Why You Should Turn Off Your TV's Motion Smoothing Right Away

Motion smoothing is a feature found in many televisions that, while beneficial for sports viewing and gaming, is typically less desirable for other forms of visual media. Enthusiasts often disable it to preserve the director’s creative vision, as the feature tends to give movies an unnatural or overly sharp appearance, a phenomenon often referred to as the "soap opera effect."

This description aptly captures the essence of the effect; a cinematic masterpiece shouldn't resemble a daytime television drama. The sensation of being in a stadium among a throng of fans is delightful, but watching a film should not mimic the experience of being on set. For live sports, however, this visual enhancement is perfectly suitable and even desirable.

Steps to Disable Motion Smoothing and Reasons to Do So

Known as "motion interpolation," this feature is referred to by various names depending on the TV brand. Here's an overview of how to find and turn off this setting when you've had your fill of sports marathons.

Typically, you can locate the motion-related features under the Picture settings on most smart TVs. Here's a guide to help you disable it on different TV brands:

Samsung Televisions

Samsung labels their motion smoothing as "Auto Motion Plus." Start by pressing the settings button on the remote, then navigate through the menu to find and disable the feature.

LG Televisions

For LG TVs, look for "TruMotion" in the settings. Press the settings gear, then select the icon with three dots at the bottom of the list to proceed to the feature and turn it off.

Amazon Fire TVs (Including Toshiba)

On these TVs, motion smoothing is known as "Action Smoothing." Access it by pressing the settings button and following the appropriate menu path.

Google TVs (Sony, TCL, Hisense)

The process for disabling motion smoothing on Google TV panels varies slightly. Generally, you'd start by selecting the settings button and exploring the menu to find and deactivate the feature specific to your brand.

Vizio Televisions

On Vizio TVs, this enhancement is called "Clear Action." Begin by opening the settings, then locate and disable the feature from the menu provided.

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

Roku televisions require you to open an input or app first, then press the asterisk (*) on the remote. Look for motion-based settings in the menu, where the name may differ by model. Seek it under Picture Settings or further within the menu structure to completely turn it off.

Reasons to Keep Motion Smoothing Enabled

However, there is a significant benefit to leaving motion smoothing on. It markedly enhances the clarity of fast-paced visuals, like those seen in fast-moving sports or action scenes. By incorporating extra frames into the video feed, it minimizes blurriness, ensuring sharper and more defined images during intense motion.

From a technical standpoint, this is accomplished by adding interpolated frames, boosting the frame rate from the usual 24 frames per second to 60 or even 120 FPS, thus achieving smoother transitions. Outside of such high-speed scenarios, though, it can be more beneficial to switch this function off.