FrameInsertion
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Tom Cruise wants to fix your TV by turning off motion smoothing
Proving that his heroism is not merely limited to on-screen antics, Tom Cruise has starred in a video spreading awareness of a scourge impacting all too many televisions: motion smoothing. It's the setting in almost all new HDTVs and 4K TVs that's usually turned on by default and can turn everything into a slightly-too-smooth soap opera-looking mess. It works by using a processor to create new frames in between the 24 or 30 frames per second your video is usually being delivered in so that everything moves smoothly across the screen. That can be fine for fast moving live action like sports, but for movies and many TV shows it changes the look entirely and not in a good way. Since that's not the way directors like Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible - Fallout and Top Gun - Maverick) and or stars intended for you to watch their movies, most people recommend turning it off. The only problem is, not everyone knows about it, or where to look. We've written up some instructions for the settings you should adjust on any new TV and they will help you deal with this, as well as other on-by-default switches. Only you can stop 240Hz TruMotion, Motion Smoothing Effect or Auto Motion Plus (all brand names this motion interpolation technology goes by) from ruining your next movie night.
After bigger, thinner and brighter, Samsung planning even faster LCDs for IFA
The jury is still out on whether 200 / 240hz motion technology (last year's prototype pictured above) provided an appreciable difference but that won't stop Samsung from bringing 400 / 480hz (PAL / NTSC standards) LCD HDTVs to IFA 2009 next month. This is the second time we've heard rumors of a spec bump in motion technology, using black frame insertion instead of more complicated (& expensive) tech to create new frames from existing ones. LG has already demo'd its 480hz LCDs and the two will surely race to get a bigger number on store shelves, but we'll need an eye-on before determining if it's an upgrade worth waiting for.[Via GadgetCrave]
Upcoming Sony LCDs opt for cheaper motion, backlighting tech
Waiting on the next generation of Sony LED-backlit LCDs? FlatpanelsHD has some information on the next edition of Sony's BRAVIA sets, dubbed in the UK as the X5500. The key difference here is instead of the company's current Motionflow tech and Triluminos LED backlighting, these sets will opt for Black Frame Insertion technology to up the Hz rate, and while it's still a local dimming LED set, white LEDs will come inside instead of the previous three color setup, reducing cost, but also image quality. Of course, DLNA and AppliCast widget support will all be part of the package, so if you, like us, were looking for a cheaper alternative to Sony's high end sets you'll also be keeping an eye out for these to debut around IFA 2009 in September.
Samsung's two 120hz 1080p LCDs coming to CES, and stores, in 2007
Samsung has lifted the curtain just a bit higher, revealing two new LCDs it will be showing at CES. The 1080p, 120hz refresh rate 70-inch LCD shown previously at IMID 2006 will make the trip, as well as a 52-inch model slated to begin production on the company's 8th-generation manufacturing line later this year. Here's hoping for a demo connecting one of these displays to an HDMI-1.3 equipped, 1080p24 frame rate displaying slimline $500 second generation Blu-ray player in the next few days.
