Why It Looks Like That
Article 16

TV Picture Processing: What to Turn Off, Test, or Leave Alone

A stable baseline disables optional alteration while preserving required signal conversion, display mapping, appropriate local dimming, and panel protection. Test each optional feature separately.

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Direct answer

In brief

Do not turn off every television process. Disable optional enhancement and variable ambient or energy controls for a stable reference-oriented baseline, set sharpening to its tested neutral state, and keep required scaling, deinterlacing, chroma reconstruction, HDR display mapping, appropriate local dimming, panel compensation, and protection active. Then reintroduce one optional feature at a time only when it solves a specific problem, preserving separate preference modes.

Television menus contain many controls that can change the image after the signal arrives.

Some are optional enhancements.

Some are required to make the signal fit the panel.

Some protect the display.

Those categories should not be treated alike.

For a stable, reference-oriented starting point:

Then add back one optional feature at a time only when it solves a specific problem.

That is more accurate than the simple instruction:

Turn everything off.

Three categories of processing

Required signal and display processing

A television may need to perform:

A 1,920 by 1,080 interlaced source cannot appear correctly on a 3,840 by 2,160 progressive panel without processing.

A 4:2:0 signal needs chroma reconstruction before the panel can show full-color pixels.

HDR content that exceeds the display’s color volume needs mapping or clipping.

These operations are not optional decorations.

Their implementation still needs to be evaluated.

Optional enhancement processing

Optional controls may change the source presentation to create:

These controls can be useful.

They are usually disabled for the reference-oriented baseline.

Adaptive and protective processing

Adaptive behavior can respond to:

Adaptive room and energy features reduce repeatability during calibration.

Protection functions exist for hardware reliability and should not be defeated casually.

Three columns divide television processing into required signal and display processing, optional enhancement, and adaptive or protective behavior. Required processing includes scaling, chroma upsampling, deinterlacing, and HDR mapping. Optional enhancement includes interpolation, sharpening, noise reduction, and color boost. Adaptive or protective behavior includes ambient response, energy control, logo protection, and panel limiting.
A stable baseline removes optional alteration while keeping the conversion, mapping, and protection needed to display the signal.

Start from a reset mode

Before changing individual settings:

  1. Select the intended picture mode.
  2. Reset that mode.
  3. Confirm the active signal.
  4. Set the intended room condition.
  5. Record energy, ambient, game, and input states.
  6. Verify whether settings apply to one input or all inputs.
  7. Change one control at a time.

A reset matters because a feature that appears to be the mode default may have been changed earlier.

Filmmaker Mode is a useful baseline

The UHD Alliance’s public Filmmaker Mode requirements state that the mode should:

That makes it a strong starting point for films and television on a supported model.

It does not prove the measured result is perfectly accurate.

“Post-processing off” has limits

A television still has to create a displayable image.

Filmmaker Mode cannot remove:

Recommendation ITU-R BT.2035-0 takes a practical approach.

It says processing such as scaling, frame-rate conversion, and image enhancement, when implemented, should avoid visible artifacts. It also says display processing should not introduce ringing and should preserve motion effects present in the source. [2]

The objective is controlled processing, not no processing.

Motion controls

A branching diagram separates motion interpolation, cadence detection, deinterlacing, frame repetition, black-frame insertion, and variable refresh rate. Only interpolation creates estimated intermediate images. The other branches identify, reconstruct, repeat, insert dark intervals, or coordinate timing.
Motion interpolation, cadence detection, deinterlacing, frame repetition, black-frame insertion, and variable refresh rate are different operations.

Motion interpolation

Motion interpolation analyzes source images and estimates intermediate images.

The goal can be:

The estimated image was not one of the original source frames.

That is why motion appearance can change.

Conceptual three-frame sequence with original frame A, an estimated intermediate frame, and original frame B. A moving edge shifts from left to right, while the estimated frame shows a possible doubled or warped edge artifact. The drawing is not measured footage.
Interpolation inserts an estimated image between original source frames, so the result can be smoother and can contain inference errors.

