Take Advantage of Your TV’s Preset Modes to Fine Tune Your Picture

TVs keep getting smarter and more feature-rich. However, is it ok to assume that every modern TV is plug and play with regard to picture quality? Well, not really. Today’s TV’s come with various  pre-set modes that allow easy viewing adjustments. Different modes offer pre-set picture settings that optimize picture quality attributes such as brightness/backlighting, motion processing, tint, color and contrast. Pre-set modes are designed to provide the best possible picture quality based on viewing environment or type of content, making it possible for you to better enjoy every subtle detail of content the way it was intended. When you find the right mode settings on your TV, it’s clear why 4K HDR TV’s makes all the difference.

When It Comes to 4K TVs, Mode Matters

Today’s 4K TVs are designed to provide darker darks, brighter brights, hyper-realistic looking imagery and the finest image details intended to immerse you in an experience that blows you away. That’s why mode adjustment is so critical – it ensures the 4K TV is living up to its visual promise. Names may vary, but most major TV brands include pre-set options that are configured so that you can make sure the picture settings coincide with how and what you’re watching.

Pre-set modes are ideal for quickly adjusting settings to best match different kinds of content and where that content is viewed. TVs look different in every environment, even if the model and settings are identical. A dark basement will display light differently than a sunny living room, for example. Mode settings offer the option to optimize the picture, no matter where you watch.

There are also modes for different types of content. For example, a movie would benefit from different settings than a video game or a sporting event. These modes are designed to make those adjustments for you, just select the appropriate one and enjoy.

Settings in the Pre-Set Mode

The pre-set mode is designed so you can adjust without fuss. Go into your TV’s menu and select a mode that sounds like it would work for your set up. You’ll probably see an option named  Movie or Cinema Mode, designed for cinematic content. This mode will better match a movie-going experience by lowering brightness for viewing in a darker room, turning of motion interpolation and other adjustments.

In Vivid, or Dynamic, Mode picture has higher brightness with high color saturation. This works well for daytime viewing when there is bright sunlight. Game Mode is for gaming, of course. The mode accounts for the fast screen movement involved with video games, and usually reduces input lag so commands from your game controller will be received on the TV more quickly.  Sports Mode is usually brighter to re-create the bright sunlight of a outdoor event and offer smoother motion so the fast action will have less blur or streaking.

Finally, there’s the Standard Mode, which is probably the default setting when your TV is first set-up, and is the point zero for settings. This usually is a middle-of-the-road setting for general use, but does not take the room environment or type of content into account. Trial and error are probably needed in order to fully take advantage of these modes. They’re usually easily accessible from the menus, so don’t be afraid to experiment to find the mode you like best.

Pre-Set and Calibration – What’s the Difference?

Paying a professional to calibrate your display is another option available for those who seek an even more optimized, personalized viewing experience. Calibration is a customized version of pre-settings mode, done exactingly for your specific viewing habits and environment. When you hire an independent professional to calibrate, they will use professional equipment to achieve a perfect viewing experience accounting for your ambient viewing conditions and specific display features.

Whether you calibrate with a hired professional or choose pre-set modes, if you crave a high-quality picture, you should utilize the ability to adjust your viewing settings – it makes all the difference in optimizing your 4K UHD experience.