SAMSUNG QN65Q8FN LCD ULTRA HDTV

SAMSUNG’S QLED— not to be confused with OLED— UHDTVS are the company’s top-of-the-line models. In case you’re wondering, that Q in QLED stands for quantum dot, a backlight technology that provides a more precise method to generate the red, green, and blue light that creates a video image than the process typically used for LCD displays. How does it happen? In a Samsung QLED TV, a blue LED backlight generates the blue component of the image and also stimulates a layer of nanocrystal dots sized to emit a specific wavelength of light — red and green in this case— when energized. The benefits to using quantum dot technology in a TV include a more saturated color range at all brightness levels, along with increased energy efficiency since filters aren’t used to create the red, green, and blue primaries that make up the full-color image.

Along with quantum dots, another benefit to Samsung’s Q8FN series LCD Ultra HDTVS, including the 65-inch QN65Q8FN model tested here, is a full-array LED backlight with local dimming. That’s a new development for 2018— Samsung’s high-end LCD offerings over the past few years have all used edge-lit LED backlights. A key feature that differentiates Q8FN series sets from the company’s pricier Q9FN models is the number of local dimming zones. While Samsung doesn’t cite a specific number, the Q9FN series provides 10 times as many zones as Q8FN series models.

Anyone keeping track of high dynamic range developments with new UHDTVS will be aware that Samsung doesn’t do Dolby Vision. Instead, it supports its own HDR10+ format in addition to standard HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma). Same as with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ uses dynamic metadata to direct the TV’S rendering of image dynamic range on a shot-by-shot or frame-by-frame basis. At present HDR10+ is only available on a limited number sources, specifically the library of HDR programs available for streaming from Amazon Video. Another Q8FN series feature that helps with high dynamic range delivery is an Ultra Black Elite Anti-reflective screen. While screen reflections aren’t an issue when viewing in a dark environment, most people watch with some degree of room light, and Samsung’s light-filtering screen effectively serves to remove glare caused by lamps and undraped windows.

As with other Samsung TVS, careful attention has been paid to the 65Q8FN’S design features. The screen is bordered by a thin, almost non-existent 0.25-inch bezel. The spindly legs included for a table mount are splayed wide apart, but they otherwise provide solid support. Samsung’s Clean Cable Solution lets you route the power cable from the TV’S back through a conduit on either leg, allowing for a clutter-free installation. Adding to the set’s design flair is Samsung’s Ambient Mode. When this is activated, the TV’S black screen transforms into a framed picturestyle display that blends in visually with the TV’S physical environment. You get the option to display either a preset image or a custom image that you upload.

Another feature separating Samsung’s Q8FN and Q9FN series TVS is the lack of the One Connect Box for the former. (Samsung’s One Connect Box is an external AV connection box that links to the TV via a single optical cable.) Instead, the 65Q8FN’S back panel provides a full set of connectivity options, including four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.0 inputs (including one with ARC), an RF input for cable/ terrestrial TV, LAN and USB ports, and an optical digital audio output capable of passing Dolby Digital surround soundtracks to an AV receiver. On the subject of sound, the 65Q8FN’S built-in audio system can play relatively loud for a flat-panel TV, and it also has Bluetooth for streaming sound to set of wireless headphones for solo late-night viewing.

The Samsung Oneremote included with the TV is a deliberately stripped-down handset that depends largely on interaction with the set’s onscreen GUI to carry out many operations. While I see the appeal of replacing a traditional button-cluttered remote with a more advanced control option, I actually found myself turning to the set’s online e-manual to learn how to perform functions as basic as volume adjustment. In other words, I didn’t find Oneremote to be particularly intuitive, though I did eventually get the hang of using it after a few visits to the e-manual.

One reason why Samsung may have de-emphasized traditional remote-control options with the Q8FN series is its Bixby intelligent voice command feature. Many new TVS from Sony, LG, Vizio, etc. feature some form of voice control, typically Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. Bixby, on the other hand, is a Samsung creation. While it didn’t have the same AI chops that impressed me during my past interactions with Google Assistant, it still managed to carry out basic commands like “volume up” and “volume down.” (More on Bixby in a bit.)

SETUP

When you first turn on Samsung’s TV, a welcome screen directs you to download the company’s Smartthings app to your phone or tablet. After doing so, I was disappointed to learn that I had to register and create a Samsung account to use the app, which only provided rudimentary TV remote control functions. (Smartthings is geared more towards controlling the company’s

Smart Home devices, including sensors, hubs, security kits, and kitchen appliances.)

Quitting the Smartthings app and turning my attention to Oneremote and Bixby, I decided to try using voice commands to navigate Netflix, only to learn that Samsung’s assistant isn’t compatible with that service. Instead, I searched for a movie. “Watch The Hangover Part II,” I commanded. “Did you want to watch The Hangover Part Two Inches?” (Whaaa?) “No,” I responded.

