How to Turn Motion Smoothing Off on Your TV

This article was originally published on July 24, 2019. Since many readers are presumably visiting the homes of relatives who have this ghastly setting enabled, we’re reposting it now, with some updated guidance. Also see our stories about the history of motion smoothing and our advice on how to talk to your loved ones about it.

Likely pre-installed on your brand new television set is a little-known, much-maligned feature known as “motion smoothing,� responsible for making everything you watch look like a daytime soap. For those who feel there is something terribly off about it, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to fix it. Help your TV show movies the way they were supposed to look!

Samsung

1. Go to the “Settings� menu
2. Select “Picture�
3. Select “Expert Settings�
4. Toggle off “Auto Motion Plus�

Sony

1. Press “Action Menu� on your remote
2. Select “Picture�
3. Select “Advanced Settings�
4. Change MotionFlow from “Standard� to “Off�

LG

1. Press the “Settings� button (a small gear) on your remote
2. Go to the “Picture Mode Settings� menu
3. Select “Picture Options�
4. Turn TruMotion to “Off�

Panasonic Viera

1. Press “Menu� on your remote
2. Select “Picture Settings�
3. Scroll all the way down to MotionSmoother
4. Switch MotionSmoother to “Off�

Vizio

1. Press the “Settings� button (a small gear) on your remote
2. Select “Picture�
3. Select “Advanced Picture�
4. Switch “Clear Action� to “Off�

Roku TV (Element, Hisense, RCA, Sharp, TCL)

1. Press the “Settings� button (an asterisk) on your remote
2. Select “Picture Settings�
3. Select “Advanced Picture Settings�
4. Switch “Action Smoothing� (or a similarly labeled feature) to “Off�

Google TV (Hisense, Sony, TCL)

1. Press the “Settings� button (a gear) on your remote
2. Select “Display & Sound�
3. Select “Picture� and “Advanced Picture Settings�
4. Under “Advanced Picture Settings,� switch motion smoothing features (i.e. Motion Enhancement, Motion Clearness) to “Off�

*This article appears in the July 22, 2019, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

More From This Series

• Even Cinematographers Think TV Is Too Dark
• ‘Filmmaker Mode’ a Potential Cure to the Motion Smoothing Epidemic
• A Guide to Talking to Your Loved Ones About Motion Smoothing

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