Samsung Game Mode What Does

Samsung PS51D8000 3D Plasma TV Review

At the end of last year, we were happy to get our hands on a review sample of a 2010 Samsung plasma TV, and jokingly mentioned that we hoped to review one of the 2011 models before they became “old news”. At Samsung, the push absolutely appears to be on its LED LCD HDTVs, with plasmas appearing to be an afterthought. Despite this, we found the company’s plasma televisions to be very likeable displays, and hoped that we’d get a chance to see more of them in the future.

Well, Samsung has listened and has sent us a PS51D8000 review sample to get stuck into. This 51-inch plasma display is 3D capable, and features a full HD 1920x1080p panel, 4 HDMI inputs, Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners, and of course, the “Smart TV” (internet connectivity) functionalities which the Korean manufacturer is so proud of. Let’s see if the Samsung PS51D8000 can compete against the PDP (plasma display panel) competition.

Jump To: Operation • Calibration • Picture Performance • Conclusion

Although not as stunningly designed as the PS50C6900 we reviewed back in November (which we loved thanks to its use of charcoal-coloured, non-shiny dark grey), the Samsung PS51D8000 is certainly a nicely designed HDTV. The screen is surrounded by silver metallic and transparent, glass-like acrylic, and the plasma sits on to of a four-legged chrome stand (which is a nightmare to assemble and fit to the back of the TV, especially since plasmas should never be laid flat).

It’s incredibly slim, measuring roughly 3cm at its deepest point, although Samsung have found a way to slim down the chassis (and the speakers) without sacrificing sound quality too much. The PS51D8000′s built-in speakers obviously aren’t a match for a real off-board speaker system, but through the use of EQ, they can deliver a surprisingly weighty sound (distortion can still occur during louder areas, though). This is noteworthy, because the chassis of Panasonic’s comparably priced 2011 Plasma TVs actually curves out to make room for larger speakers… which still don’t sound as good as Samsung’s.

The Samsung D8000 PDP features 4 HDMI inputs, two inputs for the terrestrial, cable and satellite tuners, and connectivity options for older analogue interfaces (SCART, Component, Composite, Computer “VGA”). There are also 2 USB inputs and an Ethernet/LAN port, although this HDTV features wireless connectivity built in, so we imagine this will go largely unused.

LED TV, Game Mode changes colors? help please! - CNET Samsung Forums

I recently posted a topic asking for ways to decrease input lag without using game mode. But I tried everything and it looks like game mode is the only option. The controls for gaming are less laggy, but still noticeable. But oh well, I guess I will have to deal with it.

The only other problem I have with game mode is that it makes all of the colors much lighter. I thought it was a brightness problem but I lowered the brightness for my games and on tv by a lot, and the colors still seemed lighter. Does anyone know what setting I need to tinker with to make the colors look the same as if game mode were off?

Thanks

RayzTheRoof,
There's definitely a trade-off when it comes to adjusting game mode. Either the lag reduction offers a slightly brighter screen, or the processing slows down the gameplay. Unfortunately there's really no trade-off that I can offer in terms of settings that would give you the best of both worlds. In some cases, you can adjust some settings in the game or the game console by adjusting gamma or other items in the picture menus, but that could vary by game or game console.

--HDTech

Hey man, I'm in the same boat. Got the un46d7000 last week from Amazon. LOVE the tv. Great picture. Awesome 3D (watched open season).

However, when I started up a game of black ops zombies (shangri la), I immediately noticed the lag. At first, I thought the game itself was lagging, but very shortly figure out it was the TV.

The main part of the lag was the movement in the controls. Felt bulky, and not smooth at all. I was playing on the "DYNAMIC" mode settings, and the picture looks superb. If I switch it to "Game Mode" the lag completely disappears, but the picture doesn't even look like HD. It's that bad.... Is there anyway you can improve the input lag, but keep the picture as close as possible to "Dynamic?" This really sucks. I upgraded from a 5 year old Vizio 32 inch tv, and there was almost no lag on that one, and the picture looks better than this 'new' Samsung tv on "Game Mode."

What's your gamertag, or PSN id man? Have you found anything that improves the lag?

I changed the input name to Game by going to the input, hitting Tools on the remote, and then choosing Edit Name and finding Game. I think this helps, but there's still a lot of lag.

HWM

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HWM

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