Pinnacle Picture Performance

IT IS a small miracle that you can buy a TV as good as the 77-inch Samsung S90C Quantum Dot OLED for $2500.

- Mark Henninger

But that's where we're at as 2024 begins. The price premium paid for early adoption has passed, current pricing makes it an exceptional value for those who prize high contrast, deep blacks, and intense colors. It's a matter of fact that the best time to buy a TV is between November and March, from Black Friday through the final sales before the new models ship.

This TV is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to capability. Daily, with this TV, I experience eye-popping moments, surpassing what I've grown accustomed to seeing from any display, at any price point. Even micro-LED panels costing a small fortune can't deliver the utterly seamless viewing experience of an OLED panel.

Before we get into this review, I want to tackle the topic of image retention and burn-in. If you are careless to the extreme, then you can potentially burn in your OLED TV. It is easily avoided by treating the TV with care. It's worth the effort for the picture quality that a Quantum Dot OLED offers.

Where this TV separates itself from lesser TVs is with cinematic content and with video games like 4K current generation consoles and gaming PCs. That's what you must feed it to see what it can really do.

FEATURES

The S90C incorporates key features common to Samsung's premium 4K TV range. It includes the Quantum Neural Processor 4K handling tasks such as upscaling, reducing noise, processing motion, and optimizing HDR tone mapping.

Additionally, Samsung has redesigned the menu system of the S90C with the "Smart Hub." This centralizes critical settings and options. A distinct "Game Hub" is also part of this new design, focusing specifically on gaming needs. I particularly like how it enables easy and quick adjustments to settings like Picture Mode and Color Temperature, now achievable with just a few button presses.