The Samsung QLED q90a will be released in a 43" model.

I tried looking at the threads for the QN90A and related models on both AVS Forum and AVForums and all the owners threads are riddled with LCD vs. OLED fighting. I just want to hear about the pros and cons of the thing I'm trying to research but I have to find that between the panel tech pissing contests every time, everywhere.

Which is a shame because they're all good and bad in different areas, it just depends what you can live with. I get that people have preferences, understandable, but damn does it get toxic.
 
Jump to the latest messages on AVS as there's quite a bit of info on the latest firmware and varies setting suggestions. No need to read the whole thread.
 
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I tried looking at the threads for the QN90A and related models on both AVS Forum and AVForums and all the owners threads are riddled with LCD vs. OLED fighting. I just want to hear about the pros and cons of the thing I'm trying to research but I have to find that between the panel tech pissing contests every time, everywhere.

Which is a shame because they're all good and bad in different areas, it just depends what you can live with. I get that people have preferences, understandable, but damn does it get toxic.
A few reviews I have come across comparing the q90a to the c1 can be summarized like this: if you are using this in a bright room get the q90a, if you're in a darker room get the c1.
Apparently they are so close in image quality, with the q90a just edging the c1 out in brightness. but the c1 having better blacks and and more hdmi 2.1 ports.

It really comes down use usage.
Good luck.
 
It really comes down use usage.
It does. OLEDs would be on my list of considerations if I was buying as a TV.

I'm looking at the QN90A (specifically the 50" QN94A here) as a monitor to replace the FV43U that has flaws I've decided I can't live with. Returning the FV was difficult as I got it through work for cheap so I'm just keeping it for console gaming and/or the music studio. My work use case involves hours of the same tools in the same places so I'm not willing to babysit an OLED in that situation.

It's unfortunate that specific gamuts can't be set on the Samsung but I'm not too bothered. I'm in a situation with my work where I'm looking at desaturated scans of structural drawings that are really difficult to read in sRGB mode. A bit of inaccuracy via overblown gamut actually helps me out. Been doing the same on the FV, the gamut is crazy wide. Just a shame it makes everything else look like a trip so I dial things back outside of work.
 
I think this year Samsung got close enough with this LCD that the difference in blacks or overall performance vs an OLED don't really bother me. As an all arounder I think the QN90A is a better display but it comes at a slight image quality loss which I think is worth while trade off for my use case.

Like I mentioned, it's only significant weakness to me are the dark VA transition. It's not like a moderate/long black trail you see on many slow VA's but it's a abrupt one that really only shows up in completely dark games. In mixed content it's plenty fast. The other problem is BGR but I didn't mess with cleartype yet to see how tolerable it is. FYI I think WRGB and BGR text are equally bad so it's a wash.

If I had the choice between a comprable 43" version and a 42" OLED as a PC monitor I would definitely take the Samsung. I'm also sick of the baby sitting but also SDR gaming looks way better on the Samsung to me.

All it comes down to is whether you can stomach the local dimming for desktop use. I enjoy FALD displays so it's no problem for me (I like to see zones working which is strange).
 
All it comes down to is whether you can stomach the local dimming for desktop use. I enjoy FALD displays so it's no problem for me (I like to see zones working which is strange).
This is a concern I will admit, but I can't judge it until I look at it myself. It is why I asked earlier about being able to defeat the LD entirely though. It's isn't particularly natural for desktops to use it, especially if you use dark themes like me. It's dreadful on the FV43U but it just doesn't have the zone count to be good anyway.
 
This is a concern I will admit, but I can't judge it until I look at it myself. It is why I asked earlier about being able to defeat the LD entirely though. It's isn't particularly natural for desktops to use it, especially if you use dark themes like me. It's dreadful on the FV43U but it just doesn't have the zone count to be good anyway.
Leaving it local dimming on low behaves like there is no local dimming on desktop content so in that regard you're good.

