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ZDNET's key takeaways
Default motion smoothing causes the unnatural "soap opera effect."
Experts recommend turning off motion smoothing for most movies and shows.
Motion smoothing improves fast-paced action like sports and gaming.
For many people, motion smoothing on TVs is only suitable for gaming and watching live sports; enthusiasts typically prefer to turn off the feature when watching anything else, as it can detract from the filmmaker's original intent, making on-screen images appear artificial or hyper-realistic. This is what's called the "soap opera effect."
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It's a perfectly descriptive metaphor that probably requires no explanation. You can see it all too well: the cinematic film should not look like a daytime soap; you shouldn't feel like you're on the set with the actors. But it is appealing to feel like you're in the stadium watching your team with thousands of fans. The soap opera effect makes sense for live sporting event broadcasts.
How to turn off motion smoothing (and why you should)
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