On today’s episode of You Asked: Can we give it a rest with pumping up the TV brightness? Why is Samsung adding Nvidia G-Sync support but not Dolby Vision? And what type of TV will work best in a room with wraparound windows?
Can we stop pumping up TV brightness?
@allclear4115 asks: I’m depressed about TVs nowadays.. Not because they’re too bright, but because they can’t be tamed at all. Rest in peace, dark room!
First off, I definitely understand the brightness fatigue. Everything seems to be “X times brighter than the previous generation” or “brightest ever!” The claimed Nits, the measurement for brightness, is all over the box and the marketing. It’s just everywhere you look, and it can be exhausting.
But I think one of the reasons we see brightness being pushed all over the place is that it’s one of the ways manufacturers can show the most improvement year after year.
Take OLED TVs, for example. The large panels we know now have been around for more than a decade, but they certainly weren’t always this bright. Even as few as four or five or six years ago, they weren’t hitting the levels they are now. And as we’ve talked about a lot, that overall brightness mainly helps with contrast against pure blacks of OLED and peak highlights having the sparkle that makes a viewing experience really special.
With a lot of Mini LED TVs, that increased brightness means being able to overpower ambient light in bright rooms and even sunlight. So brightness does bring some notable quality-of-life improvements.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t tamed. In fact, some TVs have specific picture profiles for making a pleasurable viewing experience in dark rooms. Hisense, for example, has Theater Day and Theater Night modes. You can set one to have the brightness juiced up during the day to overpower ambient light. And at night, when you don’t want the TV lighting up the entire room, you can turn it down quite a bit.
It’s a similar story for a lot of TVs we talk about on this channel. While they can get very bright and reviewers love to talk about that, they also come with lots of settings that can be adjusted and tailored for what suits you best.
So again, I get where you’re coming from, and I’m sensing a little bit of sarcasm there too. I just don’t think TVs are too bright unless you want them to be. And personally, I’d rather have some room to spare on the bright end than finding my TV too dull when the sun’s out.
Why G-Sync but not Dolby Vision?
Parker Tyler asks: So they’ll pay the licensing for G-Sync, but they won’t for Dolby Vision?
The frustration from Samsung not supporting Dolby Vision continues, and I’m kinda torn on it. I’ve seen the improvements that Dolby Vision 2 brings, but I also have a Samsung Mini LED TV at home that I watch every day without Dolby Vision and have zero complaints.
And I’d imagine a lot of Samsung OLED owners feel the same way. Those QD-OLED panels on the high-end models bring a more colorful punch than most of the competition, and HDR 10 and 10 Plus are nothing to scoff at.
I’m just guessing that Samsung doesn’t see Dolby Vision as enough of an “upgrade” to put it in their TVs. And they sell tons of units every year. So a good chunk of the market also agrees.
For gaming, on the other hand, I would assume having Nvidia G-Sync gives more to that crowd than Dolby Vision does to the general audience. I’m also assuming they’ve done the research and see that adding that feature would sell more of their OLED TVs to gamers.
They’ve also doubled down with HDR 10 Plus Advanced, a new format that boasts great picture control through enhanced metadata. Sound familiar? Safe to say Dolby Vision isn’t coming to Samsung anytime soon. But at least they’re servicing the rest of the market with gaming upgrades.
What’s the brightest TV for a room with wraparound windows?
@YeCannyDaeThat asks: I have a really bright room with wraparound windows. Which is the brightest type of TV?
The brightest type of TV that you’ll find most available is Mini LED. And in that scenario with wraparound windows, especially if there’s a window behind the TV as well, you’ll definitely want to look at some of the brightest available.
TCL and Hisense make some really great options. Think TCL QM8K or the Hisense U8QG. You can also find these in some large sizes to really help the TV stand out among the light around it. And since those are 2025 models, you can probably get them for a really good price right now.
Sony’s Bravia 9 is another great pick for a bright room. It also does a great job holding its contrast at high luminance levels.
I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, but TCL also has a QM9K that looks insanely bright, rated to hit up to 6,500 nits with 6,000 dimming zones. It’s overkill in most scenarios, but maybe not in yours?
I also shouldn’t slight OLED options here, since there are a couple that I think would be suitable for bright rooms. Samsung’s S95F and its anti-glare screen do great battling reflections. LG’s G5 has also stepped up its game in terms of brightness compared to previous models.
You’ll have to see which fits your budget, but like I said before, I think if you can get one of those bright TVs in a bigger size, it’ll really help it overcome the light in your room.