Why it is off in Filmmaker Mode

Filmmaker Mode requires motion smoothing or interpolation to be off and requires the source frame rate to be maintained. [1]

For reference-oriented film viewing, this preserves the original temporal cadence rather than creating a smoother interpretation.

The viewer may still see:

Turning interpolation off does not make all motion perfectly smooth.

It preserves the source motion relationship more closely.

Interpolation artifacts

An interpolation algorithm must infer motion between images.

It can make mistakes around:

Sony’s current support documentation states that its Motionflow feature inserts additional frames and that this processing can cause visual noise in some fast-moving scenes or transitions. [5]

That is one manufacturer’s documented implementation.

Artifact severity varies by algorithm and setting.

Source cadence and panel refresh are different

A 24-frame-per-second source does not require the panel to refresh only 24 times per second.

A display can preserve the original images while refreshing more often.

For example:

Frame repetition does not invent a new picture.

Interpolation does.

Timing diagram for a 24-frame-per-second source. The 60-Hz row repeats alternating source frames for three and two refreshes, creating an uneven 3:2 cadence. The 120-Hz row repeats each source frame five times evenly. No intermediate image is created in either row.
A 24-frame source can be repeated evenly on a 120 Hz path without creating intermediate images.

Cadence detection

Cadence detection tries to identify how film or progressive frames were carried through an interlaced or converted signal.

A control named:

may affect cadence detection rather than interpolation.

Sony’s 24p True Cinema documentation provides one manufacturer example of preserving a 24-frame source rate. [6]

Do not turn off cadence handling merely because it appears in a motion menu.

Test whether the source is reconstructed correctly.

Deinterlacing

Interlaced television requires reconstruction on a progressive panel.

Poor deinterlacing can create:

A reference-oriented setup still needs correct deinterlacing for interlaced sources.

The control may not be user-accessible.

Black-frame insertion

Black-frame insertion or scanning inserts dark periods or changes panel illumination timing.

It is not motion interpolation.

It can improve perceived motion clarity.

It can also cause:

A Samsung support page gives one model-family example where enabling Clear Motion makes the screen darker. [7]

Treat the feature as a motion-clarity and brightness tradeoff.

Films and episodic television

For a reference-oriented film baseline:

A viewer may prefer low-strength smoothing.

Store that preference separately so it does not replace the reference baseline.

Sports

Sports motion can benefit from:

Interpolation can make action appear smoother.

It can also create errors around players, balls, nets, score graphics, and crowds.

Create a separate sports preset and compare it with the baseline.

There is no universal best setting.

Animation

Animation can contain:

Interpolation can make some sequences smoother and can badly distort others.

Evaluate the actual program rather than applying one rule to all animation.

Games

Interpolation often requires buffered images and can increase latency.

Low-latency Game Mode may stop selected processing.

HDMI Auto Low Latency Mode allows a console, computer, or other source to request a low-latency display path. HDMI Licensing Administrator notes that selected television processing can stop in that mode. [9]

ALLM does not prove:

Test the exact Game mode, refresh rate, HDR state, and variable-refresh-rate condition.

Contrast controls

Dynamic contrast and contrast enhancement

A dynamic contrast control changes tonal relationships according to the image.

Depending on the model, it may alter:

Samsung’s support documentation describes Contrast Enhancer as automatically adjusting contrast to reduce excessive brightness differences between brighter and darker areas. [7]

That definition belongs to the cited Samsung implementation.

Another manufacturer can use the same or a similar name differently.

Why disable it for the baseline

A reference-oriented baseline should make the television’s output predictable.

An optional contrast enhancer can:

Turn the optional enhancer off for the baseline.

Then measure the transfer function and clipping behavior.

When it may be useful

A bright room can make dark content difficult to see.

A contrast or brightness-enhancement mode can improve practical visibility.

