Samsung UN40KU6300 40-Inch 4K

The only Special Viewing Mode that's available is "Sports Mode".

"Game Mode" and "HDR+ Mode" are greyed out and not selectable.

Go into the input setting on the TV. See that you are using "HDMI 1 / DVI" and then rename the input label to something else, whatever you want (I use "4K").
 
Go into the input setting on the TV. See that you are using "HDMI 1 / DVI" and then rename the input label to something else, whatever you want (I use "4K").
Sorry to say it's still not working. I feel like a dolt.

I went into the inputs and selected HDMI 1 / DVI and changed it to 4k. Went back to settings and still cannot access HDR+ or Game modes. WTF.
 
Sorry to say it's still not working. I feel like a dolt.

I went into the inputs and selected HDMI 1 / DVI and changed it to 4k. Went back to settings and still cannot access HDR+ or Game modes. WTF.
Slow Sunday so I actually read back through this thread. Apparently, the HDR+ mode is somewhat bogus and not needed. Just enable UHD and you should be good to go.
 
Last edited:
I'm running 980Ti SLI and they definitely have HDMI 2.0 / 4:4:4 / HDR support. Putting that to rest.
 
Slow Sunday so I actually read back through this thread. Apparently, the HDR+ mode is somewhat bogus and not needed. Just enable UND and you should be good to go.

Should still be getting the popup with HDR content though.
 
So I thought I'd post some of my experiences with this as a productivity and gaming monitor. I actually started with the Vizio 43" E-series one at Best Buy, which worked well enough, but actually had burn in issues with white backgrounds like you would have on a desktop. But both an open box and a new model would both turn on and off randomly. Not a lot, but enough that I didn't want to risk it for the next year and getting worse.

So I paid a little extra and got this Samsung. Overall the 40" size is great for productivity, I could actually stand it being a little smaller like 37", but I got 4k to replace 3 1080p monitors, so I don't want to deal with anything scaling.

It's a pretty good display. However, I have the same ghosting/smearing that others have noted in the thread. What surprised me is after reading that others don't really notice it, and that it might be a bit of a panel lottery, I drove an hour away to the closest Best Buy that still had it in stock to get a replacement. Exact same issue. I was pretty surprised that others do not notice it. Scrolling web sites I don't care about so much, but watching any TV or movies was rather terrible. I got red smearing, and it wasn't just the worst case scenarios of black to white, it was everything. People's noses and mouths with any movement would cause this red trailing shadow. People walking and talking looked like they had lipstick on from the red trails. People moving even semi quickly would have a red trailing line from their nose to an inch or two behind them.

Anyway, I'm not just bitching. I was testing on PC mode, 100 contrast, 30-40 brightness, and it was super visible. It happened on two sets so I was relatively sure that it happened on every panel, and was not sure how others weren't seeing it. I did also figure out that bumping up the brightness to over 50 though seems to alleviate it a LOT, almost nonexistant on movies. I see it slightly scrolling hardforum, but very manageable now.

So... if anyone else notices the terrible ghosting/smearing, play with the brightness. I would prefer the set at ~30 brightness and higher backlight, but I can do 55 brightness and lower backlight to counteract that ghosting.
 
Zero smearing here, and I'm very sensitive to it -- returned a $900 Sony, $600 LG and $500 Sharp before this set.

Yes, I wish it were faster, but I don't notice it unless I'm creating a "worst case scenario" -- spinning fast in a game, say. Even then it's not much if any worse than my previous displays.
 
Zero smearing here, and I'm very sensitive to it -- returned a $900 Sony, $600 LG and $500 Sharp before this set.

Yes, I wish it were faster, but I don't notice it unless I'm creating a "worst case scenario" -- spinning fast in a game, say. Even then it's not much if any worse than my previous displays.

What are your settings? I wonder if you turn the brightness down to about 30 if you'll see it too.
 
I'd actually be really interested if others here could try reducing the brightness and seeing if the smearing becomes apparent. I'd like to know if it happens on every screen or if there is still a bit of a panel lottery.
 
