The 4k feature on your Samsung TV gives you the best viewing experience you could ever ask for. It improves the quality of images and videos that your TV screen displays.
If you’re not familiar with how your Samsung TV works, you must be curious about how to turn on 4K on the TV. This article explains what you need to do to turn on 4k on your Samsung TV.
All you need to do to enable your 4k TV to show 4k content is to set your TV to 4k resolution. You don’t need to turn on anything if you’ve done that. If your 4k TV receives a 4k signal after the settings, the TV will automatically recognize the content and display it for you as 4K.
How Do I Turn 4k on Samsung TV?
Well, you’re not turning on just anything. You need to make some settings on your 4K Samsung TV to allow it to display 4k contents.
Therefore, follow the instructions below to activate the 4k feature on your Samsung TV:
- The first thing you need to do is to enable the UHD color on the HDMI port of your Samsung TV.
- To do this, locate the “Home” button on your TV remote, and press it. Then, press the directional key on the remote.
- Furthermore, press the “Settings” button and select the “Movie mode” option.
- Once you click on the “Movie mode,” it will set the picture quality of your TV to its highest resolution.
- Moving forward, you need to turn on the UHD color setting on the TV. Navigate to the “Picture” menu, click on it, and choose “picture,” or “Expert”; it depends on the model of your TV.
- After enabling the UHD color on the HDMI port, the next step is to enable HDR.
- To do this, open the “Expert settings” under the picture options, navigate to the “HDR mode” option, and turn it on.
- After you’ve enabled the HDR mode, the next step is to go to the “Settings” option. Choose a picture, select the “Expert settings” option, and then set the HDMI to mode 2. Or, navigate to the “picture,” select the “Settings” option, then turn on the 4k pure direct option.
- You can now watch any 4k content on your 4k TV.
How Do I Know if My Samsung TV is Playing 4k?
Even if your 4k TV displays 4k content, it only takes an expert to discover it. Although, the difference will be apparent because of the cinematic viewing experience 4k TV gives.
However, if you’re not an expert, you can also know if your Samsung TV is playing 4k by following the instructions below:
- Check your Samsung TV’s manual
- Connect a 4k capable source
- Test your Samsung TV
- Contact customer support
#1. Check Your Samsung TV’s Manual
The first way to know if your TV displays 4k content is by checking your TV’s manual.
Samsung TVs do come with a manual. The manual contains every essential information about the TV. So, you can check your manual to find out the specific resolution of your TV.
Therefore, if the TV has a 4k feature, the manual will mention the resolution as either “4k” or “Ultra High Definition” or in pixels such as 3840 X 2160 pixels.
#2. Connect a 4k Capable Source
Another way to discover if your Samsung TV is playing 4k content is by ensuring that you’re watching 4k content from a 4k-capable source.
You see, even if your Samsung TV has a 4k feature, the TV will only display the input resolution signal that it receives, and this is also applicable to a game console.
For instance, if you want to watch content that isn’t up to 4k on your Samsung 4k TV, the TV won’t display the content as 4k.
So, if you want to enjoy the 4k feature on your Samsung TV, connect a 4k-capable source to the TV.
#3. Test Samsung TV
You can also test your Samsung TV to see if it’s playing 4k. To test the TV, navigate to the “Settings” menu, and click on it.
You will always find the highest resolution of your TV on the “Settings” menu.
#4. Contact Customer Support
If you’ve tried all the options above and still can’t figure out if your TV is displaying 4k, then the next thing is to reach out to customer care. 4k TVs give you the best viewing experience if you can find your way around it.
Check out the table below to learn more about the pros of 4k TVs and some of their cons.
| Pros of 4k TV | Cons of 4k TV |
|---|---|
| It gives you a cinematic experience | Any simple mistake while connecting it won’t allow you to watch 4k content |
| It’s affordable | It’s more expensive than the regular TVs |
| It creates a 3D experience | A poor internet connection results in poor streaming quality |
| 4k TV is the future | Operating it can be quite challenging |
Which HDMI Port Is 4k on Samsung TV?
This question is one of the frequently asked questions about Samsung TVs. Unfortunately, there is no exact answer to this question, as it depends on the model of your Samsung TV.
Generally, if your Samsung TV has the 4k feature, one of the HDMI ports on the TV will be labeled as 4k, HDMI 2.1, or HDMI 2.0.
More so, the label will have some information such as 4k @ 60HZ + HDR playback or 4k @ 120HZ or ‘years.’
