Samsung DU7192 (VA) vs Samsung The Frame LS03D

On the luminance charts, the peak brightness of the television is around 280 nits. Unfortunately, such a value is too low to fully enjoy the effects of HDR, which require significantly higher luminance. In the tested materials, such as The Meg or Gemini Man, the lack of adequate brightness severely limits the magic of HDR, and details in the brighter parts of the image are not sufficiently highlighted. For users primarily consuming SDR content, this quality level might be acceptable but it is definitely not enough when it comes to HDR. Additionally, a DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of 82% does not favour presenting HDR content in its full glory. The limited colour range makes it difficult for the television to reproduce vibrant and diverse hues, which is crucial for achieving a cinematic experience.

Samsung The Frame LS03D really does well with brightness. Results at the level of 700 nits make bright elements on the screen look impressive and detailed, whether they illuminate the entire screen or appear as tiny points of light on a dark background. In more demanding scenes, like the fourth sequence from the film Sicario 2, the blacks perform moderately, but we have already discussed this in the section on contrast. However, when it comes to brightness – this television definitely holds its own. An additional advantage is the quantum dot coating, which is QLED technology. Thanks to this, the coverage of the colour palette has been improved, although The Frame does not stand out in this regard compared to the competition.

The best factory mode we relied on during testing turned out to be "Filmmaker." Although it is the mode that most closely aligns with the creators' intent, it still has some imperfections. In the white balance graph for both SDR and HDR, there is a clear dominance of red, resulting in significant yellowing, particularly noticeable in whites and on actors' faces. In HDR mode, there is also a slight dominance of green, which, however, does not have as large an impact on the perception of the image. The gamma, responsible for brightness in SDR materials, performed quite well, but with one serious reservation. In the darkest parts of the image, it was too low, causing excessive brightening of those scenes, depriving the film of drama and contrast. In the case of HDR, the white balance remains at a similar level, but the EOTF curve graph draws attention. At the beginning, the curve noticeably bulges, leading to strong brightening of the darkest scenes. Then, the result sharply drops below the reference line, resulting in an overly dark image and a loss of dynamics in the brighter parts.

In summary, the "Filmmaker" mode, despite its advantages, needs refinement—especially regarding white balance and proper management of brightness in the darkest and brightest parts of the image. In its current form, it may be acceptable for less demanding users, but for viewers expecting precise image reproduction, it may leave much to be desired.

Samsung offers several picture modes in its televisions, but without a doubt, Filmmaker Mode is the one that should provide the most natural representation of content. Unfortunately, as often happens with mass production, the differences between individual units can be quite significant, and our tested model did not escape a few issues.

In the case of SDR content, the white balance leaned heavily towards red, with a slight boost in blue. This effect was particularly noticeable in comparison photos – for example, in a photograph of a boy whose face was unnaturally flushed. The gamma, or brightness characteristic, also did not perform perfectly – the image was slightly brightened, which robbed it of depth.

In 4K HDR content, the white balance was once again dominated by red, this time combined with green. Meanwhile, blue clearly lost intensity, which could easily be seen on the Color Checker palette, where the colours began to "escape" in the wrong direction. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR content, showed that the television tended to overly brighten the image, particularly in the darkest elements of scenes.

Overall, while it did not look terrible, it definitely required correction. Fortunately, Samsung offers extensive calibration options, which provides a chance for a significant improvement in picture quality. Therefore, we proceeded with professional calibration to unlock the full potential of this television.

Even with its lower models, Samsung offers advanced image calibration tools, which allow for significant improvement of factory settings. We took on this task, and the results turned out to be more than satisfactory. The white balance, which previously exhibited a strong yellow tint in both SDR and HDR, has been significantly improved. Although minor deviations from the norm can be observed, the overall effect is much cleaner and more natural than before calibration. As a result, whites and skin tones look much better. We were also able to properly model the gamma in SDR content, allowing for maximum contrast that this television can offer. The EOTF curve, responsible for HDR content, has also been improved – the image is no longer brightened or darkened as drastically as it was before calibration. Despite these successes, HDR content still struggles with high deltaE error values. The main reason lies in the limited brightness of the television, which does not allow for a full representation of the dynamics of HDR content. Nonetheless, after calibration, the image is clearly better and much closer to the creators' intent. For users seeking the best possible quality in this class of equipment, calibration is definitely recommended.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker Mode showcases its full potential. The white balance in HD content is exemplary – errors at the level of 0.5 indicate almost perfect accuracy in colour reproduction. The image now appears natural, and the colours are exactly as they should be. In 4K HDR content, the effect is not quite as perfect, but it still maintains a really high standard. The colours are vibrant, well-saturated, and the overall image quality is impressive.

So where does the problem lie, given our praise for the colour reproduction? Unfortunately, the entire experience is disrupted by the brightness characteristics. The gamma in HD content looks decent, but in 4K HDR, it’s not as good. The EOTF curve shows that the television excessively brightens certain parts of the image, which is a result of design limitations. The lack of local dimming means that the television is unable to accurately control the differences between the brightest and darkest areas of the screen. This is a barrier that simply cannot be overcome in this model.