Right now I'm dealing with the terrible QC of Samsung and TV's in general. The one I received today from Samsung direct has way worse FALD grid crosshatching pattern compared to my friends, like 3x worse it's unusable. I just picked one up at Bestbuy and it's what I consider mostly clean in regards to the FALD grid but there is a light horizontal band right down the center that looks like the panel was folded in half. I asked for a replacement and that's going to be my last try tomorrow. I've established that it's possible to find one without the nasty grid visible now it's just finding one that doesn't have other random defects.

Farther away at TV distances it wouldn't bother me but for monitor use this is reality. Uniformity issues are way worse when you're 1.2m away. I really hope this last one is good because I really like the TV.
 
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Leaving it local dimming on low behaves like there is no local dimming on desktop content so in that regard you're good.

Right now I'm dealing with the terrible QC of Samsung and TV's in general. The one I received today from Samsung direct has way worse FALD grid crosshatching pattern compared to my friends, like 3x worse it's unusable. I just picked one up at Bestbuy and it's what I consider mostly clean in regards to the FALD grid but there is a light horizontal band right down the center that looks like the panel was folded in half. I asked for a replacement and that's going to be my last try tomorrow. I've established that it's possible to find one without the nasty grid visible now it's just finding one that doesn't have other random defects.

Farther away at TV distances it wouldn't bother me but for monitor use this is reality. Uniformity issues are way worse when you're 1.2m away. I really hope this last one is good because I really like the TV.
Could you post a pic of how it looks if you can? I am still unsure what that crosshatching pattern issue is regarding Samsungs.
 
Could you post a pic of how it looks if you can? I am still unsure what that crosshatching pattern issue is regarding Samsungs.
I can't make it visible with a phone camera. Just imagine where the FALD grid is on the panel, there are vertical and horizontal dark lines spaced symmetrically that coincide with where the FALD array sits. My suspicion is these lines are actually between where the LED's are located.

Take this picture and imagine lines connecting the dots.

LED_Direct.png


I just got the replacement and I think I'm calling it quits. This has 0 FALD grid but tons of traditional DSE splotches. One is so big and dark that it's visible in basically anything including webpages. I just have 0 tolerance for uniformity or DSE issues after using a super clean OLED for over a year now. At this rate I will need to go through a dozen panels to find one that is clean enough to warrant the price tag, if this was a $400 TCL TV I wouldn't care.

I think there's a high probability that some of this DSE / splotches are just shipping abuse. The big ones are all on the bottom where the foam presses against the panel and the box was destroyed with holes in it too. No where local to me offers the 50's in store so yea.
 
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There appear to be different type panels used in some screens depending on size and your location that will impact display quality, IPS being worse.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1623645585
MiniLED in itself does not deliver better picture quality. The most important factors to determine/improve picture quality in an LCD TV are still the panel type (VA or IPS) and the number of dimming zones (and how zones are controlled).

Note: FlatpanelsHD is reviewing the 55-inch QN95A with external One Connect box and VA LCD panel. QN90A in the US as well as QN91A, QN92A and QN93A in Europe should also have VA LCD panel, but there are reports about QN90A using a mix of VA and IPS LCD panels in some size classes and some regions – check before you buy. IPS LCD has much lower contrast.
 
All north American QN90's are VA. Else where they are ADS/VA depending on size.
 
Maaaybe I'll go pick up a QN94A myself rather than have it delivered. My first FV43U was completely destroyed by the courier.
 
I can't make it visible with a phone camera. Just imagine where the FALD grid is on the panel, there are vertical and horizontal dark lines spaced symmetrically that coincide with where the FALD array sits. My suspicion is these lines are actually between where the LED's are located.

Take this picture and imagine lines connecting the dots.

View attachment 397346

I just got the replacement and I think I'm calling it quits. This has 0 FALD grid but tons of traditional DSE splotches. One is so big and dark that it's visible in basically anything including webpages. I just have 0 tolerance for uniformity or DSE issues after using a super clean OLED for over a year now. At this rate I will need to go through a dozen panels to find one that is clean enough to warrant the price tag, if this was a $400 TCL TV I wouldn't care.