“Is ‘No’ what you wanted to search for?” On it went.

I started my picture setup of the 65Q8FN by selecting the Movie preset, which provided mostly accurate out-of-box color rendition. I also selected Warm2 Color Tone (white balance), Auto Color Space, and The Q8 Series TVS feature back panel inputs instead of an external One Connect box. left Gamma at its default 0 setting. When connecting an Ultra HD Blu-ray player or Uhd-capable streaming box to the TV, you will also need to select the HDMI UHD Color option in the External Device Manager submenu under the General Settings menu for a specific input to ensure passage of full-bandwidth signals.

The 65Q8FN provides both 2- and 20-point white balance adjustments, but I only needed to use the 2-point option to calibrate the set’s grayscale for standard dynamic range (SDR) HD viewing. Gamma closely tracked a 2.4 target at the default setting, while the Auto Color Space setting delivered almost spot-on Rec.709 color rendition. The set’s measured P3 color space coverage using the CIE 1976 uv standard was 98.78 percent — the highest amount I’ve measured so far.

Contrast ratio proved unmeasurable in all local dimming modes, with the set in each case fully shutting off the backlight when displaying an all-black image. And since the set also doesn’t provide an option to turn off local dimming, making a measurement of its native contrast wasn’t possible.

SDR PERFORMANCE

I did plenty of casual viewing with the Samsung in Movie mode before digging in and performing a calibration. Once

that was finished, I couldn’t have found better source material to show off the set’s standard dynamic range capabilities than Better Call Saul, season 3, episode 10 streamed in 4K from Netflix. The show opens with a flashback of a young Jimmy Mcgill and his brother Chuck reading by lantern light in a dark tent. The shadow detail in this scene was excellent: blacks looked deep and inky, and the fine folds and creases in the brothers’ clothing came through clearly. In a subsequent scene where an adult Chuck faces off with a business partner, the warm light coming from a column of lamps lining a conference-room table had a powerful glow. Better yet, the 65Q8FN’S rendition of contrast and color in this scene was subtle enough to suggest a visual connection with the previous tent scene, while also providing a demonstration of the set’s solid dynamic capabilities, even when displaying regular SDR programs.

The Samsung’s strong rendition of blacks and shadows remained in evidence when I next watched a Blu-ray of 2001: A Space Odyssey. A scene in a cave where the proto-humans cluster at nightfall revealed a high level of detail in their fur, and the environment’s black backgrounds looked endlessly dark. One thing that did bother

me when watching this and other scenes from 2001, however, was the TV’S tendency to shift abruptly to black during fade-outs, something that appeared to happen with all the local dimming settings.

The Samsung’s upconversion of 1080p video was impressively clean, with no noticeable smoothing of grain in filmsourced images. It also aced all of our full suite of video processing tests. Watching a Blu-ray of Passengers, the level of detail in the image was striking. Colors also looked rich but completely natural, especially in close-up shots of the main characters’ faces.

HDR PERFORMANCE

Switching to HDR10 viewing, I watched the impressive recent Ultra HD Blu-ray release of The Matrix. Although the film’s visual

design emphasizes an overall “green” cast, the skintones of both Neo and Trinity had a natural-looking paleness. Other subtle colors came through, and they looked perfectly balanced against the film’s more lurid greenish hues. Highlights with this disc also came across powerfully, almost too much so—watching in a dark environment, I felt the need to significantly dial back the contrast and backlight controls from the default HDR Movie mode settings to create a more comfortable viewing experience. Once that was done, the Samsung’s HDR image displayed rock-solid, but not eye-piercing, contrast.

Another movie I watched on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Logan, based on the Marvel Comics X-men character Wolverine, also wowed me with its eye-popping contrast and strong shadow

detail. Watching the black-andwhite “Noir” version included with the disc package, the 65Q8FN displayed excellent image uniformity and an impressive range of fine gray tones. I did note a small degree of banding in a few scenes with streetlights superimposed against a black background, but that was the one instance where I encountered that artifact while watching Ultra HD discs.

CONCLUSION

Samsung’s QN65Q8FN QLED Ultra HDTV delivers exceptionally good performance when displaying both HDR and standard dynamic range programs, whether streamed or on disc. Its picture is distinguished by rich, yet balanced color and by sumptuous, detailed-looking shadows. The set does have ergonomic

challenges— I can’t remember ever having to consult a manual before to use a remote control. And its busy screen interface and Bixby voice assistant are likely to frustrate viewers who prefer to cut straight to the basics of watching a movie or TV. But at $2,799, the QN65Q8FN is priced competitively for a UHDTV that delivers mostly uncompromised picture quality. You could spend more on a higher-end set, but in this case that may not be necessary.