Samsung Global Dimming Game Mode Fix

[steocullen91]

So I got a new 50MU6120 and I've been annoyed straight off the bat by global dimming that can't be disabled. I just figured it out if anyone wants to know how.

So people say you are stuck using movie mode and having horrible input lag just to disable it. The trick is to get into the service menu, but you need to get the advanced tab up, highlight it and then press 0000 to make the extra options show.

Power off the TV fully and then press info, menu (or settings on some remotes), mute and then power. The TV should power on and then be in the service menu.

If you don't have a service remote or device with an IR transmitter, try this:

To get up the extended menu, set the source to HDMI1, select Other Option and select CAL Data restore

After you get a USB error go back and you should see advanced. Then highlight it and press 0000 which will reveal extra options.

After you do that go Picture_2D > SubSetting and change PWM_INI_2D from 15 to 100. Problem solved. You can also change PWM_MOVIE_INI from 30 to 100 to eliminate the problem from other modes.

It will still dim when the screen is fully black and the only way around it is to set PWM_MIN to whatever you use the backlight at.

Just multiply your preferred backlight setting by 5 to get your answer. The only problem with doing this is if you change the backlight in the user menu and the screen goes fully black it sets itself to that setting temporarily. So I have mine on 100 meaning if I turn my backlight down lower than 20 and the screen goes fully black, the backlight will max on the black screen then go darker again when an image is displayed, so only set this to 5x what you want the backlight on and use that fixed setting.

For example if you use the back light on 10, set PWM_MIN to 50 or if you use 14 then set it to 70. You can just leave it at the default setting if you don't mind it dimming on fully black screens. Most people won't but I find it annoying if a game goes black for a cutscene etc. and the picture has to fade in again.

PWM_INI_2D fixes the dimming on dark (but not fully black) screens anyway which is what bothers people especially in dark scenes in games and it won't affect anything else on the TV. The backlight will still function normally in the user menu.

 

[AtomiS]

I just connected to this forum and made an account so i can say THANK YOU very much for this tutorial i have a Samsung MU6400 i that global dimming when for example a dark scene whit a white text in the middle was anoing as hell for me but from what i can see after the settings is working ok now its exacly like in PC MODE but im in gaming mode now hope that i solved the problem once and for all. Thank you one more time

 

[drzz]

Sorry for the bump here - This is the closest solution to my problem but still can't quite get it.
I have a new nu7400, and as it is the next years model I guess the service menu is slightly different.
There is no advanced tab to press 0000 on. I have tried on every tab anyway, to no avail.
I have been through every possible setting tab and can't find any setting which relates.
Interestingly on the first page of service menu there is a blue box which lists all the current settings/firmwares and stuff like that, and there on that list it has global dimming.
Surely that means that there is someway to disable or adjust..?!
This is really driving me crazy, some shows and movies are unwatchable!
I will post some pictures of the settings a little bit later, just feeling out if anyone with an nu model has a solution so far...?
Any help would be hugely appreciated!

 

[drzz]

OK I figured it out, for anyone else who is stuck. Im using a nu7400 btw.

Seems like the answer was right there in Steocullins post but was a bit mixed up.

So my problem was not seeing the Advanced tab in order to press 0000 and unlock the hidden submenus.

He mentions Cal data restore there but ill explain it a bit more clearly for anyone stuck like me.
This is quick guide if you don't see the advanced tab straight away, otherwise follow Steocullins explanation.

So start by getting to the service menu - as mentioned above info, settings, mute, power.
Go to SVC -> Other setting -> CAL Data restore.
When you click cal data restore an error message will pop up. click OK and scroll all the way back to the first menus.
You will now see the advanced tab at the bottom. Go ahead and highlight it and press 0000. A bunch more tabs will appear below.

As mentioned above its now Picture_2D -> Subsetting and then you have PWM_INI_2D and PWM_MOVIE_INI which can both be changed to 100.

I just tested a few scenes of Ozark, which is a particularly bad show for the dimming problem, and voila, no more dimming!

Hope this helps, thanks Steocullin for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[steocullen91]

I'm glad it helped a few people and I'm glad you got it sorted. The newer models probably do have some slight differences in the service menu.

 

[anthony3192]

So I got a new 50MU6120 and I've been annoyed straight off the bat by global dimming that can't be disabled. I just figured it out if anyone wants to know how.