45 brightness has repeatedly proven to be the most accurate in terms of color reproduction on this display without restoring to a colorimeter and setting RGB offsets/gain individually. No one should be reducing it.
 
So, it seems it could be a Netflix flagging issue. I loaded up Amazon and played a few HDR/UHD videos and the HDR popup appeared. Went back to Netflix with no change in settings and no popups. Probably a Netflix issue. BTW, the effect isnt that great. I know its not going to compare to my 65' LG OLED but I thought it would be a little more noticeable. Still an awesom picture and the price cant be beat. Very pleased.
 
Sorry to say it's still not working. I feel like a dolt.

I went into the inputs and selected HDMI 1 / DVI and changed it to 4k. Went back to settings and still cannot access HDR+ or Game modes. WTF.

Check to make sure your PC is set to the correct resolution and refresh: 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz . Sometimes it will set itself to 59Hz or other odd things.
 
Sorry to say it's still not working. I feel like a dolt.

I went into the inputs and selected HDMI 1 / DVI and changed it to 4k. Went back to settings and still cannot access HDR+ or Game modes. WTF.

Game mode and HDR+ are not available in PC mode, thats the only reason why they might be greyed out. Is it stuck? Are stuff like auto motion plus also greyed out? HDR+ is just an upscaler and not needed anywhere, but Game mode is certainly usefull.
 
I had some weird issues happening today after a few updates, unfortunately since they happened at the same time, not sure which one caused this.

I installed the latest Windows 10 creators update, my Samsung updated to 1168 and I also updated my Nvidia drivers for 1080 GTX to 381.65

The issues I noticed is that

- the backlight seems different, darker, been playing with expert settings but can't get it right.
- screen was dimming on its own (eco was enabled on its own so disabled it)
- it seems HDR is enabled on the PC mode now, most the Steam games I played before now will cause the TV to bring the banner on top with "HDR video is playing message" I wasn't getting before, I was a little bit excited to see HDR, but it's hit or miss depending on games.

Edit: nvm, I read this is probably a bug with latest Windows 10 Build 1703 (HDR autodetection is messed up)
 
Last edited:
For anyone whos been waiting around... BJ has the 6290 model for $300 right now (OOS online so its a B&M deal now).

Samsung UN40KU6290 40" 4K UHD Smart LED TV $299 *NEW* at BJs

I jumped on this deal and got my tv today. too bad its broke :/

Fortunately Walmart is selling a REFURB of the 50 inch version of the KU6290 for $350 shipped (plus applicable taxes) so now ill wait a few more days for my tv while i ship this damn thing back to BJs.
 
I jumped on this deal and got my tv today. too bad its broke :/

Fortunately Walmart is selling a REFURB of the 50 inch version of the KU6290 for $350 shipped (plus applicable taxes) so now ill wait a few more days for my tv while i ship this damn thing back to BJs.

Link?
 
Wonder if I can sell my 40" for enough locally to make it worthwhile. Probably not.

I keep hearing rumors TCL will have 50" Roku 4K sets with "proper" HDR support soon for around $500. Holding out.
 
I keep hearing rumors TCL will have 50" Roku 4K sets with "proper" HDR support soon for around $500. Holding out.

Yup, they will, but TCL's panels usually have "bad" color, AKA don't expect it to cover DCI P3 as it should. So it will do somewhat proper HDR, but not the full thing. I'd suggest waiting another year... look at how disappointing the QLED range has been with Samsung... they made it sound like it was going to update the whole mid-high line, then it ended up being just the ultra-expensive models. Meanwhile, the UHD LED series are pretty much the exact same thing as last year.

There's going to be at least 4 OLED manufacturers this year, which will lower prices via competition. That will inevitably push LCD prices by the end of the year. All of this brings me back to what I said earlier: waiting till 2018 seems like the best bet.
 
has anyone figured out if theres a way to have the monitor come on with my pc? ive been manually turning it on separately
 
has anyone figured out if theres a way to have the monitor come on with my pc? ive been manually turning it on separately

No. You would need a separate device to send the signal (I can't recall what it's called but it was mentioned earlier in the thread) and it isn't cheap. Just keep the remote next to your keyboard like the rest of us.
 