That result is an adapted presentation.

It should not be described as identical to the reference-room presentation.

Keep it in a separate daytime or preference mode.

Local dimming is different

Local dimming changes light output by region in a display with a spatially controlled backlight.

It can improve:

It can also create:

Turning local dimming off can make a television perform far below its intended design.

Use the setting that produces the best measured and viewed result for the intended mode.

Do not classify local dimming automatically as an optional contrast enhancer.

Two-panel comparison. Dynamic contrast changes the image tonal relationship across the frame or scene. Local dimming changes spatial backlight-zone output behind different areas of an LCD image. The systems can interact, but they are not the same control.
Dynamic contrast changes tonal relationships, while local dimming changes spatial backlight output and should not be disabled automatically.

OLED and emissive-panel behavior

An emissive display does not use an LCD local-dimming backlight.

It can still have:

Those are separate systems.

HDR tone mapping is different

HDR display mapping adapts source luminance and color volume to the television.

It can be required when the source exceeds the display.

A user option named Dynamic Tone Mapping can add scene or frame analysis.

Its behavior and target vary by manufacturer.

Do not turn it on or off because it contains the word dynamic.

Evaluate it using the tone-mapping workflow in Article 13.

Flow from a PQ HDR source to a target display capability, then through display mapping to visible output. A separate optional brightness-enhancement control can alter the mapped result. The diagram does not label either setting universally correct.
HDR display mapping and an optional brightness-enhancement control are separate decisions that require format- and model-specific testing.

SDR-to-HDR conversion

Some televisions offer an HDR-like conversion for SDR.

Samsung’s support page describes one example as increasing highlights, colorfulness, and detail to create an HDR-like result. [7]

This changes the SDR presentation.

Keep it off for an SDR reference baseline.

Use it only as a labeled preference mode.

Sharpness and detail

What a sharpness control can do

A sharpness control may include:

It cannot recreate source information that was never captured or delivered.

It can change perceived clarity.

Over-sharpening

Visible signs include:

BT.2035 says display processing should not introduce ringing or overshoots. [2]

That provides a formal reason to avoid visible edge artifacts in reference-oriented evaluation.

The neutral value is not always zero

User scales are arbitrary.

A neutral point can be:

Do not copy a number from another model.

Three edge samples show undersharpened softness, an artifact-free neutral state, and over-sharpened halos. An arbitrary control scale below them emphasizes that the neutral point is not always zero or the midpoint.
Sharpness is neutral when edges are clean and artifact-free, not when the menu reaches one copied number.

Use a valid pattern

Spears & Munsil recommends adjusting sharpness from the normal viewing position and stopping before visible halos, jagged edges, or harshness appear. [3][4]

Use a pattern that is:

A compressed online image or screenshot can already contain halos.

Valid path shows a lossless native-resolution pattern with one-to-one mapping through the intended source and input. Invalid path shows JPEG compression, browser zoom, screenshot scaling, or source-device scaling before the television. The invalid path can contain artifacts before the sharpness control is tested.
A compressed, zoomed, or rescaled pattern already contains uncertainty before the television sharpness control is tested.

A practical sharpness procedure

  1. Select the intended input, signal, and mode.
  2. Display the native sharpness pattern.
  3. Sit in the normal viewing position.
  4. Raise the control until artifacts are obvious.
  5. Lower it until halos, ghost lines, jaggies, and harshness disappear.
  6. Compare one step above and below.
  7. Check real text, faces, hair, and fine patterns.
  8. Record the neutral or preferred value.

The neutral reference value and preferred value can differ.

Store preference separately.

Super resolution and detail enhancement

Controls named:

may do more than simple edge enhancement.

They can be useful for:

They can also emphasize:

For the baseline, disable them.

Test them later with the source they are intended to improve.

Noise and artifact reduction

Noise is not one thing

Visible unwanted structure can include:

A control designed for one problem may not solve another.

