How to turn off motion smoothing

Image of a flatscreen TV featuring a beach on the display on a white shelf with a black soundbar.
Credit: LG

Image of a flatscreen TV featuring a beach on the display on a white shelf with a black soundbar.
Credit: LG

Have you ever seen a movie on your new TV and felt like something was just off? Maybe the picture felt too smooth and unnatural as if filmed with a cheap video camera. If yes, you’re not alone. Others have complained about this experience caused by a feature called motion smoothing.

Motion smoothing is often found on some of the best TVs and is supposed to make the picture look clearer and smoother, but it often has the opposite effect. It can ruin the cinematic feel of movies, make actors look like plastic dolls, and cause nausea and headaches for some viewers.

This article will explain motion smoothing, how to turn it off on different TV brands, and all the reasons you probably should. But first, let’s understand how motion smoothing works and why it’s a problem.

What is motion smoothing?

Image of a flatscreen TV featuring a North Lights screen in a living room filled with white furniture and black speakers.
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Credit: LG

Motion smoothing is a feature that creates new frames in between the original ones encoded in the movie or shows to make the movement look smoother and more fluid.

It does this by analysing the motion of objects and estimating what they would look like in the missing frames. This can increase the frame rate of the content from 24 or 30 frames per second (fps) to 60, 120, or even 240 fps, depending on your TV’s capabilities. Sounds good? Well, not exactly.

Why is motion smoothing a problem?

Motion smoothing can be useful for some types of content, such as sports, video games, documentaries, and animation. These can benefit from higher frame rates and more clarity, especially if they have fast-moving action or intricate details.

However, for most movies and shows, motion smoothing can be detrimental. It can make them look unnatural, artificial, and unrealistic. It can also alter the artistic vision of the filmmakers, who intended their work to be seen at a specific frame rate and with a particular aesthetic.

If you want to enjoy movies and shows as they were meant to be seen, you should turn off motion smoothing on your TV. You can always turn it back on for other types of content or adjust the settings to your preference. But how do you turn off motion smoothing on your TV? That’s what we’re going to show you next.

How to turn motion smoothing off

Motion smoothing goes by different names depending on the TV manufacturer. Here are some of the most common ones and how to disable them.

LG TrueMotion

  • Press the Home button on your remote
  • Select Settings
  • Select Picture
  • Select Picture Mode Settings
  • Select Picture Options
  • Select TrueMotion
  • Set it to Off or User (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Samsung Auto Motion Plus

  • Press the Menu button on your remote
  • Select Picture
  • Select Picture Options
  • Select Auto Motion Plus
  • Set it to Off or Custom (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Sony MotionFlow

  • Press the Home button on your remote
  • Select Settings
  • Select Display & Sound
  • Select Picture
  • Select Advanced Settings
  • Select Motion
  • Select Motionflow
  • Set it to Off or Custom (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Philips Intelligent Frame Creation

  • Press the Menu button on your remote
  • Select Setup
  • Select TV Settings
  • Select Picture
  • Select Advanced
  • Select Perfect Natural Motion or Perfect Clear Motion (depending on your model)
  • Set it to Off or Minimum (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Amazon Fire TV

  • Press the Home button on your remote
  • Select Settings
  • Select Display & Sounds
  • Select Display
  • Select Video Resolution
  • Set it to Auto (up to 1080p 60Hz) or 1080p 60Hz

Hisense Motion Smoothing

  • Press the Menu button on your remote
  • Select Picture
  • Select Advanced Settings
  • Select Ultra Smooth Motion or MEMC (depending on your model)
  • Set it to Off or Low (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Roku Action Smoothing

  • Press the Home button on your remote
  • Select Settings
  • Select System
  • Select Advanced System Settings
  • Select Advanced Display Settings
  • Select Action Smoothing or Action Clarity (depending on your model)
  • Set it to Off or Low (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Panasonic Viera Intelligent Frame Creation

  • Press the Menu button on your remote
  • Select Picture
  • Select Option Settings
  • Select Intelligent Frame Creation or IFC (depending on your model)
  • Set it to Off or Min (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Vizio Smooth Motion Effect

  • Press the Menu button on your remote
  • Select Picture
  • Select More Picture Options or Advanced Picture (depending on your model)
  • Select Smooth Motion Effect or Reduce Judder and Reduce Motion Blur (depending on your model)
  • Set it to Off or Low (if you want to adjust the settings manually)

Why you might want to turn off motion smoothing

  • You can enjoy movies and shows as they were intended by the filmmakers, with the original frame rate and aesthetic.
  • You can avoid the soap opera effect, which makes movies look cheap and unrealistic.
  • You can reduce eye strain, nausea, and headaches caused by motion smoothing artifacts.
  • You can save energy and extend the lifespan of your TV, as motion smoothing requires more processing power and brightness.

Should you have motion smoothing on or off?

Image of a large flatscreen TV featuring water rippling on the display.
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Credit: Samsung

Of course, turning off motion smoothing is a matter of personal preference - some people like the smoothness and clarity of motion smoothing, especially for certain types of content.

It depends on your preference, the type of content you watch, and the quality of your TV. You can always experiment with different settings and see what works for you. The best way to decide is to try it out for yourself. You can adjust the level of motion smoothing or turn it off completely.

But if you want to watch movies and shows as they were meant to be seen, we recommend turning off motion smoothing on your TV. You might be surprised by how much better they look.