Samsung and Amazon have developed another HDR standard dubbed "HDR10+". it adds dynamic tone mapping. according to this article it will be available for current Samsung HDR TV's via firmware update.

https://www.overclock3d.net/news/gpu_displays/samsung_and_amazon_create_the_new_hdr10_standard/2

So this is really starting to get splintered. Certain TVs will support certain HDR standards and it will never be uniform. Almost like having to pick a brand depending on what resolution or movies you want to buy. Not like most can afford to keep buying TVs every time a new standard of HDR hits.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure I like this situation with all these competing standards. I'll probably wait at least a few years until it all gets settled and the companies can decide to pick one. I was also an early HD-DVD backer and got burned hard on that one. Never again.
 
Waiting is always the smart play. However, look at the new standard in this way: it's basically HDR10 plus metadata that allows dynamic tone mapping adjustment. Yes, it's a "different" standard, but it's more like a fork of actual HDR10 - easy to include. This will be most useful for those of us who already have a UHD TV that does HDR or at least understands the signal, because when it comes to HDMI only the 2.1 version will give you the same capability. That, my friends, implies buying another new TV. So, at least, this way, you get a fork of HDR10 that gives you the same benefit of HDMI 2.1, and hopefully it'll be easy to just change the metadata to "transport" the info from HDMI 2.1 to HDR10+ format.

If anything, we can all just go ahead and blame HDMI. For all the good it's brought us (universal audio/video port, yay!), it keeps screwing us every, single, version: updated revisions barely upgrade anything (in comparison to previous version), new features are added constantly in different versions, so there's a bunch of them AND many times you have to buy new hardware...
It seems like the HDMI org isn't really planning with any real seriousness. They couldn't have thought about adding dynamic tone mapping to HDMI 2, considering it was already a thing since Dolby announced those features years ago? It's like they keep bolting on things with no path in sight: in the time we've had HDMI 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.0 and 2.1 (that's 6 frigging versions) DisplayPort has had exactly 1.1, 1.2,and 1.3. Half the versions and usually have more features packed each time (tends to be much more powerful than HDMI).

DP is a standard. HDMI? That's a business. So, to circle back to the initial topic: this is why maybe this time, Samsung is actually doing a good thing with HDR10+.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure I like this situation with all these competing standards. I'll probably wait at least a few years until it all gets settled and the companies can decide to pick one. I was also an early HD-DVD backer and got burned hard on that one. Never again.

my wife got me the xbox 360 hd-dvd drive for Christmas just after it came out.
 
Is anyone else suffering from this issue??
It makes using this TV as a monitor an unbearable experience; there's a big dark spot directly in front of wherever you choose to position your eyes. The solid gray behind the white text of posts looks gradient. I'm sitting around three feet away, maybe four. Moving back to six or so feet helps slightly, but not very much.
Is this a known thing that people learn to ignore? Are you all sitting 30 plus feet away from the display? Why haven't I seen anyone talk about it in the few dozen posts I've read so far?

I also have two or three light bars - only noticeable on a solid wall of gray - spanning vertically across the entire screen (photographed in X, Y, and Z), and motion also leaves a ridiculous amount of "burn" (ex. eyes on a moving face sometimes look bloodshot) but neither of those things matter very much in comparison to the first issue.
 

Attachments

  • Y.jpg
    Y.jpg
    62.4 KB · Views: 128
  • X.jpg
    X.jpg
    64.6 KB · Views: 118
  • Z.jpg
    Z.jpg
    73.5 KB · Views: 117
  • A.jpg
    A.jpg
    120.3 KB · Views: 123
  • B.jpg
    B.jpg
    107.3 KB · Views: 118
  • C.jpg
    C.jpg
    117.1 KB · Views: 113
  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    145.8 KB · Views: 117
  • 3.jpg
    3.jpg
    152.3 KB · Views: 113
  • 2.jpg
    2.jpg
    177.9 KB · Views: 116
Well, are you positive? Don't you have anything like A.jpg?
Where do you have your eyes? Are they in the center of the display like mine or?
 