So people say you are stuck using movie mode and having horrible input lag just to disable it. The trick is to get into the service menu, but you need to get the advanced tab up, highlight it and then press 0000 to make the extra options show.

Power off the TV fully and then press info, menu (or settings on some remotes), mute and then power. The TV should power on and then be in the service menu.

If you don't have a service remote or device with an IR transmitter, try this:

To get up the extended menu, set the source to HDMI1, select Other Option and select CAL Data restore

After you get a USB error go back and you should see advanced. Then highlight it and press 0000 which will reveal extra options.

After you do that go Picture_2D > SubSetting and change PWM_INI_2D from 15 to 100. Problem solved. You can also change PWM_MOVIE_INI from 30 to 100 to eliminate the problem from other modes.

It will still dim when the screen is fully black and the only way around it is to set PWM_MIN to whatever you use the backlight at.

Just multiply your preferred backlight setting by 5 to get your answer. The only problem with doing this is if you change the backlight in the user menu and the screen goes fully black it sets itself to that setting temporarily. So I have mine on 100 meaning if I turn my backlight down lower than 20 and the screen goes fully black, the backlight will max on the black screen then go darker again when an image is displayed, so only set this to 5x what you want the backlight on and use that fixed setting.

For example if you use the back light on 10, set PWM_MIN to 50 or if you use 14 then set it to 70. You can just leave it at the default setting if you don't mind it dimming on fully black screens. Most people won't but I find it annoying if a game goes black for a cutscene etc. and the picture has to fade in again.

PWM_INI_2D fixes the dimming on dark (but not fully black) screens anyway which is what bothers people especially in dark scenes in games and it won't affect anything else on the TV. The backlight will still function normally in the user menu.

Hi Steocculen91

I apologize in advance for my bad English since I'm Italian.
I wanted to say thank you for your help that I found very useful, I noticed that by doing this the problem disappears, but the input lag gets a lot, there is a way to not have this problem having a low input lag?

I did exactly as you asked on my samsung KU6072 (KU6300) I also selected the game mode, but I repeat the input lag increases (before doing this was about 23 ms)

 

[TimToolman]

I have an UE55MU7000 and am generally very happy with it. However, when i started watching new Daredevil season I saw the dimming effect on dark scenes when subtitles appear. The whole picture is brightened and then goes darker again until the next subtitles. Very annoying.

Now, I can access all options, including advanced etc. I have tried 2 things:
1) set PWM_INI_2D and PWM_MOVIE_INI to 100 (2D was already at 100, only changed movie from 30->100)
that made no difference at all....so I also tried:
2) PWM MID and PWM MIN to a higher level (MIN 0->20, MIN 5->40)
(as mentioned here: https://www.avsforum.com/forum/139-display-calibration/2539897-samsung-ks8000-calibration-3.html#post54313057)
since that didnt work either I tried:
3) Setting dimming option to 0 (in options somewhere) - that only made screen very dim.

I have also tried all picture modes (dynamic/natural/standard/movie) also makes no difference.

So basically, problem is still there Im reading others that have made this work, and only on darker scenes, while not affecting other things or overall brightness.

What am I doing wrong?

To be clear: I am using netflix, so internal app, no external device, and Daredevil is in HDR.
Not sure if that makes a difference? I just want this stupid dimming off!

 

[TimToolman]

As mentioned above its now Picture_2D -> Subsetting and then you have PWM_INI_2D and PWM_MOVIE_INI which can both be changed to 100.

I just tested a few scenes of Ozark, which is a particularly bad show for the dimming problem, and voila, no more dimming!

Hope this helps, thanks Steocullin for pointing me in the right direction.

I am assuming you are using netflix app to watch Ozark? Are you really sure it works? I was thinking the same, until i turned off all lights. Then I saw it was not fixed yet.

Can you test Daredevil S3/EP1 for me? At 14:27 it is really dark, and then subs appear you can really see it, and turn off the lights

 

[Dibils]

I am assuming you are using netflix app to watch Ozark? Are you really sure it works? I was thinking the same, until i turned off all lights. Then I saw it was not fixed yet.

