TV Local Dimming Tuning for Games: Keep Detail Without Flicker
Local dimming can make games look amazing — or it can create brightness pumping, crushed shadows, and instability that ruins readability. The goal is a stable setting you can keep, not the maximum contrast slider.
What Goes Wrong
- Pumping: brightness changes during camera movement.
- Crush: dark details disappear in HDR or dark scenes.
- Flicker/instability: especially with VRR in dark content.
Tuning Order (Practical)
- Enable Game Mode and disable extra processing first.
- Set correct black level / RGB range (avoid false crush).
- Start local dimming at a medium setting.
- If pumping/crush appears, step down one level.
- Choose SDR for that title if HDR becomes unstable or unreadable.
Rule: stable readability beats maximum contrast. If local dimming ruins clarity, reduce it.
Related Guides
Display CalibrationStable baseline first.
RGB Range FixStop washout/crush.
HDR vs SDR MatrixChoose readable mode.
VRR Flicker DiagnosisStability-first fixes.
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