STACK #235 May 2024

TECH FEATURE

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SAMSUNG GAMING TVS keep you in the game The tech wizards at Samsung have even more to offer gamers in their range of 2024 TVs, which all feature the Samsung Gaming Hub. Call it up onscreen and you have direct access to hot titles from Xbox GamePass, as well as an assortment of other streaming

If you’re a gamer looking to upgrade yourTV to a 2024 model, you’re in for a treat. Several features aimed squarely at players now come as standard on many models – but what do all of those acronyms and buzzwords mean? As always, we’re here to demystify it all for you with our gamingTV buzzword primer. Words Bec Summer Game Mode VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) Designed to improve your gaming performance, SCREENS FOR GAMES

apps, all in one place. Yes, as long as you have a solid internet connection, and the relevant subscriptions, you can stream games directly to your Samsung TV! What does this mean? Well, the big plus is that you don’t actually need a console, just BYO PlayStation or Xbox controller. Add an Xbox GamePass and you’ve access to hundreds of top games, including day one releases of Xbox Studios games.

There’s a slight delay between video going into the TV and it then appearing onscreen – all of the picture-tweaking cleverness that the TV does takes time. While perfect for movies, sports, and more, this isn’t great for gaming, as it can cause a delay between your controller input and the action onscreen. You’ll find a setting named ‘Game Mode’ – or similar – on the majority of recently made TVs. This switches off most picture processing, making response times as fast as possible for better gaming.

VRR can eliminate screen tearing or picture stuttering – caused by the input being different to the frame rate of the monitor – by adjusting the screen’s frame rate to match that of the content you’re viewing. Measured in hertz, the number is how many times per second the screen refreshes. HDR (High Dynamic Range) This represents the range of light tones to dark tones – or highlights to shadows – that a screen can display. Newer games machines support it, allowing for an improved visual experience. HDR10 is the most standard format, which is a “one size fits all adjustment”, while Dolby Vision and the less common HDR10+ each offer creators frame-by-frame control of light and dark, and are more commonly found on visual content such as movies and TV shows. FreeSync

adds support for low frame rate compensation and a refresh rate of at least 120Hz at minimum FHD resolution, while AMD FreeSync Premium Pro also adds low latency in both SDR and HDR. HDMI 2.1 Until recently, the version of the HDMI inputs on your TV had been all about keeping up with new video tech. HDMI 1.4 added support for 3D and 4K, for example, while HDMI 2.0 opened the way for HDR video. With HDMI 2.1, the main benefits go straight to gamers, with support for 120fps in both 4K and 8K, plus ALLM and VRR compatibility. eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) An advancement of standard ARC technology, this bandwidth bolstered feature allows full

A real advancement in bringing top gaming performance to everybody, AMD FreeSync technology puts an end to choppy gameplay and broken frames with fluid, artefact free performance at virtually any frame rate. There are three levels, all featuring tear-free vision with low latency. AMD FreeSync Premium

ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) A very handy feature that automatically kicks the TV into its game mode (if it has one) when a game system signal is detected, adjusting the settings for optimal performance. ALLM can also work in reverse, adjusting settings for high quality picture when cinema content is detected.

quality, uncompressed audio in formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to transmit through the same HDMI cable as the video.

42 MAY 2024

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