new tvs

[Heidi M.]

I don't know how to explain this (i'm not a tech kinda person) but my friend has a new big screen tv and i cannot stand watching shows/movies on it. Everything looks so fakey, or too sharp. My friend gave me some amber glasses to wear which did help a bit, but it still looks so weird... i may stop watching shows and tv if my old tv ever goes out.

On my tv everything is warm and cozy feeling.. i'm so high tech haha

Is there anyone else who experiences this?
Is there anyway to make it look 'normal' if you know what i mean?

thanks

 

[Judge]

You might ask them what settings they have on. Some tvs these days default to gimmicks that essentially bring the frames per second to 30 rather than the standard 24 you'd see in film. Something commonly called the "soap opera effect". Providing a very clear - almost unnatural picture, like live television rather than something seen on the "silver screen".

Some like it, though most people seem to hate it. Unfortunately each manufacturer has their own pet name for this feature. On my Samsung it's referred to as "Auto Motion Plus" with multiple settings.

Sad that any number of consumers buy such sets without realizing this feature can be turned off. All made worse when manufacturers have such things set as a default setting rather than an option. While most people probably never go deep into the menu of their widescreen tvs, there are numerous settings designed to tantalize viewers that are more likely to degrade their picture rather than improve it.

Here's an article about it, and how one can turn it off temporarily or permanently:

What is the Soap Opera Effect? How to disable TV motion smoothing | Digital Trends

 

[Misery]

Keep in mind it's not JUST the TV itself that does this. The nature of the things on it add to that. "Fakey" and "sharp" can describe a LOT of things that are on TV these days, in more ways than one. Combine that with modern TVs and the obsession with being "hi-def" and you get, well... that.

Frankly I aint too fond of TVs myself either. Dumped it all years ago, I just go to Youtube for that type of entertainment now (with layers of adblockers on, that is).

the "soap opera effect"

Wait there's an actual name for that? I'd wondered if I was just going crazy, every time I'd walk past a TV that was playing some soap opera show. Like it always was "smoother than smooth" and that doesnt even make any sense.

 

[Judge]

Wait there's an actual name for that? I'd wondered if I was just going crazy, every time I'd walk past a TV that was playing some soap opera show. Like it always was "smoother than smooth" and that doesnt even make any sense.

Yep. An issue that's been around almost as long as widescreen LCD tvs. You can usually identify the likelihood of this feature looking at the hz range of a tv. Any beyond 60hz pretty much means they employ such technology involved in raising the hertz range to anywhere from 120hz to 240hz or even more. All in pursuit of a clear picture that may or may not subdue motion clarity and all the visual artifacts that go with it. And if you apply a maximum of this effect, at some point it will create judder and imperfect motion.

For me the real issue is in that these gimmicks might make a stagnant or slow moving image look better, but when it involves quick motion and panning, IMO it can make the image worse. On my Samsung when it pans an object moving at a fast pace, it leaves a series of lines across the screen behind the moving image...almost like a jet contrail. Not too cool. Of course when I turn off this feature altogether, most of that goes away along with the "soap opera effect".

A less expensive LCD tv with only 60hz may provide a little blur in motion, but then you won't have to deal with such gimmicks that can make the picture worse, or simply unnatural in appearance. Making "cheap" sometimes better...

 

[Heidi M.]

Thanks for everyone's help.

I say 'tv' meaning 'tv set' .. we don't have tv just neflix/youtube/hulu but i still call it 'tv'.

I enjoy watching a sci-fi movie with my friend who also likes sci-fi, but i can't handle the picture.

I'm going to take these suggestions and see if they can change it. I think it's true that people don't know it's a setting or that you can adjust it!

Thanks so much!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

i cannot stand watching shows/movies on it. Everything looks so fakey, or too sharp.

Many of these newer, high-resolution, "smart" TVs have a way to change the look of the screen,...so it doesn't have that "fakey, or too sharp" appearance.

With my LG monitor,...from my remote control,...click onto "settings",...then "picture",...and then from there it gives me 8 different picture modes to choose from. Scroll through until you find one that you like best for your eyes, room lighting, gaming vs. sports vs. cinematic movies vs. standard TV shows,...and so on.

 

[Heidi M.]

It's not a bad thing to live without modern tech, especially TV. Turn to books, crafts, chores, and outdoor adventures instead.

i like to watch nature docuseries and sci-fi shows/movies
I'm with you on the rest.. i love to read a lot, draw and paint, garden, clean and go in nature on long walks or just sit outside and watch the bugs, leaves in the wind and wildlife.. i live out in the country.
I like having some entertainment to watch on top of many things i love. It's fun and expands my creative life and feeds my brain with joy and information.

 

[Judge]

There are also more basic settings on such tvs that can instantly make your picture bad. On my Samsung they are all within the "picture mode" that contains four settings:

1) Standard
2) Dynamic
3) Natural
4) Movie

Detentes that involve increasing the intensity of things like color and contrast. Any of them except "standard" look disturbing to me...lol.

I even keep the most basic color setting on my Samsung slightly less than the default. To me the real world through my own eyes is not as colorful as what you'd see in "The Wizard Of Oz". I prefer more realistic appearing color.

Frankly my Samsung tv has so many settings that I've played around with that I wrote them all down in case the set is ever returned to the original settings. I feel badly for so many consumers who probably just "plug and play" their widescreen tvs without ever investigating so many settings that may drastically improve their picture, depending on what default settings were involved the first time they turned it on.