I think there's a high probability that some of this DSE / splotches are just shipping abuse. The big ones are all on the bottom where the foam presses against the panel and the box was destroyed with holes in it too. No where local to me offers the 50's in store so yea.
Lol I just cleaned my screen with LCD spray & a microfiber towel putting pressure on the face of the screen LOL since you mentioned any pressure could cause DSE I went & checked again & phew nothing lol also i don't have the grid lines either :pompous:
 
There appear to be different type panels used in some screens depending on size and your location that will impact display quality, IPS being worse.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1623645585
Ya there is a video on youtube [don't have the link] where the guy compared the American version vs the European? Or other version and the American while only having 1 HDMI2.1 slot it was superior in colors and viewing angles by a long shot. The 1 HDMI 2.1 slot doesn't bother me at all since I only have my PC connected to it so negligible for me.
 
Lol I just cleaned my screen with LCD spray & a microfiber towel putting pressure on the face of the screen LOL since you mentioned any pressure could cause DSE I went & checked again & phew nothing lol also i don't have the grid lines either :pompous:
You're lucky. I just returned mine to Bestbuy here and when they asked what's wrong with it I said there is a big dark spot. They unboxed and setup the TV and all 3 associates immediately pointed to the dark spot without me so for sure I'm not hallucinating.

They then started inspecting the screen and said "Oh wait, we've had 4-5 of these come back because of these spots and it was the plastic screen protector used during shipping, the spots are on the plastic" at which point I said only the 55"+ come with the protective film and this has none. They literally damaged the TV picking at the corners while I'm standing there.

I'm still on the fence if I should try again because my wifes 55" is really clean as was this Bestbuy 50" other than the dark spot. It sucks that this is what you have to go through on large format displays now days even when spending $1300+.
 
You're lucky. I just returned mine to Bestbuy here and when they asked what's wrong with it I said there is a big dark spot. They unboxed and setup the TV and all 3 associates immediately pointed to the dark spot without me so for sure I'm not hallucinating.

They then started inspecting the screen and said "Oh wait, we've had 4-5 of these come back because of these spots and it was the plastic screen protector used during shipping, the spots are on the plastic" at which point I said only the 55"+ come with the protective film and this has none. They literally damaged the TV picking at the corners while I'm standing there.

I'm still on the fence if I should try again because my wifes 55" is really clean as was this Bestbuy 50" other than the dark spot. It sucks that this is what you have to go through on large format displays now days even when spending $1300+.
That's a shame I would try for a clean panel if best buy is near you since nothing else competes with this display. The colors and brightness in HDR are the best so I would say It's worth trying as many times as It takes to get a clean panel. Not sure if even if you find a clean one you would be satisfied as picky as you are. I for one am keeping mine for sure as It is better than everything else I have tried in regard to It's competition being the FV43U & the LGC1 & I think the QN90A is definitely the best one out of them all. I'm not getting technical with it just simply the most pleasing to my eyes in big beautiful bright colorful screen for me It's a winner.
 
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It does. OLEDs would be on my list of considerations if I was buying as a TV.

I'm looking at the QN90A (specifically the 50" QN94A here) as a monitor to replace the FV43U that has flaws I've decided I can't live with. Returning the FV was difficult as I got it through work for cheap so I'm just keeping it for console gaming and/or the music studio. My work use case involves hours of the same tools in the same places so I'm not willing to babysit an OLED in that situation.

It's unfortunate that specific gamuts can't be set on the Samsung but I'm not too bothered. I'm in a situation with my work where I'm looking at desaturated scans of structural drawings that are really difficult to read in sRGB mode. A bit of inaccuracy via overblown gamut actually helps me out. Been doing the same on the FV, the gamut is crazy wide. Just a shame it makes everything else look like a trip so I dial things back outside of work.

RTings seems to suggest combination of BGR + QLED wide viewing angle filter makes text look blurry on the Q90A. Is that the experience you have, or is it easy to read on it?
 
RTings seems to suggest combination of BGR + QLED wide viewing angle filter makes text look blurry on the Q90A. Is that the experience you have, or is it easy to read on it?
I don't have one myself yet but that filter shown in the photo on RTINGS is only on the 55" and above. The 50 should just be a normal unfiltered VA panel. BGR is a known quantity, though at a push you can always mount upside down if it's problematic.
 
