If watching films and cinematic-looking television series you might want to turn off motion smoothing, or what is more commonly known as the “soap opera effect.”
The smoothing technology creates fake pixels in the video (called digital or video interpolation) to make motion look more smooth. However, film is typically shot and/or edited in 24 frames-per-second. Video is faster at 30 frames-per-second or higher. By turning on the effect movies can look like soap operas rather than “motion pictures.”
It’s not to say you shouldn’t watch sports like NASCAR or hockey without smooth motion. The effect can enhance certain types of programming. But not film.
Motion smoothing may be labeled differently according to the brand of your TV. Look in Settings > Picture or Display (often in Advanced) to adjust the setting.
Smooth Motion Labels By Manufacturer
Samsung TVs – Auto Motion Plus
Sony TVs – MotionFlow
LG TVs – TruMotion
Amazon Fire TVs – Motion Processing
Vizio TVs – Smooth Motion Effect
Insignia TVs – Auto Motion Plus
Panasonic TVs – Intelligent Frame Creation
Philips TVs – Motion Styles
Roku TVs – TrueMotion.
Hisense TV – Motion Smoothing
Are we missing any motion smoothing labels or TV manufacturers? Please let us know in the comments below or via Twitter.