Can you test Daredevil S3/EP1 for me? At 14:27 it is really dark, and then subs appear you can really see it, and turn off the lights

if you have Smart LED turned on then you will still get dimming and undimming with subtitles and stuff

as Smart LED tries to dim darker parts of the screen to get better blacks, without Smart LED though you should not see any dimming

This is a problem in HDR as you pretty much need Smart LED to get the best contrast and bright highlights.

Also i wonder if the OP got this solution from my discovery lol (that i have posted in other forums) cause when i found this out (through trial and error) there was no help on the internet on how to do it

 

[TimToolman]

Smart LED? What is that? I dont know that option anywhere in normal or service menu settings.
I think waht you mean is that Smart led = dimming?

If yes, then it can be turned off, yes? As other did succesfully.....
Or can it not be turned off for HDR content?

 

[TimToolman]

I dont have that option, I see it is on older tvs. But not on the newer ones.
Now it is called Local Dimming, and before (i think 2016 models?) you could set that to OFF.
But now you only have: LOW/STANDARD/HIGH. You cannot turn it off and even in low it still sucks in dark scenes. So I know you have to do this in service menu....but the trick is where and how.

 

[drzz]

I am assuming you are using netflix app to watch Ozark? Are you really sure it works? I was thinking the same, until i turned off all lights. Then I saw it was not fixed yet.

Can you test Daredevil S3/EP1 for me? At 14:27 it is really dark, and then subs appear you can really see it, and turn off the lights

Hi. Yes I was using the netflix app, through my nvidia shield. I used that as an example as I whilst I was watching it the dimming was so bad it motivated me to find a fix!
I can confirm that I have absolutely no dimming on any show/movie/game, on shield tv or native tv apps.
Sorry Im really no expert, I can't offer any solutions, I just managed fix my tv through this method. Good luck.

 

[TimToolman]

Hi. Yes I was using the netflix app, through my nvidia shield. I used that as an example as I whilst I was watching it the dimming was so bad it motivated me to find a fix!
I can confirm that I have absolutely no dimming on any show/movie/game, on shield tv or native tv apps.
Sorry Im really no expert, I can't offer any solutions, I just managed fix my tv through this method. Good luck.

It seems simple, and i was happy to find all the options. But until now....not working. Can you maybe post a screenshot/photo of your settings in servicemenu? Then I can compare and maybe find something. Thanks in advance!

 

[steocullen91]

In my case, the TV doesn't dim as long as there's something on screen, but if the screen is entirely black then it still dims. I think that might just be that motion lighting was enabled in the General > Eco Solution. I'll have to check that out later.

 

[TimToolman]

In my case, the TV doesn't dim as long as there's something on screen, but if the screen is entirely black then it still dims. I think that might just be that motion lighting was enabled in the General > Eco Solution. I'll have to check that out later.

Thanks for your reply, If you really see no dimming, then
- you must have a 2016 TV or before (where you can turn this off using standard settings)-
- you have a TV with different backlight (this is only issue with Edgelit + dimming)
- you dont use subtitles

Otherwise, it does dim and it you can see it clearly on dark scenes when subs appear. Dimming off is only possible using advanced options in service menu (a hidden menu buried in a secret menu ). But i dont get this to work....so I need some help or screenshots of the servicemenu settings of others who got this working.

 

[steocullen91]

All I changed were the settings I have in the first post to make my TV stop doing it. I think it's silly that Samsung actually made it so hard to disable a useless feature that nobody wants.

I also think that PC mode on the TV is really blurry and washed out looking and I even wrote down the default settings for some of the colour settings for some other options and changed them to make it look less washed out. It was with the help of colorbars etc though and not just randomly changing settings.

 

[Jameschickenpox]

I dont have that option, I see it is on older tvs. But not on the newer ones.
Now it is called Local Dimming, and before (i think 2016 models?) you could set that to OFF.
But now you only have: LOW/STANDARD/HIGH. You cannot turn it off and even in low it still sucks in dark scenes. So I know you have to do this in service menu....but the trick is where and how.

I did this to my TV nu7100 the dimming was annoying and it worked for me by turning them to 10.. But I also went into the setting think it was 3rd one down after you click option on the start of service menu. It was called mtu or something simular it had eco sensor listed at the bottom which I turned off and was on. And I have no dimming at all which I'm really happy about

 

[99nirc99]

I think I'm losing it. I tried fixing the problem the whole day and finally stumbled upon this thread. After changing the settings in the service menu the problem seemed to be solved, but then I decided to change the picture mode in the normal settings from dynamic to auto. The issue came back, and now no matter what I try it keeps happening, both the PWM settings are on 100! What do I do now?