I don't have one myself yet but that filter shown in the photo on RTINGS is only on the 55" and above. The 50 should just be a normal unfiltered VA panel. BGR is a known quantity, though at a push you can always mount upside down if it's problematic.
I'd avoid doing this on an HDR TV. TVs are designed with heat venting on the top because heat rises. Most don't have any venting on the bottom. Some TVs get pretty toasty when doing lots of bright HDR scenes.
 
I'm pretty sure flipping a display and changing it's orientation in Windows prevents VRR from working.

On another note, I took a gamble with 1 last replacement and this one is good. Normal amount of LCD DSE, no FALD grid, just minor vertical bands but they are no worse than the 5% grey bands on my CX. So for anyone out there who got a terrible panel, clean ones do exist you might just have to buy 20 of them to find one.
 
I'd avoid doing this on an HDR TV. TVs are designed with heat venting on the top because heat rises. Most don't have any venting on the bottom. Some TVs get pretty toasty when doing lots of bright HDR scenes.
A fair point for some TVs and monitors for sure, though I don't see much in the way of ventilation on the QN**A models for it to be too much trouble.
 
I'm pretty sure flipping a display and changing it's orientation in Windows prevents VRR from working
I believe there's a way to make Samsung TVs flip the image via the service menu. Whether it adds lag or takes other features away I'm not sure.
 
It seems like just getting the 85A is a better trade-off for PC use, no? It has RGB pixel layout, and the only practical downside is just slightly more blooming with stuff like subtitles. The contrast ratio blows away most IPS panels due to the mini LED and gets close to a non-miniLED VA panel level. For people who are doing mostly SDR/desktop/gaming the 2000:1 contrast ratio should be good enough.
 
I considered the 85 for that reason but 55" is just a bit too big for my desk. I'm already pushing it by considering a 50". The 55" would mean losing the speakers and I'm not willing to do that.

The black uniformity on the RTINGS review gives me cause for concern too.
 
Narrator: One month later, xDiVolatilX sold his QN90A...

Unfortunately I did end up returning it lmao :ROFLMAO::depressed:

2 things were a problem.

1st I noticed a ghosting on the text and on borders. I don't know how I got along for 10 days not noticing it but It was a huge problem. I hooked up my old monitor & the text is flawless & the borders are perfect. They were like ghost lines above & below text and borders. Very odd. But once I noticed it was a deal breaker. I'm not even picky about text, but this was unacceptable. Not sure if it was just my sample or they all have this issue. It would be good if others that have this monitor can chime in.

2nd I just couldn't get used to the lower refresh rate of 120 coming from 165 for over 4 years. It was noticeable to me. As soon as I hooked up the 165hz predator it felt like my monitor was supercharged. There is actually a massive difference & noticed it when I went back to 165hz. You do somewhat get used to the 120hz and you are able to live with it, but once you dabble with 165 again the difference is actually a lot, enough to make me miss it.


The QN90A is a beast though. It is by far the best HDR TV in my opinion. The size of it, the colors, the deep blacks, the ultra bright highlights will all be missed. Maybe I will revisit it in the future or It's next iteration, we'll see. For now I missed my ol' faithful predator lol
 
1st I noticed a ghosting on the text and on borders. I don't know how I got along for 10 days not noticing it but It was a huge problem. I hooked up my old monitor & the text is flawless & the borders are perfect. They were like ghost lines above & below text and borders. Very odd. But once I noticed it was a deal breaker. I'm not even picky about text, but this was unacceptable. Not sure if it was just my sample or they all have this issue. It would be good if others that have this monitor can chime in.
Definitely want to hear from others on this. I don't want to replace the FV43U because of its pixel issues with another one that has similar crap.
 
Definitely want to hear from others on this. I don't want to replace the FV43U because of its pixel issues with another one that has similar crap.

Isn't this just a perception issue? There is no zone blooming on a edge lit monitor on subtitle text because the entire screen is blooming instead (raised blacks). You just trade off contrast ratio for no blooming gradient.
 
