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How to Turn On 4K on a Samsung TV?

As an owner of a Samsung TV, I know how frustrating it can be when you can’t seem to get the 4K resolution working. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share how I solved this issue as well as other potential solutions I discovered.

TopicDescription
Turning on 4KTo turn on 4K on a Samsung TV, go into the settings of your TV and choose Ultra-High Definition (UHD). Make sure the device sending the signal to the TV also has 4K output enabled.
Getting 4K ResolutionTo get a 4K resolution on a Samsung TV, navigate to display settings and choose UHD or 3840 x 2160 resolution. Ensure your signal source device is set to output 4K resolution and use a high-quality HDMI cable capable of supporting 4K signal transmission.
Checking 4K DisplayTo check if your Samsung TV is displaying 4K, verify the resolution is set to 3840 x 2160, or check the resolution on the display properties if connected to a computer.
Reasons for No 4K DisplayYour Samsung TV may not display 4K due to the TV not being 4K-capable, using an HDMI cable that doesn’t support 4K signal transfer, or the signal source device not being 4K-capable.
Pros of 4K on Samsung TV4K on a Samsung TV offers higher detail and clarity, more vibrant colors, better overall picture quality, and future-proofing compared to HD TVs.
Cons of 4K on Samsung TV4K Samsung TVs are more expensive than HD TVs, have limited content available in 4K, may make lower-quality content look worse, can cause motion blur, and require more bandwidth than standard HDTVs, potentially necessitating an internet connection upgrade.

How to Turn On 4K on a Samsung TV?

The manner in which you turn on 4K on a Samsung TV is going to be driven by two things. First, you need the setting to be proper on your Samsung TV.

The device that is sending a signal to the television also needs to have an output on that same setting. The simplest process is to go into the settings of your Samsung TV and choose Ultra-High Definition or just UHD.

Read more: How to update Samsung TV browser?

Getting 4K Resolution on a Samsung TV

To get a 4K resolution on a Samsung TV, you first need to go into the settings of your television. Go into the television menu section by pressing the menu button on the remote control.

From there, you want to go to settings and then display settings, Within the display settings, you should see the resolution option for the television.

You want to choose a resolution known as Ultra-High Definition or UHD. If you just see the numbers of pixels, the 4K resolution is shown as 3840 x 2160.

In order to get the 4K resolution on the Samsung TV, you also need a device to send that signal of that quality.

If you are playing on a Sony PlayStation 5, for example, you need to go into the settings of the console to choose the output to be that resolution. The same goes for a cable box, streaming player, etc.  

The final piece of the puzzle is the HDMI cord. Not all HDMI cords are high-quality enough to be able to support the transmission of a 4K signal.

In order to get the 4K signal to your Samsung TV, you need to have the cord to support the process.

When you are purchasing your HDMI cable, be sure it is high enough quality. If it is not then the television will now show it in a 4K resolution, but instead, the signal will go down in quality.  

Read more: Why does my Samsung TV have color problems?

How to Tell If a Samsung TV is Displaying 4k?

So how can you tell if your Samsung TV is actually showing in 4K resolution? There are a few different ways to run a 4K test.

The first way to do that is to check the resolution. If you see the resolution on the television is 3840 x 2160, then you are seeing everything in 4K.  

You can also check the resolution on the screen if you are working on a Samsung TV display with a computer.

On the desktop of your computer, you can go into properties and then display properties. Once there, go into settings or graphics options and you can check the resolution.

Why Won’t My Samsung TV Play in 4K?

What are some of the reasons why your Samsung TV will not display in full 4K resolution? There could be three different problems you may be facing.

It could be the television itself, the HDMI cable, or it could be the device sending the signal.

For the television, it could be that your Samsung TV is not capable of showing a 4K resolution. When you go into the settings of the television you will be able to see the different resolution options.

If the resolution open is there to show things in UHD, that means the television is capable of doing a 4K resolution.

If you do not see that as an option, then you do not have a 4K television. You will need to upgrade the television to get things in 4K.

You also want to look at the HDMI cord. The HDMI cord may not have the capability of transferring a full 4K signal from the device to the television.

Try a different HDMI cord if you are running into trouble with your Samsung TV showing in 4K.

Finally, you need to check out the device sending the signal. If your video game console, for example, is not capable of playing in 4K, then the television is not going to show 4K quality visuals.

It may try to upscale, but it will not be true native 4K resolution.

Pros of 4k on Samsung TV

  • 4K resolution offers a much higher level of detail and clarity than HD, making it ideal for watching movies and shows with a lot of action or special effects.
  • The colors of 4K TVs are more vibrant and have better contrast than standard HD TVs, making the picture look more life-like.
  • You can get better picture quality from a 4K TV than from a HDTV because of the increased resolution.
  • 4K TVs are more future-proof, so you won’t have to upgrade to a new model in a few years.

Cons of 4k on Samsung TV

  • 4K TVs are more expensive than HDTVs, so you’ll have to spend more money to get a good one.
  • Most content isn’t available in 4K yet, so you won’t get the full benefit of the resolution.
  • The extra resolution can make the picture look worse with some lower-quality content.
  • The increased resolution can cause motion blur which can detract from the viewing experience.
  • 4K TVs require more bandwidth than standard HDTVs, so you may need to upgrade your internet connection.