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How to turn off motion smoothing on an LG TV
Motion smoothing goes by a lot of different names, but for cinephiles and modern content consumers, it's a feature that needs to go regardless of what it's called. Motion smoothing is an effort by new titles to improve old content that isn't exactly compatible with modern technological enhancements. It inserts extra frames on some content to make it look more palatable, but in doing so, it can also distort new content by creating an uncanny appearance. That's why motion smoothing is often known as the soap opera effect. Essentially, the content looks dated and weird.
Adding in artificial frames to fill content gaps, directors and Tom Cruise want you to turn it off, but it has its place.
Motion smoothing has no shortage of vocal critics, including the directing and acting team behind the Mission: Impossible franchise, Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise, who are vocally against the feature and urge everyone to turn it off. Most TV manufacturers, LG included, boast their own motion smoothing technologies, and they tend to be turned on as a default setting, and not exactly the easiest to find. Here's how to turn on motion smoothing on your LG smart TV.
Turn off motion smoothing via settings
LG buries the feature
It's not super easy to find the motion smoothing setting, but once you do, you'll be better able to quickly check up on it. Here's what to do.
- Click the settings button on the remote.
- It resembles a gear cog. Select the Picture tab.
- Scroll down to Advanced Settings.
- Find the Clarity option.
- Scroll down and select TruMotion.
- You'll be presented with several option, including Off. Select that option to get rid of motion smoothing. The other options there may be worth exploration, but will still add varying degrees of smoothing and effects to adjust fast-moving content on screen.
Optimize with Filmmaker Mode
A high standard without motion smoothing
LG TVs feature a popular setting called Filmmaker Mode, which is designed to enhance cinematic content by stripping away a lot of extras on smart TVs that help older content but can distort new titles. The feature is a collaboration among filmmakers, TV manufacturers, and entertainment studios with the goal of providing fidelity and maintaining artistic intent when content is being viewed at home.
When toggled on, it automatically adjusts a range of settings, which includes turning off any motion smoothing. It also turns off any added sharpening, maintains the intended frame rate and aspect ratio, and sets the standard white point for color accuracy. LG TVs offer a setting that will automatically turn on Filmmaker Mode when compatible content is detected. An icon will pop up in the corner of the screen when it's turned on, so you don't need to worry about going through all the settings to turn it off when watching a specific movie or show.
Smart TVs are pretty smart, but calibration makes them look and perform even better.
While there are some moments where motion smoothing can come in handy, it can wreak anytime you're popping in a new TV or movie. Make sure you know how to turn it off -- you'll likely want to keep it off, too.
: Transparent LG OLED TV | Tom's Guide (Tom's Guide)
FAQ
Q: When should motion smoothing be turned on?
Motion smoothing is helpful if you're watching much older content, particularly network TV shows that were made without the current technological advancements. Dated titles won't have the same frame rate, and motion smoothing can be helpful. It also tends to be good for live events, including sports. While some TVs only have options for motion smoothing to be turned on or off, LG offers a few different settings. It's worth experimenting with each to see what looks best; image quality can be subjective, and what appears uncanny to some may be suitable to others.
Q: Why was motion smoothing created?
Motion smoothing is a response to TVs not being able to fully reproduce a clear image during fast-moving scenes. Older TVs in particular struggled with this. Another reason it's useful is that not all content is shot at the same frame rate, so motion smoothing is a way to make up the difference in a TV with a refresh rate of 60Hz that's playing content shot at 24Hz.
