I always turn off default TV settings when installing a TV – and why experts mostly agree

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ZDNET Highlights

• The default motion smoothing causes an unnatural “soap opera effect”.
• Experts recommend turning off motion smoothing for most movies and shows.
• Motion smoothing improves fast-paced activities like sports and gaming.

For many people, motion smoothing on TV is only suitable for gaming and watching live sports; Enthusiasts generally prefer to turn off this feature when watching anything, as it can deviate from the filmmaker’s original intention, making on-screen images appear artificial or hyper-realistic. This is what is called the “soap opera effect”.

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This is a completely descriptive metaphor that probably needs no explanation. You can see this very well: A cinematic film should not look like a daytime soap; You shouldn’t feel like you’re on set with the actors. But it’s tempting to feel like you’re in the stadium with thousands of fans watching your team. The soap opera effect matters for live sporting event broadcasts.

How to Turn Off Motion Smoothing (and Why You Should)

Another name for motion smoothing is “motion interpolation” and it may go by several names depending on the manufacturer of the TV. Below is a quick guide that explains what to look for in your TV’s menus and how to turn off motion smoothing after enjoying March Madness.

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On most smart TVs, you can check the picture settings for any features that include the word “Motion.” Once you’ve found it, here’s how to disable motion interpolation on different models.

samsung tv

Motion smoothing is called “Auto Motion Plus” on Samsung TVs. Like almost every brand, start by pressing the gear button on your remote. choose all settingsthen go to Picture > More picture settings > Picture clarity settings > Auto Motion Plus.

lg tv

On LG TVs, this feature is called “TruMotion”. Press the gear button on your remote, then look for the three dots icon at the bottom of the list (all settings). then choose picture mode settings > picture option > trumotion.

Amazon Fire TV (Amazon, Toshiba)

On most Amazon TVs, this is called “Action Smoothing.” Press the gear button on your remote, then follow this path: Display & Sound > Advanced Settings > Action Smoothing.

Google TV (Sony, TCL, Hisense)

Motion smoothing on the Google TV panel may vary slightly across models, but generally, you’ll start with the gear button on the remote, and settingsGo Display & Sound > Picture > Advanced Settings. Under that list, the feature for each brand is labeled as the following:

• For Sony TV, it is called motion flow.
• For Tcl, search action smoothing.
• On Hisense TVs, two features affect interpolation: speed boost And motion clarity. Those are two different features that work slightly differently; Make sure to disable both if you want to turn off motion smoothing completely.

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vizio tv

The motion smoothing feature on Vizio TVs is called “Clear Action”. after pulling up settings With the gear button, find Pictures > Advanced Pictures > Clear Actions.

Roku TV (Element, Hisense, RCA, Sharp, TCL)

Roku TVs are a little different. First, you need to open an input or app, then press the asterisk button on your Roku remote. choosepicture settings Then look for Motion Smoothing, the name of which may vary. (For example, like Google TV OS, for Roku TCL it is calledaction smoothing .) If you don’t see a motion-related feature directly under Picture Settings, scroll down advanced Or expert picture settings

To see the motion smoothing option on that menu.

A reason to keep motion smoothing on To be clear, there’s a real reason to keep motion smoothing on, and that’s to improve the appearance of fast-moving images, like panning across a basketball court during a fastbreak or watching each tracer bullet fly by in your HUD.Duty

. By adding additional frames to video, motion smoothing reduces blur and creates a crisp, clear image, such as during fast camera movements or fast-paced action scenes.

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