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When it comes to TVs, smoothness is dictated by refresh rate, which can make a huge difference in the image quality of live sports, video games, and more. Here, we’ll give you a primer on what it all means and what refresh rate features are best for you.
Refresh rates: What are they? That’s simple. The refresh rate of a display refers to how many times per second the screen updates with a new image. It is measured in Hertz (Hz). You may be familiar with the term “frames per second” (fps). Whatever the number in Hertz, that’s also the default number of frames per second that a screen operates on. So, a 60Hz screen can show up to 60 images in sequence in one second, while a 120Hz screen can show up to 120 images, and a 240Hz screen can show up to 240 images.
How does refresh rate work? And why should I care?
There are multiple sources of video that your TV is going to display. Movies are typically shot at 24 fps, meaning that each second of film is 24 still images shown in sequence. When made into a DVD or streaming video, the 24 fps images are typically converted to 30 fps through a process called “3:2 pulldown,” adding six “extra” frames by creating a large number of frames that are composites of two of the 24 fps frames. (This is one of the reasons why, many times, when you pause a video, the image isn’t particularly clear, even if it appears very clear when watching in motion.)
Displaying 30 fps on a 60Hz (or 120Hz or even a 240Hz) screen is a matter of either showing each image longer (basically, refreshing the image into the same image once, twice, or four times) or creating “in-between” images on the fly using built-in programs (since televisions are basically computers now) that are often called something like “Motion Plus” or “True Motion” or some other buzzword. The tech forces every video into the maximum number of frames but also creates an odd, unnatural smoothness to movies, which we are used to seeing at 24 fps (or maximally 30 fps). It can make a movie (shot on film) look and feel like a soap opera (shot on video), causing it to “feel” lower quality even though it technically isn’t.
VRR is a technology that allows for variable (V) refresh (R) rates (R). Thus, “VRR.” VRR is important for inputs that don’t have a consistent fps or whose fps can change (for example, video games). VRR also tends to be able to push and draw back refresh rates to ensure the highest-quality images without stuttering or “screen tearing,” visual artifacts that occur when there’s an issue pushing forward the next frame where it seems only part of the image is moving, and the rest is staying still.
No matter the size of the screen, the refresh rate has a huge impact on the quality of the image as it moves (rather than the still image, which is more affected by things like resolution or color depth).
What are the drawbacks of high refresh rates?
The biggest drawback of high refresh rates isn’t the refresh rates themselves but what television manufacturers think we want. That upscaling of frame rate in the motion-blurring tech is an eyesore to many people, only appropriate for programming like live sports or concerts, and can make quality films and shows look “cheap.”
Unfortunately, a lot of TV retailers default to having that feature on at all times, meaning you need to go in manually to your settings and turn it off for things to look “right” when watching a movie or show shot on film or film-emulating digital video. In addition to turning off this feature, you can improve the experience of watching movies by considering the lighting in your TV-watching room, so as to better mimic a theater experience, such as with smart LEDs that sync with the image on the screen.
High refresh rates also use more power, but not so much that you’d see a significant difference in your electric bill at the end of the month.
What programming benefits from 120Hz+ and VRR and why?
Live sports and other live broadcasts are the programming that most benefits from high refresh rates, with VRR being particularly important for video games. Live sports, even though they are usually delivered at 30 fps, will look smoother and clearer with the motion-blur technologies that “ruin” movies. This is because the images are usually changing at such a fast rate that simple 30 fps can make it tough to follow a baseball or a hockey puck, for example. The additional frames from a 120Hz or 240Hz set really clarify those small elements moving at high speeds.
If you own a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, you’re going to want at least 120Hz and VRR. That’s because multiple visual settings on those systems will not even engage if you don’t have a TV with those qualifications hooked up, and the consoles will end up pumping out a reduced-visual-quality version of the game that locks at 30 fps for a 60Hz display. PS5 and XBSX need VRR technology to offer higher-quality images because while most games can produce 30 fps consistently, not every game can hit 60 fps at all times, and instead might move between 40 fps and 60 fps depending on how many visual elements are filling the screen. VRR allows games to adjust the fps output when the visual elements tax the system processor and/or memory, letting the best-possible-at-that-moment image be shown. (240Hz is a nice little upgrade visually but doesn’t unlock any features like 120Hz does when compared to 60Hz.)
Additionally, if you want to use your TV screen as a computer monitor by hooking your computer up through HDMI (HDMI 2.1, specifically), you’ll need high refresh rate and VRR to produce a comparable visual experience to a monitor. Monitors typically have greater visual depth than televisions because computer programs demand more small detail interaction. If your computer has a high-end graphics card and your TV is compatible with the technology, both AMD and Nvidia have tech (AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, respectively) that allow the graphics cards to directly engage with the VRR tech on your TV, producing better results when you’re playing computer games on the TV screen. Computers can really push framerates, colors, resolutions, and other visual elements much more than cable, streaming, or game consoles, which is why computer monitors can hit 360Hz while even the most high-end TVs top out at 240Hz. But custom-built, expensive, top-of-the-line desktop computers are really the only source you’ll see that can take advantage of such high refresh rates.
Should I look for VRR and a high refresh rate on my next TV?
If you’re planning on watching a lot of live sports or playing video games, yes. The visual quality for sports and the visual output options opened up on games are worth it. There are plenty of TVs under $1,000 that have all the tech elements you need when it comes to VRR and refresh rate, so you don’t even have to go ultra-high-end to get super-high-quality visuals.
If you mostly watch pre-recorded media/streaming content, you won’t get as much out of high refresh rates and certainly not VRR. If Netflix has established a permanent residence on your TV’s screen, 60Hz is enough (though 120Hz or 240Hz will still look better). If you want to play games on a desktop computer, a high-end 120Hz or 240Hz VRR TV will offer a bigger screen for your money, but a comparable computer monitor will offer even better image fidelity, so you’ll need to decide what kind of setup works best for you.
Final thoughts on TV Refresh Rates
In short, refresh rates allow your TV to show off buttery-smooth moving images, sometimes even when you don’t want them to! Along with resolution, number of colors, and depth of black spaces in video, refresh rate and frame rate are a place where the technology behind a screen is improving all the time.
More is always going to be better when it comes to Hertz, but 120 is more than enough for most people, with VRR a must for gamers. With that in mind, you can make a better decision about the refresh rate features you need with your next TV. Please use the links below as references to help you decide what set will best suit your space and your viewing habits. Happy watching!