People also argue over the aspect ratio of the picture. Where watching older tv shows or movies may involve either black bars on both sides of the screen, or worse when they are stretched to accomodate a full widescreen experience. And with older widescreen sets those black bars could potentially cause "screen burn" leaving marks on the screen. Something I had to deal with a Sony XBR widescreen I bought some 15 years ago. A lesser issue these days given better screen technology.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I found using one of the preset settings for visuals help viewing HD TVs more enjoyable. I use the gaming setting on my tv and any movies or tv shows I stream look pretty good where the contrast isn’t too blinding but it is also not too dark to see what is happening. All you really need to do is go into the settings menu and select picture and go from there.

 

[clg114]

My wife and I have a 75 inch LG TV and we really like it. Since we are "almost old", we spend more time at home than we used to. We do watch a lot more TV than we used to as well.My wife likes her daytime TV and I like sports and documentaries. The TV picture is very sharp and clear and is just right for old eyes.

 

[tkcartoonist]

I don't mind the sharper picture. Then again, I prefer defined edges in my visual media. It's when a new TV comes stock with that "soap opera effect" (when the framerate is increased to over 60fps) and having trouble turning that crap off because each manufacturer calls it a different thing that I get annoyed at.

 

[SusanLR]

I like sharp, clear pictures because I like colour intensity.
Like Van Gogh, it's the colour.

What I don't like is the wide screen affect that can have the black bars on the sides of the picture
to make it square on older films or the ones that stretch them long and narrow.
There's nothing I can do with many of them. Sometimes the remote can make it the size I want.
Not always.

I'm really bad when it comes to tech change anyway.
I liked those old square TVs that you could sit on top of a table or console.
The pictures were clear and sharp.
When I got my first widescreen, thin, rectangular HD tv I absolutely hated it.
And all those wires sticking out behind it! Arrgh.

My boyfriend at the time, bought a huge widescreen HD and was bragging about how wonderful
it was. I thought it was awful. It was too big, too close to the couch and so HD I told him I could see the
pixels.
And now... somebody make a simple little talk and text phone please.
With the advent of everything going 5G, it's smart phones only.

 

[Judge]

What I don't like is the wide screen affect that can have the black bars on the sides of the picture to make it square on older films or the ones that stretch them long and narrow.
There's nothing I can do with many of them. Sometimes the remote can make it the size I want.
Not always.

This reminded me of what my cable company used to allow me to do with my remote as well. Press the # key and change the aspect ratio. Allowed me to stretch a (4:3) old tv rectangle to a widescreen (16:9) rectangle. Was nice until they simply took it away for some reason. The price for cable keeps going up, yet they seem to keep reducing so many "bells and whistles".

Though on my old Sony DVD player I can still control such a function that does the same thing. Just a matter of changing things in the player's internal menu. However when you do stretch the picture like that it makes everyone and everything look a bit heavier. Some don't mind this while others do.

 

[Aspychata]

I just gravitate towards certain brands because l know user interface is possible. Like l can find the menu, and not get stuck in loop hell trying to exit. And the menu is friendly not broken down into endless sub-menus until pulling your hair seems a better alternative. Finally you just throw your remote at your TV because if it breaks, you have solved your problem in a non-technical manner and you can blame it on the cat.

 

[Judge]

I just gravitate towards certain brands because l know user interface is possible. Like l can find the menu, and not get stuck in loop hell trying to exit. And the menu is friendly not broken down into endless sub-menus until pulling your hair seems a better alternative. Finally you just throw your remote at your TV because if it breaks, you have solved your problem in a non-technical manner and you can blame it on the cat.

Interesting concept- A user-friendly television remote/menu.

 

[Unclewolverine]

I also cannot stand the higher frame rate tv settings. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact our brains are usually processing so much more information than nts. Has there been a study to determine if we process at a visually faster frame rate than nts?

 

[Judge]

I also cannot stand the higher frame rate tv settings. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact our brains are usually processing so much more information than nts. Has there been a study to determine if we process at a visually faster frame rate than nts?

I'm certain that the vast majority of consumers who complain about the "soap opera effect" are just that- the vast (neurotypical) majority. Beyond that it's just another technological gimmick, that seems to have more detractors than fans.

In older times regarding audio it was all about whether one liked a flat frequency response or heavily equalized sound to one's individual taste. Yet another comparison not associated with neurological differences. Of course with the advent of digital sound, there was no longer any real need to alter flat frequency response. Signalling the end of built-in equalizers.

Which makes me wonder how many more years tv manufacturers will continue to load this stuff into 8K flatscreens when most people don't seem to like it or care....

I'm still just fine with 1080p resolution and minimal image enhancement. I don't need to have the zits of the stars in my face on a widescreen tv. Enough is enough in terms of hi-resolution.

 

[Knower of nothing]

I'm willing to bet it's mostly a familiarity thing. I'd consider it similar to the average person's response to microtonal music. It looks wrong/ it sounds wrong because it goes against the memory. I'm sure there's some parts in there where it can actually bother you, there's a type of motion sickness to get from screens in some circumstances. If your color settings are off it may genuinely be garish and painful to look at. That kind of thing. But beyond that, it's a re-adjustment. I switched to a bigger screen for my pc last year and it felt far too big and too smooth (180hz) for a solid month, allow things to settle.