Nonetheless, after calibration, Samsung The Frame LS03D offers excellent colour reproduction, particularly in HD content, and the overall look is significantly better than before the settings were adjusted.

The tonal transition smoothing feature works in two modes – 'off' and 'auto'. Turning it off causes gradation issues, while the 'auto' mode provides smooth transitions, but at the cost of grain effect and details, which are often blurred. Due to these limitations, we do not recommend using this feature, as confirmed by our tests conducted with it turned off.

Scaling lower resolution materials in this model is not impressive. Details are blurry, and the edges of objects may contain artifacts. This limitation means the television performs better with higher resolution content.

It's time to check how Samsung The Frame LS03D copes with older, lower-quality materials. We already know that the smoothness of tonal transitions is at a very high level, so we were curious to see how the TV would handle smoothing them out.

The noise reduction feature in the “Standard” setting does its job well – tonal transitions are noticeably smoothed out, and the image doesn’t lose too much detail. However, it’s worth noting that this effect also smooths out film grain, so its usage will be a matter of individual preference.

When it comes to image scaling, the TV performed really well too. The tested image came out solid – the model was accurately represented, with clear details. The branches in the background, although slightly frayed in places, generally look natural and do not stand out as a flaw.

Even though Samsung DU7192 is the lowest model in the manufacturer's range, it is equipped with a motion smoothing system. While the functionality of this solution is significantly limited compared to more expensive models, its mere presence makes the TV stand out against the competition in this price bracket. The TV supports a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is sufficient for comfortable viewing of movies and series, but may be inadequate for dynamic content such as sport. In the motion smoothing menu, we find, among other things, a "Vibration Reduction" feature. Unfortunately, its performance leaves much to be desired – regardless of the setting, the image retains the characteristic stutter known from material recorded at 24 frames per second, which means that this feature practically fails to fulfil its purpose.

To start off, it’s worth noting that the model we tested in the 55-inch size, along with the 65, 75, and 85-inch versions, is equipped with a 120 Hz panel. Unfortunately, the 43 and 50-inch variants of this series only offer 60 Hz panels, which is worth considering when making a purchase. In terms of improving motion fluidity, the TV offers a feature called “Image Clarity.” This is a classic motion smoother that gives users the ability to adjust using two sliders:

Blur Reduction – this controls image sharpening during dynamic scenes. The higher the value, the less blurring occurs during fast camera moves or moving objects. However, setting it too aggressively can make the image look unnatural and resemble a “soap opera.”

Judder Reduction – this slider affects the smoothness of frame playback, especially in materials with lower frame rates, such as movies (24 fps). Higher settings can smooth out motion but can also lead to excessive “plasticity” of the image.

Both sliders operate on a scale from 0 to 10, allowing for precise adjustment of the effect to personal preferences. It’s a good idea to experiment with the settings to find the perfect balance between fluidity and a natural look for the image. We recommend setting them as shown in the picture.

Samsung DU7192 is equipped with HDMI 2.0 ports, which is expected at this price range. This limitation means there is no support for the full capabilities of the latest generation consoles, such as VRR technology. The TV offers only basic features for gamers – automatic switching to low-latency mode (ALLM), and support for basic HDR for games in HGiG standard. HGiG allows for displaying HDR content in games according to manufacturers' guidelines, however, the limited brightness of the TV does not allow full enjoyment of the effects that this standard offers. Unfortunately, there are no conveniences such as GameBar, which is increasingly common even in cheaper models and significantly facilitates quick adjustment of settings for games. The presence of this feature could significantly enhance the user experience, especially for those who frequently switch display modes.

The Frame LS03D in the 2024 version is equipped with four HDMI ports, but only one supports the 2.1 standard with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. This is important information if we plan to connect more than one device that requires a 4K@120 Hz signal – for example, two consoles or a console and a gaming PC.

In terms of features for gamers, The Frame truly has a lot to boast about. We have ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and HGiG. It’s worth mentioning that HGiG has been very well implemented here, which is particularly important as the television does not support Dolby Vision in games (which is only available on Xbox consoles). In this case, HGiG turns out to be a better standard for gaming.

Samsung hasn't forgotten about features that enhance the gaming experience. Game Bar is an expanded panel for gamers that allows quick adjustment of screen settings without having to dig through the television menu. We can even change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to the panoramic 21:9, which can be a significant advantage for some gamers.

However, Samsung's biggest ace up its sleeve is the Game Motion Plus feature. This is a special smoother dedicated to games that adds additional frames of animation without significantly affecting input lag. The effect is really noticeable – the image seems much smoother, which will be particularly appreciated by fans of dynamic titles.

In summary – Samsung The Frame LS03D is a television that offers a solid set of features for gamers. Although the limitation to one HDMI 2.1 port may be a downside, the rest of the solutions make gaming on this television a truly enjoyable experience.