Samsung DU8002 (IPS) vs Samsung The Frame LS03D

The HDR effect in the DU8002 television leaves much to be desired. A brightness level of 300 nits is not able to provide a true high dynamic range experience, making the content viewed resemble more of a standard SDR than impressive HDR. Scenes that should dazzle with brightness and detail appear muted and lacking in depth. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for its high coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette at 92%. As a result, the colors are vivid and saturated, which may satisfy viewers who prefer rich hues, even if the HDR effect does not fully meet expectations.

The Frame really handles brightness well. With results at the level of 700 nits, bright elements on the screen look impressive and detailed, whether they illuminate the entire screen or appear as small bright spots against a dark background. In more demanding scenes, like the fourth sequence from the movie Sicario 2, the blacks perform averagely, but we already discussed that in the section regarding contrast. However, when it comes to brightness – here the TV definitely performs well. An additional advantage is the quantum dot coating, i.e., QLED technology. Thanks to it, the color palette coverage has been improved, although The Frame does not stand out in this regard compared to the competition.

DU8002 offers a Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to provide authentic image reproduction in line with the creators' intentions. Unfortunately, despite the promising name, the results are far from ideal. The white balance in this mode shows significant drops in blue color, leading to a noticeable yellowing of the image, which can be seen, for example, in our comparison photo. Colour Checker tests confirm these errors. As for brightness, the gamma characteristic is too low compared to the reference line of 2.4, resulting in excessive screen brightness. A similar problem occurs with 4K content – the EOTF responsible for brightness in 4K material shows significant increases above the reference line, leading to excessively bright small light elements. As a result, the Filmmaker mode in DU8002 does not meet expectations and instead of offering high quality, presents an image full of tonal and color inaccuracies.

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

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

In 4K HDR content, the white balance was again dominated by red, this time combined with green. Meanwhile, blue clearly lost intensity, which could be easily noticed on the Color Checker palette, where the colors began to "run away" in the wrong direction. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR content, showed that the TV tends to excessively brighten the image, especially in the darkest elements of scenes.

Overall, although it did not look tragic, it definitely needed correction. Fortunately, Samsung offers extensive calibration options, which provide an opportunity for significant image improvement. Therefore, we proceeded with professional calibration to extract the full potential of this TV.

Samsung is one of those companies that offers advanced tools for improving image quality in its televisions, including a 20-point white balance adjustment. Even with the budget model DU8002, with the right adjustments, surprisingly good results can be achieved. The white balance, especially for HD content, performs really well - tests on the Colour Checker palette confirm accuracy at the level of 2–1.5, which demonstrates the significant capabilities of this television in color reproduction. In 4K content, although not as perfect as in lower quality material, the overall picture looks much better.

The gamma brightness has also been heavily adjusted, ensuring that the image is not overly brightened and looks more natural. What about the EOTF curve? At first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, especially in film tests, it becomes apparent that the television struggles due to its low contrast panel. The EOTF drops below the reference line. Nevertheless, the DU8002 is an example of a budget model where investing in calibration is worthwhile. Although structural flaws, such as the type of backlighting, cannot be completely eliminated, color accuracy is surprisingly good, especially considering its price.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker Mode shows its full potential. The white balance in HD content is exemplary – an error level of 0.5 indicates almost perfect color reproduction precision. The image now looks natural, and the colors are exactly as they should be. In 4K HDR content, the effect is not as perfect, but it still maintains a really high level. The colors are vibrant, well-saturated, and the overall image quality is impressive.

So where does the problem arise, if we praise the color reproduction so much? Unfortunately, the overall experience is disrupted by the brightness characteristic. The gamma in HD content looks decent, but in 4K HDR it's not as good. The EOTF curve shows that the TV excessively brightens certain parts of the image, which is a result of design limitations. The lack of local dimming means that the TV cannot precisely control the differences between the brightest and darkest areas of the screen. This is a barrier that simply cannot be overcome in this model.

