Understanding the Importance of Refresh Rate on a TV for Gaming and Video

Refresh rate is a crucial aspect of a TV's performance, especially for gaming and video enthusiasts. A higher refresh rate can significantly enhance the viewing experience, reducing motion blur and eye strain.

A refresh rate of 120Hz or higher is recommended for fast-paced games and action-packed videos. This is because higher refresh rates can display more frames per second, resulting in a smoother and more immersive experience.

For example, a 120Hz TV can display 120 frames per second, which is ideal for games that require quick reflexes and fast-paced action. This is especially important for gamers who want to stay competitive and enjoy a more responsive experience.

In contrast, lower refresh rates can lead to a choppy and jerky image, which can be frustrating for gamers and video enthusiasts. A refresh rate of 60Hz, for instance, may not be sufficient for fast-paced games or high-definition videos.

Refresh rate is a feature that determines how often your TV draws a new image on the screen, measured in Hertz (Hz). It's like the TV's heartbeat, constantly refreshing itself every second.

A 60Hz refresh rate means the screen refreshes 60 times per second, while a 120Hz refresh rate refreshes 120 times per second. This is different from frame rate, which is how many times per second the source sends a new frame.

To get the best picture, you want your TV's refresh rate to match the frame rate of the source, so motion looks smooth and not blurry. This is especially important for fast-paced content like sports and action movies.

Refresh rate is a feature associated with your monitor that determines the speed at which it displays each frame coming from the CPU or GPU.

The higher the refresh rate of your monitor, the smoother and less laggy the videos and images displayed will appear.

A refresh rate of 144Hz or higher is ideal for a monitor, as it can pick up all the frames produced by a 144 FPS GPU and display them quicker.

If you connect a 144 FPS GPU to a monitor with a refresh rate of 70Hz, the monitor will only pick up 70 frames and display them more slowly, causing a lag.

Even if a GPU produces fewer frames, such as 48 FPS, a monitor with a higher refresh rate will display a smoother image or video than one with a lower refresh rate.

It's recommended to purchase a monitor with a refresh rate the same as, or higher than, the FPS of your GPU, such as 60Hz or more for a 60 FPS GPU.

Our TV is constantly refreshing itself every second, and this process is defined by the refresh rate. A refresh rate is written out in Hertz (Hz) and measures how many times per second it draws a new image on the screen.

A 60Hz refresh rate means the screen is refreshing itself 60 times every second. This is different from frame rate, which is how many times per second the source sends a new frame.

At 120Hz, the screen is refreshing itself 120 times every second. If you have a source that's displaying 60 frames per second, you want your TV to be refreshing itself 60 times/second so that the refresh and frame rate match up.

A refresh rate of 120Hz can provide a smoother viewing experience, especially when watching fast-paced content like sports and action movies.

Most TVs these days offer a minimum of 60Hz, which is the standard for most HD content.

Higher refresh rates like 120Hz and 240Hz are often used for gaming and sports, where quick movements are more noticeable.

In fact, a 120Hz refresh rate can reduce motion blur by up to 50% compared to a 60Hz display.

However, the human eye can only process a certain amount of information at a time, so the benefits of higher refresh rates may be less noticeable for some viewers.

For example, a study found that viewers can only perceive a maximum of 60-80 frames per second.

The type of content you watch also plays a role in how noticeable the refresh rate is.

A 60 fps video played on a 120Hz TV looks almost identical to the same content played on a 60Hz TV, as the TV adjusts itself to match the refresh rate of the source.

In fact, a 120Hz TV doesn't produce less motion blur than a 60Hz TV when displaying 60 fps content, as both TVs have a similar response time.

TVs with higher refresh rates don't necessarily provide a smoother picture for 60 fps content, as the TV either adjusts itself or doubles every frame.

However, displaying 120 fps content on a 120Hz TV has a significant impact on the perceived motion, making it look much smoother than at 60 fps.

The release of HDMI 2.1 may lead to more 120 fps sources becoming available, making 120Hz TVs the norm for displaying high-frame-rate content.

Refresh rate is a crucial aspect of a TV that affects motion handling. Most high-end TVs have a 120Hz refresh rate.

Modern TVs either have a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate. This means that a 120Hz TV can draw a new image more times per second than a 60Hz TV.

A TV's response time determines how good motion looks. A quick response time means that motion looks clear, while a slow response time leads to motion blur.

While a 120Hz panel is expected to have a better response time than a 60Hz panel, it's not a guarantee. You can't rely solely on the refresh rate to get a good motion handling experience.

