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Door staff@engadget.com (Max Miller) - 10 Oct 2026
Your TV likely has a number of picture modes: vivid, gaming, sports and so on. These are bundled settings presets that adjust various levels for different types of content. For instance, gaming modes optimize the settings for low latency, while vivid modes crank up the brightness, saturation, sharpness and contrast for the most eye-popping image (though not the most accurate one).
The one you should look for first is "movie" or "filmmaker" mode. These save you time by turning off the most obnoxious visual settings like motion smoothing, as well as other post-processing and sharpness features. Those features may be suitable for watching sports, but are best avoided when watching movies and shows as they create strange visual artifacts. Filmmaker Mode is usually the best option, as it's an official specification endorsed by Hollywood directors such as Martin Scorsese and Denis Villeneuve. However, Filmmaker Mode is not available on all TVs. Movie mode can be different, but in general it has the same goal of making the picture look more natural.
If your TV's movie mode doesn't turn off features like motion smoothing, action clarity or whatever other names these options masquerade as, turn them off manually. At their worst, motion smoothing settings inject fake video frames, a misguided way of making content with low frame rates play at higher ones. Movies play at 24 frames per second for a reason, which is part of what makes them feel "cinematic." Motion smoothing destroys the Hollywood magic, and in the process makes movies look weird and somewhat oily. The "soap opera effect" is so reviled by cinephiles that Tom Cruise once filmed a PSA begging people to turn off their TVs' motion smoothing settings.
Meanwhile, don't forget to check the settings of attached devices like consoles or streaming boxes to make sure they're playing in 4K and otherwise outputting the best-possible quality.
The one you should look for first is "movie" or "filmmaker" mode. These save you time by turning off the most obnoxious visual settings like motion smoothing, as well as other post-processing and sharpness features. Those features may be suitable for watching sports, but are best avoided when watching movies and shows as they create strange visual artifacts. Filmmaker Mode is usually the best option, as it's an official specification endorsed by Hollywood directors such as Martin Scorsese and Denis Villeneuve. However, Filmmaker Mode is not available on all TVs. Movie mode can be different, but in general it has the same goal of making the picture look more natural.
If your TV's movie mode doesn't turn off features like motion smoothing, action clarity or whatever other names these options masquerade as, turn them off manually. At their worst, motion smoothing settings inject fake video frames, a misguided way of making content with low frame rates play at higher ones. Movies play at 24 frames per second for a reason, which is part of what makes them feel "cinematic." Motion smoothing destroys the Hollywood magic, and in the process makes movies look weird and somewhat oily. The "soap opera effect" is so reviled by cinephiles that Tom Cruise once filmed a PSA begging people to turn off their TVs' motion smoothing settings.
Meanwhile, don't forget to check the settings of attached devices like consoles or streaming boxes to make sure they're playing in 4K and otherwise outputting the best-possible quality.