If you notice a bright glow around the subtitles when watching your TV, you’re not alone. And it’s not a problem with the streaming service or the show either. Glow around subtitles or other bright parts of the screen is usually a side effect of local dimming. This feature is designed to increase contrast and make the screen more attractive. This is also the reason why budget TVs now look better. But there are also undesirable consequences, notably the halo effect around subtitles.
You will usually notice the problem on TVs using LED backlighting. These feature LED lights behind the screen, divided into zones, to control brightness levels in different parts of the screen. When something bright appears against a darker background, such as subtitles, the TV turns on the LEDs just behind that part of the screen. When this happens, some of the light from these LEDs spills out into the surrounding area, creating what is often called the halo effect.
The extent of the glow depends on several factors, but the most important is the number of local dimming zones behind the screen. Budget TVs have fewer dimming zones, while mini LED TVs have many more, which allows for greater lighting precision and, therefore, reduces glare or halo effect. Keep in mind that OLED TVs generally don’t suffer from this since they don’t rely on backlighting.
Minimize glow around subtitles
While you can’t eliminate glow completely, there are several ways to minimize the halo effect around subtitles and other brighter parts of the screen. The simplest option is to control the degree of local dimming.
If your TV supports this feature, you should find Local Dimming under Settings > Picture > Brightness > Local Dimming on Google TV and Options > Advanced picture settings > Local dimming on Roku. If it’s currently set to “High”, consider switching to “Low” to minimize glow or “Off” to turn off local dimming completely. Keep in mind that the feature can be found in different sections, depending on the TV manufacturer. For Samsung TVs, go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Local Dimming and choose “Low”. Likewise, you can find and reconfigure local dimming on other TVs that support this feature.
If you still notice blooming, customize how the subtitles appear on screen to reduce the glow around them. An effective workaround is to change the text color from white to gray or add a black frame around the subtitles, which will make the bloom less pronounced. You’ll find these customizations in the Accessibility Settings menu on TVs and streaming devices. If you can’t find them, you can also change the appearance of subtitles using a web browser for some streaming services, like Netflix.
