The best way to watch footie and sports on TV: motion smoothing and more

If you’re an armchair sports fan, you’ll want to have the best possible view of the footie, cricket, soccer or tennis. When it comes to watching sports though, it’s not only about having an 85 inch TV, it’s also about the way that the big game displays on your big screen. In this article, we look at motion smoothing technology and other key features and specifications that can enhance your sports viewing.

In live sports broadcasts, motion smoothing faces a unique challenge because the next frame is not immediately available as a reference point for the algorithm. To address this, smart TVs typically receive broadcast frames slightly ahead of displaying them, allowing for real-time analysis. The algorithms behind motion smoothing continuously analyze the incoming frames, predicting object movement based on the current and previous frames. By generating synthetic frames on the fly, the TV creates the illusion of smoother motion, enhancing the viewing experience for fast-paced live events like sports.

Motion smoothing is commonly found in many new smart TVs from brands including Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL, and Hisense. Samsung's QLED and Neo QLED and Sony and LG's OLED and QD-OLED TVs are known for their great picture quality when it comes to watching sports with high motion.

While motion smoothing is a great feature for watching sports, when you’re settling in with your bucket of popcorn to watch a movie, it’s generally not a good choice. The 'soap opera effect,' where the enhanced smoothness takes away the cinematic allure and makes the vision appear clear but somehow ‘cheap’, can be a drawback for films and TV dramas. It can, however, work well for reality and live TV shows.

There are always exceptions though, and some people may prefer to watch all types of content with motion smoothing. People with certain vision impairments or bad eyesight, for example, may find that motion smoothing can reduce motion blur and enhance clarity during fast-paced scenes, making it easier to follow the action.

Yes, you can switch motion smoothing off in your smart TV’s settings, so the big budget Hollywood blockbuster you’re watching doesn’t look like a daytime soap.

While it’s not yet commonplace for TVs to detect the nature of the content you are watching, and to switch motion smoothing on and off accordingly, it may be a capability that appears in new generation models. Many smart TVs, however, feature predefined picture modes or presets accessible via the remote control, that optimise settings for specific types of content.

These presets, such as ‘Sports’, ‘Movie’ or ‘Gaming’ not only adjust motion smoothing but also fine-tune other picture settings like contrast and brightness to present the content optimally. They can be easily switched between to ensure you’re watching the match or the movie in the best possible way.

1. Refresh rate and response time

Your TV's refresh rate and response time will also affect motion soothing. The refresh rate, measured in Hertz (Hz), indicates how many frames per second the TV can display. A higher refresh rate, particularly around 120Hz, ensures smoother motion transitions, reducing motion blur and enhancing the clarity of fast-paced content like sports.

The response time, meanwhile, measures how quickly a pixel can change from one colour to another. A lower -i.e. faster - response time is better, minimising motion blur during rapid movements in sports or gaming. A response time of 1-5 milliseconds is considered excellent for these types of content.

You won’t always see this information prominently displayed alongside other specs, but you should be able to find it in the product manual or full specifications sheet.

2. HDR and Dolby Vision playback technology

High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision playback technologies significantly elevate image quality, providing vibrant colours, deep blacks and enhanced contrast. HDR technology broadens the range between the darkest and brightest parts of an image, enhancing details in both the shadows and highlights to ensure a more immersive and true-to-life viewing experience.

Dolby Vision, meanwhile, takes HDR a step further by optimising colour accuracy and richness. This results in more nuanced and lifelike colours, and a more immersive image compared to static HDR formats.

Read more on DR10+ vs Dolby Vision

3. Viewing angles

Viewing angle refers to the position - not the distance - from which you can comfortably watch the TV without experiencing a loss of image quality. A wider viewing angle allows the picture to remain vibrant and clear, even when viewed from off-centre positions, like the chair at the end of the living room, as opposed to the sofa directly in front of the TV. A wide viewing angle is particularly useful when you’ve got a room full of footie tragics yelling at the screen from all angles.

4. Gaming features

Now, this feature doesn’t affect your TV viewing, but if you love to play FIFA between watching footie matches, you’ll want a gaming TV with a high Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and HDMI 2.1 support. VRR synchronises the refresh rate of the display with the frame rate output from your Xbox, Switch, Playstation or PC, which minimises input lag, screen tearing and ‘stuttering’ during fast-paced gaming.

TVs with HDMI 2.1 functionality, like Samsung's Neo QLED and LG's QNED have ports that can be connected to games consoles or other external devices to increase bandwidth and thereby support higher resolutions and refresh rates.

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