Conceptual diagram with three input tiles: random noise, intended texture or grain, and compression artifacts. A low-strength filter removes some unwanted structure while preserving more texture. A high-strength filter smooths more noise but also removes more wanted detail.
Noise reduction trades removal of unwanted structure against preservation of texture, grain, and detail.

Random-noise reduction

Random-noise reduction can smooth changing pixel variation.

At high strength it can also affect:

For a known clean source, start with it off.

For a noisy source, test the lowest effective setting.

Film grain

Film grain can originate from the acquisition medium or be added during post-production.

It may be:

Do not assume every visible grain structure is sacred.

Do not assume it is a defect.

Compare the reduction control against the source goal and visible detail.

Compression-artifact reduction

A control labeled:

may target codec-related structure.

It can be useful for:

It may soften edges or texture.

Use it only for the source that needs it.

Source quality is not determined by the format label

A Blu-ray can contain:

A stream can vary by:

Do not use a rule such as:

Inspect the actual image.

Smooth gradation and decontouring

A smooth-gradation control can reduce visible banding.

It may also alter:

It is not necessarily the same as noise reduction.

Test it with:

Use the lowest strength that solves a visible contouring problem without erasing wanted structure.

Three conceptual gradient panels show visible banding, restrained decontouring with fewer contours, and excessive smoothing that also removes fine texture. The drawing is not a measured television result.
Decontouring can reduce visible banding, but excessive smoothing can erase legitimate texture.

Color controls

Color boosters

A color booster may analyze:

A current Samsung product description says Color Booster Pro analyzes temperature, saturation, and contrast scene by scene. That is a manufacturer claim for selected 2026 products, not a definition of all color-enhancement systems. [11]

For a stable reference-oriented baseline, disable optional color boosting.

Gamut expansion

A wide-gamut television can display a source with a smaller gamut.

The television still needs correct color conversion and gamut mapping.

An optional Native or Expanded mode may stretch source colors toward the panel’s native primaries.

An Auto mode may select a source-related mapping.

The names do not guarantee the result.

Measure:

Required gamut mapping is not a booster

HDR and wide-color content can exceed the target display’s color volume.

A television may need to compress or map those colors.

That is required display adaptation.

Turning off a user color booster does not remove all gamut mapping.

Left panel shows optional color boosting pushing source colors outward for a stronger preference presentation. Right panel shows source color volume being adapted into a smaller target display capability. The diagram is conceptual and does not depict measured gamut boundaries.
Optional color boosting changes the presentation, while source-to-display mapping adapts color to the display capability.

The basic Color control

The basic Color or Saturation control changes color decoding or amplitude in a model-specific way.

A midpoint such as 50 is common.

It is not a universal calibrated value.

Leave it at the reset-mode baseline until it is checked with:

Do not set it to zero.

Do not move it to compensate for a white-balance or gamut problem.

Tint or Hue

Tint can affect the relationship between color components.

Many digital sources and televisions do not need a user adjustment.

The reset value should remain unless a valid pattern or measurement shows otherwise.

AI, ambient, and energy controls

AI is a label, not a standard

AI-branded processing can include:

The exact feature needs to be identified.

Do not disable or enable it from the name alone.

Why disable changing controls during calibration

Calibration compares measured output with a target.

If the television changes because of:

the measurement is not repeatable.

For the baseline:

Then test adaptation separately.

Room light, scene brightness, and on-screen motion feed an adaptive brightness controller, which changes display luminance over time. A separate stable-baseline path keeps those inputs fixed or disabled during measurement.
Measure a fixed baseline before evaluating ambient, scene, or motion-responsive brightness as a dynamic system.

Adaptive viewing can still be practical

A household room can change greatly between day and night.

An adaptive mode may improve visibility.

The viewer can choose it for everyday use.

It should be labeled as an environment-adapted presentation rather than a fixed reference mode.

