“Is the 60 hz refresh rate a big concern when watching action movies or sports? I remember this was the case years ago, not sure if 120 hz is still considered the preferred for those scenarios or other tech offsets it now.”
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The two important things to understand about video are that you can't add detail beyond what is already in the source footage (you can synthesize information with image processing, but it doesn't actually add detail that isn't there; it only polishes it a bit). Second, the vast majority of video source footage doesn't exceed 60Hz. When you stream a movie online or watch a Blu-ray disc, you see a 1080p or 4K picture at up to 60 frames per second (fps), though it is more likely either 24 or 30fps. Most movies are shot at 24 frames per second (fps), which is the standard for cinematic quality. However, some films are shot at higher frame rates, such as 48 fps, which can provide smoother motion and better visual clarity, especially in action scenes. While 60Hz is the standard refresh rate for most televisions, not all movies are optimized for this frame rate, and some may be shot at lower frame rates to save on production costs. For movies specifically, especially ones that were recorded on film, the original footage is captured at 24 frames per second and then upscaled to 30fps through a process known as 3:2 pulldown, which distributes the source images so they can be spread across 30 frames every second instead of 24. Those frames are then interlaced (combined and shuffled) to 60 frames per second to match the 60Hz refresh rate of most TVs, like the LG 86” Class UA77 Series LED AI 4K UHD Smart webOS TV (2025), Model # 86UA7700PUA. Of course, any content that was originally recorded at 60 frames per second can match a 60Hz TV's refresh rate without any pulldown or interlacing. Once a TV's refresh rate rises above the rate of the content you're watching, it starts performing tricks to deal with the lower frame rate. For example, in the case of a 120Hz TV, it needs to fill in the 60 additional frames to hit its native 120Hz refresh rate after the pulldown process kicks the initial number of frames to 60 per second. The TV fills in the spaces with either black frames, copies of the original frames, or best-guess "middle" frames. To create these new frames, the TV combines and processes the data from the surrounding frames and then generates what it thinks should go there. You're looking at more individual pictures as the screen draws them, but these pictures weren't originally present—the TV is generating those additional pictures on the fly. These synthesized frames can smooth over the motion of the content, but that isn't always a good thing. Artificially pumping the content's frame rate to 60 or above (usually 120Hz for higher-end TVs) can produce what's known as the "soap opera effect." It makes the TV show or movie look unnaturally fluid and probably unlike what the directors, cinematographers, and engineers intended. The TV has a TruMotion setting that is suitable for the image quality of fast-moving pictures. Within the TV's Trumotion settings are: Cinematic Movement, which adjusts the shaking of the motion on the screen to make it feel like you are in a movie theater. Natural sets images with a lot of motion to look natural and clear. Smooth Movement softens fast-moving pictures. User Selection sets TruMotion manually. De-Judder adjusts juddering on the screen, and De-Blur reduces the blurring effects of motion...^Ivan.
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