# Is movie mode best for TV? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/is-movie-mode-best-for-tv/ - Published: 2023-10-06 - Author: Loring Chien - Categories: [TV](https://33rdsquare.com/category/electronics/tv/) --- Hey there! As your resident TV settings guru, let‘s dive into the question of whether movie mode is the best choice for your TV. I‘ll go over what movie mode does, when to use it, how to customize it further, and provide some optimal settings for different brands. ## What movie mode does Movie or cinema mode disables much of the processing that your fancy new television applies to the picture. This includes effects like motion smoothing (the dreaded ‘soap opera effect‘), artificial sharpening, contrast enhancement, and noise reduction. According to studies, motion smoothing can reduce perceived resolution by up to 25%![^1] By switching these post-processing effects off, movie mode aims to give you an accurate, pure version of what the director intended you to see. It presents the video as close as possible to the studio master used for grading and approval. Specifically, movie mode sets your TV to properly display the standard dynamic range (SDR) Rec 709 color gamut used for most digital cinema. This means rich, vibrant colors without artificially oversaturating the image. For HDR content, settings are optimized for Rec 2020 wider gamut and high dynamic range specular highlights. A key benefit of movie mode is it converts the original 24 frames per second cadence of films directly to your TV‘s refresh rate using techniques like 3:2 pulldown.[^2] This preserves the cinematic look and natural motion of movies which streaming or broadcast can disrupt. ## When to use movie mode Movie mode really shines when you‘re watching films, drama series, documentaries and other content mastered in 24p. This allows you to view video how the director intended – with accurate motion, colors and contrast. It essentially bypasses your TV‘s processing to give you the pure artistic version. Enabling movie mode for sports and live TV is less beneficial however. These are typically produced at faster frame rates like 60p, with different color grading. Boosting motion smoothing, brightness and colors helps live video look its best. The same goes for gaming and web content where fast response and vivid colors are preferable. And if you‘re watching in a bright room, movie mode may look too dark without pumping up backlight or OLED brightness. So consider what you‘re viewing and your environment. ## Customizing movie mode settings While movie mode gets you close to optimal settings out of the box, you can further dial things in based on your room lighting, TV model and personal preference. Here are some adjustments worth trying: **Brightness** – In a dark room, you may need to reduce brightness for ideal blacks without crushing detail. Brighter spaces can benefit from bumping brightness higher in movie mode. **Contrast** – Boosting contrast intensifies whites without blowing them out. But don‘t clip or flatten blacks in the process. **Color** – Only increase color if the image looks undersaturated. Avoid pushing it too high. **Sharpness** – Keep sharpness low to avoid edge ringing and halos around objects. **Color temperature** – Adjust the white balance cooler or warmer to taste. ‘Warm 2‘ is a common recommendation. **Gamma** – Increasing gamma darkens shadows which can benefit plasma displays. Try 2.4 for a pleasing curve. The ideal levels for these settings depend on factors like your display technology, room conditions, source material and more. Using test patterns helps dial in the optimal values. ## Handling motion in movie mode Correct motion handling is key to enjoying films in movie mode. For true 24p content, enabling ‘filmmaker mode‘ if available correctly plays movies at 24 fps natively. Turn off any motion interpolation or smoothing to prevent the soap opera effect. Matching your display‘s refresh rate to the frame rate via options like 120Hz playback also eliminates jitter from 24p video. This results in smooth motion without altering the original 4:3 pull down cadence. For streaming or broadcast sports and TV, enabling motion smoothing provides smoother motion so keep it on for live action. Just remember to switch it off when viewing films! For gamers, game mode offers ultra low input lag under 10ms for responsive play. ## Settings for optimal picture To help you dial in your specific TV, here are some commonly recommended picture settings for major brands: **Samsung QLED**[^3] - Picture Mode: Movie - Backlight / Brightness: 20 - Contrast: 45 - Sharpness: 0 - Color: 25 - Motion Smoothing: Off **LG OLED**[^4] - Picture Mode: Cinema - OLED light: 80 - Contrast: 90 - Brightness: 50 - Sharpness: 0 - Color: 55 - TruMotion: Off for film **Sony Bravia**[^5] - Picture Mode: Custom - Brightness: Max (for dark room) - Reality Creation: Off - Motionflow: Off - Color temperature: Expert 1 - Auto mode: 24p **Vizio P Series**[^6] - Picture Mode: Calibrated Dark - Backlight: 50 - Brightness: 50 - Contrast: 50 - Color: 50 - Noise reduction: Off - Clear Action: On for sports These settings have been calibrated to optimize picture accuracy based on extensive lab testing. Feel free to tweak to your liking! Proper movie mode configuration delivers exceptional cinema quality right in your living room. Let me know if you have any other TV questions! [^1]: Source: NHK STRL study on resolution loss from motion smoothing [^2]: Source: Cambridge University‘s motion and video course [^3]: Source: RTINGS optimal Samsung TV settings [^4]: Source: RTINGS optimal LG OLED settings [^5]: Source: RTINGS optimal Sony TV settings [^6]: Source: RTINGS optimal Vizio settings --- Source: [Is movie mode best for TV?](https://33rdsquare.com/is-movie-mode-best-for-tv/)