Nevertheless, after calibration, The Frame offers excellent color reproduction, especially in HD content, and the overall appearance is much better than before the settings correction.

Smoothing tonal transitions on the DU8002 television leaves mixed feelings. Although the menu offers an option for smoothing tonal transitions, in practice it yields no results and can even generate unwanted side effects.

Nevertheless, the television handles upscaling, or digital image processing, excellently. The test chart featuring a model looked really good – the image is not overly jagged, and the overall presentation is decent and pleasing to the eye. This is definitely good news for those planning to watch traditional television on this model.

It was time to check how The Frame handles older, lower-quality materials. We already know that the smoothness of tonal transitions is very high here, so we were curious to see how the TV would manage their smoothing.

The noise reduction feature in the "Standard" setting performs well – tonal transitions are noticeably smoothed out, and the image does not lose too much detail. However, it's worth noting that this effect also smooths out film grain, so its use will be a matter of individual preference.

When it comes to image scaling, the TV also performed really well. The tested frame was solid – the model was rendered correctly, with clear details. The branches in the background, although slightly jagged in places, generally look natural and do not stand out as a flaw.

DU8002 with a 60 Hz panel is a television that performs better for watching movies than for intense gaming. The motion smoothing feature acts as a fluidizer, smoothing out motion and giving scenes a more fluid appearance, which is useful for movie screenings. In the context of gaming, this model will rather be suitable only for occasional entertainment.

First of all, it is worth noting that the model we tested in 55 inches, just like the 65, 75, and 85-inch versions, is equipped with a 120 Hz panel. Unfortunately, the 43 and 50-inch variants of this series offer only 60 Hz panels, which is worth considering when making a purchase. As for improving motion fluidity, the TV offers a feature called "Picture Clarity." This is a classic motion smoother that gives users the ability to adjust it using two sliders:

Motion Blurring Reduction – this is responsible for sharpening the image during dynamic scenes. The higher the value, the less blur during rapid camera movement or moving objects. However, overly aggressive settings can make the image look unnatural and start to resemble a “soap opera”.

Judder Reduction – this slider affects the smoothness of frame playback, particularly in materials with a lower frame rate, such as films (24 fps). Higher settings can smooth out motion but can also lead to an excessive "plasticky" effect on the image.

Both sliders operate on a scale from 0 to 10, allowing for precise adjustment of the effect to one’s own preferences. It is worth experimenting with the settings to find the perfect balance between fluidity and the natural appearance of the image. We recommend setting them as shown in the picture.

DU8002 is a television that will mainly serve as equipment for casual gamers. The 60 Hz panel does not provide the highest motion fluidity, so in dynamic games there may be a lack of that extra smoothness of the image. On the positive side, it features ALLM and HGiG functions, which automatically adjust image settings for HDR games, enhancing the gaming experience. Unfortunately, the television is equipped only with HDMI 2.0 ports, so we have to forget about more advanced features like VRR or support for 4K at 120 Hz. When choosing this equipment, we will have to make do if we expect a full set of gaming features.

The Frame in version 2024 is equipped with four HDMI ports, but only one of them supports the 2.1 standard with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. This is an important piece of 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 gaming features, The Frame truly has a lot to offer. We find ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and HGiG. It is worth emphasizing that HGiG has been very well implemented here, which is particularly important since the TV does not support Dolby Vision in games (which is only available on Xbox consoles). In this case, HGiG proves to be a better standard for gaming. Samsung has not forgotten about features that enhance the gaming experience. Game Bar is an advanced panel for gamers that allows for quick adjustment of screen settings without the need to sift through the TV menu. We can even change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to cinematic 21:9, which for some gamers can be a significant advantage. However, Samsung's biggest ace up its sleeve is the Game Motion Plus feature. This is a special smoother dedicated to games, which adds extra frames of animation without significantly impacting input lag. The effect is really noticeable – the image appears much smoother, which fans of dynamic titles will particularly appreciate. In summary – Samsung The Frame 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 TV a truly enjoyable experience.