 

[steocullen91]

Have you made sure all the settings are disabled in eco solution?

 

[99nirc99]

Have you made sure all the settings are disabled in eco solution?

Yeah it's all turned off. I think some thing is screwed up, now whenever subtitles appear the screen becomes brighter and it's super annoying. Is there a way to reset all the service menu settings to default? If not, what were the default value of the settings you posted in the original post? Thanks

 

[Dibils]

smart LED is off?

 

[xForcer]

THANK YOU! I believe the dimming is gone for good. I changed PWM_INI_2D from 15 to 100, PWM_MOVIE_INI from 30 to 100 and PWM_MIN to the max 100, my backlight is at 40. I have one question though. When I purchased NU7100 6 weeks ago, I had it connected all the time to my PC which at the time had windows 7 and hdmi 1.4 compatible graphics card (R9 380x). PC mode was instantly selected. Some settings were locked for me to change and there was NO dimming whatsoever. Like I couldn't change auto motion stuff and there were only 3 picute presets, not 4.I t was since I installed windows 10 and changed my graphics card to hdmi 2.0 compatible (RX 580) I started noticing dimming. I now know where my problem was/is. It is NOT recognizing/setting to PC mode, even though I set the icon to PC. As I read, if it is in PC mode, everything should be fine. I now fixed the dimming, but wondering how to activate PC mode? UHD color is turned on for both hdmi 1 and 2 ports. I tried switching ports. Maybe I could change the cable? Hmm we'll see. If anyone's still around, give me your thoughts

Edit: It's auto changing to PC, with the old and the new cable, maybe I just missed that detail. But still, how come before I couldn't change auto motion effect and only had 3(I think) picture presets while on PC and now I can?

 

[Foster1984]

THANK YOU! I believe the dimming is gone for good. I changed PWM_INI_2D from 15 to 100, PWM_MOVIE_INI from 30 to 100 and PWM_MIN to the max 100, my backlight is at 40. I have one question though. When I purchased NU7100 6 weeks ago, I had it connected all the time to my PC which at the time had windows 7 and hdmi 1.4 compatible graphics card (R9 380x). PC mode was instantly selected. Some settings were locked for me to change and there was NO dimming whatsoever. Like I couldn't change auto motion stuff and there were only 3 picute presets, not 4.I t was since I installed windows 10 and changed my graphics card to hdmi 2.0 compatible (RX 580) I started noticing dimming. I now know where my problem was/is. It is NOT recognizing/setting to PC mode, even though I set the icon to PC. As I read, if it is in PC mode, everything should be fine. I now fixed the dimming, but wondering how to activate PC mode? UHD color is turned on for both hdmi 1 and 2 ports. I tried switching ports. Maybe I could change the cable? Hmm we'll see. If anyone's still around, give me your thoughts

Edit: It's auto changing to PC, with the old and the new cable, maybe I just missed that detail. But still, how come before I couldn't change auto motion effect and only had 3(I think) picture presets while on PC and now I can?

Potentially the TV has had an OS firmware update during the interim period, that has changed how PC mode operates.

 

[xForcer]

Update: PC mode is now turned on! I changed from 59 to 60 hertz at monitor settings in Windows 10 and voila, it recognized the pc. Now it works on both 59 and 60 hz for some reason. To be sure you are in the pc mode, you only need to have standard and dynamic picture presets and auto motion plus must be grayed out. Also, I can clearly see the difference when looking at the chroma subsampling test picture (the test to see if it's really 4:4:4).

 

[Razer08]

I have the NU7400 and tried the recommended settings. Although it removed the dimming it really washed out the blacks so I just increased the PWM LOW/MID and PWM_INI_2D/PWM_MOVIE_2D to 30. I used the pattern Rtings use to test the black uniformity of the tv and the screen does not dim at all and the black levels are still deep.

EDIT: I noticed that although the blacks stay deep it does dim but not as much as the default settings. I've been experimenting with different combinations and noticed that if you altered PWM LOW/MID but especially PWM LOW it will affect the lowest backlight setting. If this is maxed then regardless of what your backlight setting is it will always act as if its at max. By setting this to 0 and leaving PWM MID at 5 but only changing PWM_INI_2D/PWM_MOVIE_2D to 100 this allows the variability of backlight setting with no dimming.

