One of the best TVs released in 2024 was the Samsung S95D, which combined stunning picture quality, superb gaming features and performance, and solid built-in sound with a sleek, modern design.
A key feature of the S95D is its OLED Glare-Free screen, a tech that effectively reduces screen reflections – a traditional enemy of OLED TVs – when watching in bright rooms.
A side effect of the S95D’s anti-reflection screen was compromised black levels compared to some of the best OLED TVs, such as the LG G4 and Panasonic Z95A. Specifically, I found during my testing that black crush (a loss of detail in dark areas of the screen) was an issue, particularly in Filmmaker Mode and when viewing in bright lighting conditions.
Now, the new Samsung S95F has entered our testing lab, so I decided to put it through its paces by using three of the darkest 4K Blu-ray movies that we use for TV evaluation (The Batman, Nosferatu and Alien: Romulus) to see if Samsung has improved the black crush issue for this new ‘2.0’ version of its Glare-Free screen tech.
Anti-glare glory
One thing that became immediately clear as I started watching with the new S95F OLED was the effectiveness of its Glare-Free 2.0 screen. Like its predecessor, this new version eliminates all reflections.
The Batman is a challenging movie for most TVs, as it was mastered at 400 nits as opposed to the industry standard 1,000 nits maximum brightness.
In our testing lab, which has particularly bright overhead lights, I was able to watch The Batman with these on and still see the movie clearly on the S95F. Even some of the darkest scenes, such as when Batman and Gordon enter the abandoned orphanage, showed excellent contrast and deep black levels.
Admittedly, this was with specific settings active (more on that below), but the fact that I could watch this dark movie in a bright room was in itself seriously impressive.
Watching Nosferatu, especially a scene where Hulter travels in a carriage to Orlock’s castle, or any shot of space or a sparsely-lit, darkened corridor in Alien: Romulus, again, there were no mirror-like reflections on the S95F. As with the S95D, OLED’s main adversary had been foiled.
The right picture mode
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When I review TVs, I typically use the Filmmaker Mode as the most accurate mode for testing picture quality and taking measurements. It is, however, a significantly dimmer picture mode in most cases compared to the Standard picture mode, which we also regularly use for TV measurements..
With the S95F in bright viewing conditions, it was again a situation where the out-of-the-box Filmmaker Mode couldn’t quite cut it. Above are three pictures of the same scene from The Batman, where he appears in the subway to confront a gang. The first is the S95F in Movie mode, the second is in Filmmaker Mode with Dynamic Tone Mapping set to Active, and the third is in Filmmaker Mode with the default settings (Dynamic Tone Mapping set to Static).
Of the three, Movie mode provides the clearest picture, with strong contrast and still-deep black levels, and it maintains shadow detail in the background of the subway and in Batman’s armour. Filmmaker Mode with Dynamic Tone Mapping set to Active also shows inky black levels and good shadow detail, along with a brightness boost over the default Filmmaker Mode. Compared to these, the default Filmmaker Mode struggles.
It was the same story for Nosferatu. In scenes in Count Orlock’s castle or ones with Hutler travelling towards the castle through the mountains, I needed to select Movie mode, or set Dynamic Tone Mapping to Active in Filmmaker Mode, for the picture to look good with our room’s overhead lights on.
I did find that the default Filmmaker Mode (Dynamic Tone Mapping set to Static) was usable with Alien: Romulus, as a scene in a blackened, alien-infested corridor with orange lighting still showed rich black levels and impressive contrast. But then again, Alien: Romulus is a brighter overall movie than The Batman and Nosferatu.
When I set our room’s lighting conditions to either a pitch black or with a light off to one side to simulate a living room in the evening, Filmmaker Mode with default settings thrived – the picture looked more natural and it showcased glorious contrast and spectacular black levels. But again, those looking for a brighter picture won’t feel let down with the alternative modes and settings I’ve suggested above.
Black levels and black crush: still an issue?
As mentioned earlier, last year’s Samsung S95D suffered from black crush in both bright and dim room lighting conditions in its default settings. Black levels also would occasionally take on more of a gray tone in some scenes. But how does the S95F compare?
Viewing in a bright room in the default Filmmaker Mode, I saw an improvement on the S95F compared to the S95D. Yes, evidence of black crush was still there in a movie as dark as The Batman, with details in dark clothing obscured. In Nosferatu, the textures of the carriage and the details in the mountains were lost, but these are both difficult scenes, and the S95F fared better than expected.
During testing, the S95F’s Shadow Detail adjustment proved to be invaluable. Bumping this to a 3 or 4 in picture settings brought back some of those subtle details in darker scenes without dramatically affecting contrast. This is something we also found helped with black levels when we reviewed the S95F’s step-down sibling, the Samsung S90F.
In the end, the S95F’s Filmmaker Mode provides the most accurate picture in its default settings, but in brighter room lighting conditions, the default Movie mode preset, or Filmmaker Mode with Dynamic Tone Mapping set to Active, shows fewer signs of black crush while still maintaining deep black levels. Thankfully, with the Samsung S95F, there’s a mode or combination of settings that will work for everyone.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