HollandAmerica These are VA panels, and what you're describing happens with all of them. There's a big gamma shift on dark grays when you look directly at screen. For small screens, with less of your view subtended by the screen, this may not be a huge concern, but sitting right in front of a 40" screen, it's pretty bothersome. All LCDs are compromised in some way, and VA panels pay this particular price for their high contrast ratio. Because these are cheap 4K TVs (many of us got one for around $290 during Black Friday sales), we can perhaps live with it.

But there are other problems with this set. The anti-glare coating makes whites look speckled and grainy. The panel has image retention problems, so I have to keep moving the taskbar around so the icons don't stay imprinted. Pixel transition times are really slow and have different times depending on the color, so there's a colored smear during motion, i.e. white to black transitions have a yellowish after-image. Screen uniformity is pretty bad, leading to the dirty screen effect for any panning motion.

To confirm what you're seeing, here's a picture of my screen displaying dark gray:
VApanel_2yu1btu8aq.jpg


The very center of the screen is calibrated nicely to 6500k, but the rest of the screen, off-axis, is a higher color temperature. Uniformity is terrible. Those two vertical bands down the center of the screen are particularly annoying.

This TV is not an amazing, cheap, under-the-radar PC monitor; it's an OK-ish big 4K screen for (hopefully) not that much money.

I'm lucky enough that I still have an amazing Sony Trinitron CRT, which I use for games because it's better in almost every respect there, but it is nice to have a giant, super bright, and very sharp monitor (aspects that the CRT can't match) for normal desktop use.

So depending upon how much you spent for the TV and how willing you are to overlook the flaws you mentioned, you might want to return it and try for an actual monitor. VA panels will probably disappoint you; IPS panels may also disappoint you in a different way, though. Hard to know =)
 
So depending upon how much you spent for the TV and how willing you are to overlook the flaws you mentioned, you might want to return it and try for an actual monitor.

The really discouraging part is that before I settled on a Samsung TV, I was researching options in the 4K monitor realm (32-40"). Almost all of them had flaws along the lines of what you and HollandAmerica described about this Samsung. And they were in many cases 3x the price of this unit.

I still think that at $300 or less, this is by far the best value in 4K displays. Is it perfect? Nope. But neither are the true 4K monitors that cost several times what this one does, and that's perhaps the most disappointing aspect of all. You can shell out big money and still be left to deal with aggravating faults.

With TVs, I expect some minor compromises and have been pleasantly surprised by these Samsungs (haven't tried Vizio etc.). Sure beats paying $700-$1200 for the PC monitors I experimented with, only to discover that they too usually had significant flaws. A smaller screen that costs several times what these TVs do should be close to perfect; however, that often isn't the case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Savoy
like this
HollandAmerica No, my set looks nothing like that. Here is a photo with a full gray image, looks uniform to me.

View attachment 25031

Whoa. I would kill for mine to look like that.

Can anyone explain why Ashun's panel and my panel look similar? Could both of our panels be defective? I wonder what's going on here.

edit: On second thought, maybe they could all be the same.
 
Last edited:
Entirely possible and quite likely. My panel looks just like cybereality's - which is to say, it looks perfectly fine.
Well, I realized that my solid white looks a little bit like that too, interestingly. What I'm more interested in is darker, deeper grays. If those are perfect-looking too, then I'll be convinced.
 
I use mine anywhere from 5 to 10 backlight and set the channel to PC mode to eliminate any of the image processing. Light greys, dark greys, any solid color you want... it all looks great. It's specially obvious whenever I re-calibrate the screen with my Spyder (the whole process is based on solid color screens).
 
Hi All, the new windows 10 creators update enables HDR and In the nvidia setting there is now the option to select a 12bpc setting. Would this 12bpc be better then the 8bpc stated to be used in this guide?
 
Back
Top