 

[snadge]

can someone help me with this? mixed instruction on this page is not 100% clear for noobs, I have a 55NU8000 and this dimming carp is AWFULL...had I known I would have paid extra for QLED.

but if I can get rid of it or make less then great

one of the problems I see is that I have a backlight at full 50 all the time.. 5x50 = 250.. can I set 250? seems max is 100 and if thats true then you cant use a multiple of 5 on your backlight? a anything above 20 is above 100 when multiplied...of course I could be wrong and you can set 250??

I just want this dimming gone, I cant understand HOW a company like Samsung can put something like that on their TV and not allow for it to be disabled?? I will never buy a Samsung TV again..my old LG 32LH3000 even had a better menu system, on the Samsung most the important settings dont allow you too see the screen so you cant compare the changes

 

[Foster1984]

I'm fairly sure that the PWM values are a % value of the voltage that will be used for the backlight to light the screen. As PWM is Pulse Width Modulation, in laymans terms, how much of the total voltage is sent and for how long; adjusting this can cause the TV to light up more or less frequently and at a lower voltage.

So the max would be 100; a value of 250 would be 2.5 times the max voltage and would likely blow all the capacitors in the TV.

But someone with more knowledge of how PWM works might be able to correct me on this. I'm looking at you @Razer08

The dimming fix done via the PWM values is mostly intended to improve the dimming effect during dark scenes in movies and games. With SDR movies in particular being mastered for a peak brightness of 100cd/m2; this would need the backlight to be at around 11.

Using the 5x principal, you could push that as high as 20; whilst still removing the dimming effect.

Unfortunately, if you intend to keep the backlight at max at all times, I don't think this fix will work for you.

 

[snadge]

damn! wished I had seen or known about this before I bought it, did my homework but as always you never find the 'crucial' information until its too late, there were just lots of great reviews, and in my opinion that dimming issue is a MAJOR issue and shocks me that it got past Samsung, they should release a FW update that allows it to be disabled.

think i will email samsung

I dont really have a leg to stand on for returning it do i? (Argos)

 

[Foster1984]

damn! wished I had seen or known about this before I bought it, did my homework but as always you never find the 'crucial' information until its too late, there were just lots of great reviews, and in my opinion that dimming issue is a MAJOR issue and shocks me that it got past Samsung, they should release a FW update that allows it to be disabled.

think i will email samsung

I dont really have a leg to stand on for returning it do i? (Argos)

Did you take it away from a shop or order it online?

If you ordered it online then you would be covered under the Distance Selling Regulations and could return it. If you took it away from the store, then you would only be able to return it if you prove it is faulty.

Unfortunately, this isn't a fault. It is functioning as Samsung intended.

You could always try though, as Argos staff might not be that technically minded. But it's a little mean to Argos to make them take the hit, when it's not faulty, as they won't be able to sell it as new any more.

If you prefer a brighter, more colourful picture you might be better serviced with a direct-lit LED LCD without local dimming. It will likely end up being an IPS panel, rather than VA, but it will also be cheaper so you might be able to go up a size.

 

[Razer08]

The dimming problem that plagues all Samsung tvs vary from each other. When the tv is told (from the incoming signal) the average luminance level of the image if it's below a certain threshold then the tv will automatically dim the screen due to the tv "perceiving" the image to be mainly black and so to make blacks look deeper.

The PWM settings in the service menu is basically saying how much should the luminance be reduced if the incoming signal is "perceived" to be mainly black. I have the NU7400 but this logic applies across to all Samsung 2018 models. For me in game mode, the factory default value was 15. This means that the tv is reducing the luminance level of dark scenes by 85%. For movie mode it was 30% which means the tv was reducing the luminance level by 70% for that mode.

So setting the PWM INI/MOVIE to 100 means that dark scenes will have the correct luminance level without any reduction of the average luminance level, so no sudden dimming and brightening of the tv.

This does not mean that you're sending too much current to the tv's pixels. It's just telling the tv to not reduce the luminance of dark scenes no matter what and display it at its intended luminance level.

Don't adjust PWM MIN/MAX as that directly sets the range of the backlight setting.