Isn't this just a perception issue? There is no zone blooming on a edge lit monitor on subtitle text because the entire screen is blooming instead (raised blacks). You just trade off contrast ratio for no blooming gradient.
I'd advise you to go read my many posts in the FV43U thread, it isn't worth me getting into what is wrong with the monitor here. I've been over it many times and it isn't a fixable problem. This has nothing to do with blooming, zones, backlighting, etc.

If the QN9*A (I'd be getting the UK 50" QN94A) has similar pixel interference trouble I'm not buying one.
 
I'd advise you to go read my many posts in the FV43U thread, it isn't worth me getting into what is wrong with the monitor here. I've been over it many times and it isn't a fixable problem. This has nothing to do with blooming, zones, backlighting, etc.

If the QN9*A (I'd be getting the UK 50" QN94A) has similar pixel interference trouble I'm not buying one.
I even gave clear type a try. Downloaded a different browser. Opened up multiple different sample texts. The issue was very bad. Amazing how I didn't notice it earlier. It looked even worse than what happens on the FV43U. The FV only did it at the top. The QN90A does it everywhere & more artifacts above & below it. Not just that but the borders of long lines ghost like there is double lines. I was close to my 14 day return period i think 1 day away so I didn't have the time to take pics, I should have, but the many other QN90A owners could see if this was isolated to me or it happens to everyone.
 
The FV only did it at the top.
To be fair it does it everywhere but the very bottom. It just gets worse as you go up.

But yeah, if other owners could take a close look, maybe take some photos as proof or otherwise (not to say I don't believe you). If it's universal I give up on large format displays but I really hope it isn't.
 
Yeah I don't see any ghosting in the two scenarios it normally occurs (dark background light text, black text white background). The faint trail behind the text scrolling on this forum is not visible to my eye at all is just the video IMO. It's a relatively fast panel and I would have otherwise thrown it back to UPS within 10 minutes.



 
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Yeah I don't see any ghosting in the two scenarios it normally occurs (dark background light text, black text white background). The faint trail behind the text scrolling on this forum is not visible to my eye at all is just the video IMO. It's a relatively fast panel and I would have otherwise thrown it back to UPS within 10 minutes.




Ok I shouldn't have used the word ghosting. No scrolling needs to be done. What I meant was looks like ghosting but with no need for movement. Like artifacts very similar to how the FV43U has it but much worse. Look directly above and below text words. Try different text samples. Then look at vertial lines that surround web pages or text boxes or images they have double lines. Scaling 100 percent in windows & browser. When I swapped monitors everthing disappears trying the QN90A text was thrashed. May have been my bad sample. Look carefully though like light shadows on interference or artifacts above & below text especially even lines. Also can't see it on dark background only light back with dark text. And must me 100 scaling in OS & browser with HDR on in OS & OSD. It disappears above 150 scaling.
 
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Ok I shouldn't have used the word ghosting. No scrolling needs to be done. What I meant was looks like ghosting but with no need for movement. Like artifacts very similar to how the FV43U has it but much worse. Look directly above and below text words. Try different text samples. Then look at vertial lines that surround web pages or text boxes or images they have double lines. Scaling 100 percent in windows & browser. When I swapped monitors everthing disappears trying the QN90A text was thrashed. May have been my bad sample. Look carefully though like light shadows on interference or artifacts above & below text especially even lines. Also can't see it on dark background only light back with dark text. And must me 100 scaling in OS & browser with HDR on in OS & OSD. It disappears above 150 scaling.
Too much sharpness is the first thing that springs to mind but I guess you've been through that.
 
Sharpness was default. I never touched sharpness meter.
The other thing I thought was, perhaps the TV was working fine at first but after a firmware update it became messed up.
Be that due to a change in default sharpness or something else.

When I bought my Samsung TV 3 yrs ago, HDR broke badly. It worked ok for a short time but then whenever HDR mode was enabled everything went incredibly dark as to be unwatchable (its an HDR 2000 TV).
Samsung had to connect directly to my TV twice to fix it after it broke again, and boy was it a pita getting that far! They initially told me I had to pay for a certified engineer to verify the problem. I sent them a rather testy response that got their attention.
The next firmware sorted that problem.
There were also serious motion artefacts which they later fixed.
fyi

It appears to be par for the course with Samsung TVs not being ready on release.
 
