Samsung Electronics has started rolling out an important firmware update that brings the Filmmaker Mode to its 2020 QLED TVs. The firmware is available to download now in the U.S., but the update is still pending for European TV owners. 

Filmmaker Mode was first announced in August 2019 by the UHD Alliance, which is backed by companies including LG Electronics, Netflix, Panasonic and Samsung. It was first shown off on various TVs at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in January. The idea with Filmmaker Mode is to preserve the original content creators’ intent by disabling features such as motion smoothing, while preserving the original colours, brightness, frame rate and other settings. Famous directors including Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese and Ryan Coogler have all backed the initiative. 

The UHD Alliance says Filmmaker Mode is useful as most modern TVs are unable to accurately recreate cinematic content. The problem is the difference in processing techniques, panel technologies and lighting arrays, which mean that no two TVs display exactly the same image. Even worse, the default settings on most TVs tend to change or distort the images presented on screen, which means owners never get to see the content as its original creator intended. 

Samsung QLED TV owners will be able to access Filmmaker Mode as a new setting via the Picture menu once they’ve installed firmware update 1301.5, according to a report in FlatPanels HD. 

The update is available now in the U.S. on the Samsung Q950T, Q900T, Q850T, Q800T, Q90T, Q80T, Q70T QLED TVs, as well as its “The Frame” lifestyle TV. Users should be able to access it via the TV’s built-in update function, but if they can’t see it, they can also download the update onto a USB from Samsung's support page.

Samsung said the mode can be enabled either manually, or automatically on content that displays a corresponding “flag”. But no streaming services or media discs have actually implemented this flag so far, which means users will have to switch the mode on manually for the time being.

LG Electronics and Panasonic have already enabled Filmmaker Mode on some of their 2020 TVs. Philips and Vizio are also planning on bringing the feature to their 2020 TVs, but have yet to enable it.