{"id":9384,"date":"2022-02-03T15:11:49","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T15:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/03\/why-you-want-a-120hz-tv-even-if-youre-not-a-gamer\/"},"modified":"2022-02-03T15:11:49","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T15:11:49","slug":"why-you-want-a-120hz-tv-even-if-youre-not-a-gamer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/03\/why-you-want-a-120hz-tv-even-if-youre-not-a-gamer\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Want a 120Hz TV, Even If You\u2019re Not a Gamer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dariusz Jarzabek\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TVs with a 120Hz refresh rate have become sought after thanks to the latest consoles<\/a> offering a 120 frames per second mode in select games. However, 120Hz TVs also solve a fundamental problem 60Hz have with cinematic content frame rates.<\/p>\n

What Does 120Hz Do?<\/h2>\n

In case you\u2019re not completely clear on what a refresh rate is, you can check out our monitor refresh rate explainer\u00a0<\/a>for a detailed and simple explanation. If you\u2019re in a hurry, the short answer is that the refresh rate is a measurement of how many times a display can completely redraw what\u2019s on the screen in a second. So a 60Hz screen can complete 60 full refreshes in one second and a 120Hz screen is capable of double that number.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be deceived by marketing terms, though. If you\u2019re buying a TV, make sure that the\u00a0native\u00a0<\/em>refresh rate of the TV is 120Hz. Some 60Hz TVs advertise a higher number under names such as \u201csmooth motion\u201d or \u201cmotion plus\u201d. These TVs can\u2019t actually accept and display a real 120Hz video feed. Instead, they use various tricks to make on-screen motion seem more fluid. This is the dreaded \u201csoap opera effect<\/a>\u201d people complain about when it\u2019s on by default out of the box.<\/p>\n

Frames vs. Refresh Rate<\/h2>\n
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Creative Touches\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The refresh rate determines the maximum number of\u00a0frames\u00a0<\/em>that the TV can display in a second. A frame is a single photo in a series of photos that make up a video. The number of unique snapshots that a camera takes while filming or a gaming system renders while playing is known as the frame rate<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If the frame rate perfectly matches the refresh rate of the screen, you\u2019re getting the ideal image, but most of the time this isn\u2019t the case. The most common frame rate for cinematic films is 24 frames per second.<\/p>\n

Likewise, much TV content is either shot at 24 or 30 frames per second. A few weird experiments, such as The Hobbit<\/em> trilogy, were shot at 48 frames per second. Content shot at 60 frames per second is becoming more common, but you\u2019re most likely to find it on platforms like YouTube, especially in action sports content or other videos with fast-moving subject matter.<\/p>\n

This is where we hit a snag with the almost universal 60Hz television set. Most content you\u2019re watching on your 60Hz TV isn\u2019t 60 frames per second. That sounds like a problem, right?<\/p>\n

For content that\u2019s running at 30 frames per second, this is a non-issue. Each frame is simply displayed twice since 30 divides evenly into 60. But 60 divided by 24 is 2.5! So how does your TV handle this issue?<\/p>\n

The Pulldown Problem<\/h2>\n

The most common \u201csolution\u201d to the 24 frames per second problem is known as 3:2 pulldown.\u00a0<\/em>Each frame from the 24 frames per second signal is displayed for 3 and 2 screen refreshes in an alternating pattern. This prevents a frame change halfway through the odd frame, which would exhibit as screen tearing<\/a> but it introduces uneven frame pacing. In other words, frames are not displayed at the same intervals.<\/p>\n

To the eye, this presents as\u00a0judder<\/a>. Judder is most evident in panning shots, where the camera motion has this herky-jerky quality to it that\u2019s quite unpleasant.<\/p>\n

Some TVs have a judder remover, where the refresh rate is changed to an exact multiple of 24, such as 48Hz or 72Hz. If you have a 60Hz TV with a judder removal feature already, you\u2019re good to go, but if not it makes a lot of sense to make your next TV a 120Hz model<\/p>\n

120 Is the Magic Number<\/h2>\n

When you have a 120Hz TV, then 24-, 30- and 60- frames per second content all divide evenly into the refresh rate. That means you\u2019ll get perfect frame pacing and see every frame within the content. If you\u2019re serious about cinematic content released in 24 frames per second, a 120Hz TV set has a place in your home entertainment system, even if you never plan to play video games on it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n