Ok I shouldn't have used the word ghosting. No scrolling needs to be done. What I meant was looks like ghosting but with no need for movement. Like artifacts very similar to how the FV43U has it but much worse. Look directly above and below text words. Try different text samples. Then look at vertial lines that surround web pages or text boxes or images they have double lines. Scaling 100 percent in windows & browser. When I swapped monitors everthing disappears trying the QN90A text was thrashed. May have been my bad sample. Look carefully though like light shadows on interference or artifacts above & below text especially even lines. Also can't see it on dark background only light back with dark text. And must me 100 scaling in OS & browser with HDR on in OS & OSD. It disappears above 150 scaling.
You sound dangerously close to being a display snob.
 
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Ok I shouldn't have used the word ghosting. No scrolling needs to be done. What I meant was looks like ghosting but with no need for movement. Like artifacts very similar to how the FV43U has it but much worse. Look directly above and below text words. Try different text samples. Then look at vertial lines that surround web pages or text boxes or images they have double lines. Scaling 100 percent in windows & browser. When I swapped monitors everthing disappears trying the QN90A text was thrashed. May have been my bad sample. Look carefully though like light shadows on interference or artifacts above & below text especially even lines. Also can't see it on dark background only light back with dark text. And must me 100 scaling in OS & browser with HDR on in OS & OSD. It disappears above 150 scaling.

Sounds like an issue with the wide viewing angle filter causing pixel blur? Isn't this what RTings said about the QN90A? I think the QN85A doesn't have these issues.

1632795684502.png
 
You sound dangerously close to being a display snob.
I have been known to have bleeding edge products, but I wouldn't call myself a snob. I bought some of the first hdmi 2.0 tvs what almost 8 to 10 years ago now back in 2013 if I recall correctly when all my friends had 1080p I was in god mode at pushing 4k with SLI'd 980Ti's on water lol. I've waited almost 10 years for hdmi 2.1 to have a faster refresh rate & at 120 it still isn't fast enough. More just an enthusiast of tech really. I've been gaming on PC all my life over 25 years easy so It's just experience & anticipation of new technology definitely not snobishness. I just installed a 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra Hydrocopper on over 800mm of pure alphacool copper a few days ago so there's that also lol I know you are being sarcastic saying snob to me but I should have taken pictures of the issue before I sent it back. Where the FV43U didn't bother me at all, this was unacceptable. I can't imagine only mine having this type of issue but I wouldn't put it past me either. Weird things happen with electronics I wonder if mine was isolated.

Are you guys on the latest firmware that is auto updated by the tv itself? not the one you update yourself with a usb drive download manually. I was on the latest firmware auto update with hdr on with 100 scaling in windows & browser in edge the text was messy artifacts everywhere above & below text even lines were doubling themselves it was like duplicates in 10% transparency all over the place but only when you look closely. Was bizarre to say the least.
 
Sounds like an issue with the wide viewing angle filter causing pixel blur? Isn't this what RTings said about the QN90A? I think the QN85A doesn't have these issues.

View attachment 398323
Yes this is true but in practice this wasn't noticeable in my opinion. If working properly it should be sharp and fine. The issue I'm talking about is little artifacts around text. It should be easily noticeable unless it was isolated to only that panel. Check with hdr on & 100 scaling on windows and browser. Not sure how this could be just on my sample i had because everything else worked perfectly especially gaming was spectacular & sharp but then on browsing there were artifacts everywhere. I should have turned hdr off but didn't have the time to troubleshoot and was worried about being stuck with a panel that was either inherently defective or just my own sample was defective either way the deadline was 14 days for best buy I was at the last day so I packaged it up and drove down there a few hours ago today and returned it in the nick of time. I may revisit this display if noone else notices anything I'll think about it long & hard because the FV43U was exposed pretty hard let's see how this QN90A does in some time.
 
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