Though, for most Samsung 4k TVs, the 4k HDMI port is most likely to be the one labeled as HDMI 2.0. The HDMI 2.0 port supports 4k resolution at 60 frames per second.
What Is the Best Picture Setting for a Samsung 4k TV?
The best picture setting for a Samsung TV depends on the room’s lighting and the television’s positioning.
Therefore, users can always tweak the picture setting on their TV to fit their room lighting and the position of their TV.
Regardless, the ideal picture setting that we recommend for a Samsung 4k TV is the “Movie” picture setting.
The reason is that the “Movie” picture setting provides the perfect contrast, brightness, and sharpness levels for the images that your Samsung 4k TV displays.
Nonetheless, before choosing the picturesque setting for your Samsung TV, ensure you perfect the placement of your TV and the lighting of your room.
Ensure you position your TV so that you can easily view it straight. More so, ambient light can affect your viewing experience, so do well to turn off any electrical lamp around your TV.
Why Is My Samsung TV not Showing 4k?
Your Samsung TV is not showing 4k because of one or more of the following reasons:
- Samsung TV isn’t 4k
- HDMI Source isn’t 4k
- HDMI port isn’t 4k
- Low internet connection speed
#1. Samsung TV Isn’t 4k
If your Samsung TV doesn’t have the 4k feature, the TV can’t show 4k content. So, if your Samsung TV isn’t showing 4k, you first need to confirm if your TV is 4k.
#2. HDMI Source Isn’t 4k
If your HDMI cable or cable box isn’t 4k, your 4k Samsung TV won’t display the content you connected to it as 4k. The 4k Samsung TV can only enhance the color of your images.
So, if your Samsung TV has a 4k feature but still not showing 4k content, check if the HDMI source you connected to the TV has a 4k capability.
#3. HDMI Port Isn’t 4k
Another reason that can cause your 4k Samsung TV not to show 4k is that you connected the HDMI source to an incompatible HDMI port.
To activate the 4k feature on your Samsung TV, the HDMI cable, source content, and port must comply with the appropriate protocol.
#4. Low Internet Connection Speed
It’s essential to have a standby and fast internet connection speed to stream 4k content on a 4k Samsung TV.
If your Samsung TV isn’t showing 4k, check your internet connection and ensure it’s fast enough.
Why Is My Samsung 4k TV Only Showing 1080p?
Samsung 4k TV takes the viewing experience to a high level by giving your 4k content optimum contrast, sharpness, and color. The screen resolution of a Samsung 4k TV is 3840 X 2160.
These features make the Samsung 4k TV one of the most asked-for in the television market.
So, it can be very saddening if you own a Samsung 4k TV and the TV is showing a lower content resolution.
If your Samsung 4k TV is only showing 1080p, one of the reasons below is responsible:
- The HDMI input isn’t 4k.
- HDM source isn’t 4k.
- Low streaming plans/ internet connection speed.
- Watching over-the-air.
#1. The HDMI Input Isn’t 4k
It’s important to note that your Samsung 4k TV will only display the input resolution of the signal it receives.
Not all contents have a 4k resolution, and your Samsung 4k TV doesn’t convert all input resolutions to 4k. The TV can only upscale the lower resolution input to fit your screen.
Though it’s not always obvious, it only takes an expert to discover that the input resolution isn’t up to 4k.
So, if your Samsung TV is only showing 1080p, the reason could be that the input is 1080p.
#2. Home Source Isn’t 4k
Another reason your Samsung 4k TV is only showing 1080p could be that the HDMI cable or cable box isn’t up to 4k but only has the capability of 1080p.
If your Samsung TV only shows 1080p, check your HDMI source; it might not be up to 4k.
#3. Low Streaming Plans/Internet Connection Speed
It would help if you had an internet connection that’s very fast to stream on some platforms such as Netflix and YouTube.
Without a rapid internet connection, these platforms will downgrade the resolution of your TV, and you won’t be able to watch 4k content even if it’s a 4k TV.
Moreover, choosing the appropriate internet connection plan on some platforms, such as Netflix, would be best.
For instance, If you want your Samsung 4k TV to stream 4k content on Netflix, you must choose the premium plan, or else you won’t be able to watch 4k content.
#4. Watching Over-the-air
In some parts of the world, especially the USA, you can’t watch over the air in 4k without the latest version of the over-the-air antenna, the ATSC 3.0 tuner.
Conclusion
Samsung 4k TV provides optimum video quality, vibrant colors, and detailed images and gives you the best viewing experience.
However, as unique as the TV is, operating it can be pretty challenging. For this reason, this article has provided you with every essential information about the Samsung 4k TV.