Displaying 120 fps content, like games from the Xbox Series X or PS5, helps to improve the appearance of motion on a 120Hz TV. This is because 120 fps content is designed to take advantage of a TV's high refresh rate.

Content looks much smoother at 120 fps than at 60 fps on a 120Hz TV. This is why having a 120Hz TV is beneficial when watching 120 fps content.

Refresh rate itself is really only part of the solution, as doubling the same frames doesn't actually do much for reducing motion blur. Something else is needed.

There are two main methods to reduce motion blur beyond refresh rate: frame interpolation and black frame insertion (BFI) or scanning backlight. Frame interpolation creates brand-new frames that are hybrids of the frame that came before and the one that comes after, which can fool your brain into not blurring the image. However, it can lead to the soap opera effect, making movies look ultra-smooth reality TV shows.

Black frame insertion or scanning backlight effectively means the image doesn't "hold" in place, so your brain doesn't blur it. However, do it poorly and many people will see the image flicker. The light output of the TV also drops, as it's not outputting any light for a period of time.

Black Frame Insertion is a technology that can produce a clear image similar to a 120Hz refresh rate. It works by displaying a black screen between each frame, which most people can't see.

This technique can make the screen dimmer, but it's a trade-off for reduced motion blur. On most LED TVs, Black Frame Insertion is achieved by adjusting the flicker frequency of the backlight.

On OLED TVs, which don't have a backlight, Black Frame Insertion is done by inserting a black frame in-between each frame. This reduces persistence blur, which occurs when your eyes move past a static image.

Unfortunately, not everyone can stand the flickering caused by Black Frame Insertion, and some people may get annoyed after a while.

Variable refresh rate is a feature that matches the refresh and frame rate on-the-go, so if the frame rate of the game drops, the TV automatically lowers its refresh rate as well.

This is only possible if both the TV and the source support VRR. AMD's FreeSync, NVIDIA's G-SYNC, and HDMI Forum VRR are the three most common types of VRR.

G-SYNC is usually reserved for monitors, but some TVs are compatible with it. Higher-end Samsung and LG TVs have FreeSync, and support for HDMI Forum VRR is starting to grow on HDMI 2.1 TVs.

The Xbox Series X supports FreeSync and HDMI Forum VRR, while the PS5 should receive an update in 2021 for HDMI Forum VRR.

TV makers can be tricky when it comes to describing their TVs' motion handling capabilities. LG is actually pretty straightforward, listing the panel's native refresh rate up front.

LG calls its motion handling capability "TruMotion", and on TVs with a 120Hz refresh rate, it simply says "120Hz Native." On 60Hz models, it lists "TruMotion 120 (60Hz Native)."

Samsung, on the other hand, uses the term "Motion Rate", which is generally twice the native refresh rate. So, if a Samsung TV has a Motion Rate of 240, it means it has a native refresh rate of 120Hz.

Sony's motion handling capability is called "MotionFlow XR", and it doesn't always list a number on its website. However, on some models, it lists a number along with the native refresh rate, such as "Motionflow XR 240 (native 60 Hz)" and "Motionflow XR 960 (native 120 Hz)."

Vizio used to be more transparent about its TVs' refresh rates, but it's now less clear. Most Vizio 2021 TVs don't list any refresh rate spec, except for the P-Series and the H1 OLED, which are 120Hz native.

TCL's sets are all over the place, with some not listing any motion term at all. Those are 60Hz native, while others say "120Hz CMI" but are actually 60Hz native too. The only TCL TVs that are true 120Hz say Natural Motion 480.

A 60 fps video played on a 120Hz TV looks almost identical to the same content played on a 60Hz TV because the TV either adjusts itself to match the refresh rate of the source or simply doubles every frame.

Most midrange and high-end TVs work well with 120Hz refresh rates, but higher refresh rates like 240Hz and above have rapidly diminishing returns and may not provide a noticeable benefit for video games.

A 120Hz TV can display 120 fps content at its max frame rate, making it look much smoother than at 60 fps. This is especially important for live sports and other live broadcasts that benefit from high refresh rates and motion-blur technologies.

Live sports, even delivered at 30 fps, look smoother and clearer with high refresh rates, making it easier to follow fast-moving elements like a baseball or hockey puck.

If you own a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, you'll need at least 120Hz and VRR to unlock higher-quality images and take full advantage of your console's capabilities. This is because multiple visual settings on these systems won't engage unless you have a TV with these qualifications.