Motion Smoothing. A digital effect enabled on most modern-day screens that makes it better to watch fast-paced sports but can often make watching movies a horrible experience. The biggest problem with it? While most manufacturers do allow the feature to be turned off, they don’t always name it appropriately and because it is switched on by default most people simply just never do switch it off (85% according to Forbes) and then wonder why their movies look like cheap soap operas.
Now the UHD Alliance, a collection of companies who work together to define display standards, has announced Filmmaker Mode, a new TV setting designed to show films as they were originally mastered, with as little post-processing as possible. The mode’s defined standards will affect multiple settings like frame rate, aspect ratio, over scanning, and noise reduction, though the most important element is that it turns off motion smoothing. According to The Verge, the likes of LG, Vizio, and Panasonic have already expressed interest in including the mode in their TVs, with more manufacturers likely to follow in standardising this.
While this won’t stop manufacturers switching motion smoothing on by default, the idea behind this initiative is to at least standardise the naming conventions and technical settings, which will hopefully make TVs better for watching movies. Something which has attracted the attention from top directors like Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and JJ Abrams all calling for efforts to end the scourge that is motion smoothing from our TVs.
Some manufacturers claim there are benefits to motion smoothing on cheaper televisions where the technology can smooth over potential flaws in the panels, but with most modern-day screens being of higher quality, it doesn’t really add value outside of sports. Hopefully we with these changes, it will make it easier for many to now switch over to this new mode and watch movies the way they were intended.
Last Updated: August 29, 2019
Kromas
August 29, 2019 at 14:00
Can they rather not unite to remove TV Tuners from their sets. No one uses them anymore but still have to get a tv licence to buy one.
HvR
August 29, 2019 at 16:05
Do the new TVs still have analog tuners?
I_am_Duffman!
August 29, 2019 at 15:25
If they do that, the SABC will just make it compulsary to have a licence when you buy ANY kind of monitor.
HvR
August 29, 2019 at 16:20
They actually tried that in a couple of years ago; their bright spark idea was basically shot down immediately. Since it will basically impossible to license and enfore it on every ATM, every cellphone, in vehicle GPS/entertainment system, hell even fast food shops menu systems.
Kromas
August 29, 2019 at 15:39
Legally speaking that would be unconstitutional as SABC has exclusive domain over their single piece of tv spectrum. Not to mention the logistics required just to label all the different kinds of monitors.
I_am_Duffman!
August 29, 2019 at 15:55
I can’t speak legally since I don’t know much of anything, but they will find a way to get their portion. Maybe on imports? Although I suppose the lower end televisions are probably assembled locally? Bottom line is. They will find a way
Johann
August 30, 2019 at 08:13
And we will find equally creative ways of getting around it.
HvR
August 29, 2019 at 15:55
Parliament will need to change the law and that can be stopped.