV cable broadcasts or a movie from built-in apps like Netflix! Then the Local Dimming is still there!