Automatic brightness control

The U.S. Department of Energy describes automatic brightness control as a feature that controls television brightness relative to room brightness. [10]

Manufacturer implementations can also include minimum brightness or additional scene behavior.

Automatic brightness is useful for:

It is not suitable for a fixed baseline while it is changing.

Energy-saving features

Samsung documentation gives model-specific examples:

Other manufacturers use different names and interactions.

The correct public guidance is:

Disable variable energy and ambient controls during controlled calibration. Use them later if energy reduction or adaptive viewing is the chosen priority.

Energy conservation is a valid preference

A reference-oriented mode is not the only responsible way to use a television.

The viewer may prioritize:

Preserve the calibrated baseline.

Create a separate energy-saving mode when the television allows it.

A measured reference-oriented baseline branches into separate sports preference, poor-source cleanup, bright-room adaptive, and energy-saving modes. Each branch remains reversible and does not overwrite the baseline.
A documented baseline can remain available while sports, cleanup, bright-room, and energy-saving modes serve other goals.

Panel protection

Protection systems can include:

These functions may affect measurements or prolonged test patterns.

They protect the display.

Do not disable them through service menus or unsupported methods.

Automatic brightness limiting

Some display technologies reduce output according to:

This is not always a user-selectable enhancement.

Record the pattern size, duration, and stabilization method.

Do not interpret every brightness change as Dynamic Contrast.

What to turn off for the baseline

Films and episodic television

Start with:

Keep:

Sports

Begin with the reference baseline.

Add one motion feature at a time.

Compare:

Store the result as a sports preference mode.

Low-quality television or streaming

Begin with cleanup controls off.

Add:

  1. compression-artifact reduction
  2. random-noise reduction
  3. smooth gradation

one at a time and at the lowest useful strength.

Check whether wanted detail disappears.

Games

Use the intended low-latency mode.

Verify:

Do not copy the film-mode settings blindly.

Computer desktop

Prioritize:

Verify each at the intended resolution and refresh rate.

A test workflow for every optional feature

Six-step workflow: define the visible problem, choose the correct pattern or scene, change one control, inspect benefit and artifacts, record the result, and save a separate mode. A note warns that changing several controls together prevents diagnosis.
Change one control, inspect several scenes, record the tradeoff, and preserve a reversible baseline.

1. Define the problem

Examples:

Do not enable a feature without a problem to solve.

2. Use the right test

3. Change one control

Do not change:

at the same time and then judge the result.

You will not know which control caused the change.

4. Compare from the normal seat

Some artifacts visible from one foot away are invisible at the seat.

Some motion artifacts appear only at normal viewing size and speed.

Use both close inspection and the actual seat.

5. Check several scenes

A setting can help one scene and harm another.

Include:

6. Record the result

Record:

7. Preserve the baseline

A preference change should remain reversible.

Use a separate mode or input memory when available.

What calibration can verify

Calibration and controlled testing can evaluate:

What calibration cannot restore

Calibration cannot:

Disable destructive alteration before fine calibration where practical.

Where this leaves us

The goal is not to make the television inactive.

The goal is to make its behavior understandable, stable, and appropriate.

For the reference-oriented baseline:

Then a feature can be added back when it solves a real problem.

That creates two useful results:

  1. a stable baseline for judging the source
  2. one or more preference modes for sports, poor sources, bright rooms, games, or energy reduction

The next step is black level.

That adjustment should begin only after optional processing is controlled, because changing contrast, adaptive brightness, noise reduction, or dynamic picture behavior can make a black-level pattern unreliable.

Sources and standards

Primary Filmmaker Mode, HDTV evaluation, calibration-pattern, motion-processing, manufacturer-control, low-latency, and energy sources used in this article. Last verified July 31, 2026.

  1. Ultra High Definition Alliance. Filmmaker Mode Technical Specifications. Official About page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://filmmakermode.com/about/

    ↩↩

  2. International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector. A Reference Viewing Environment for Evaluation of HDTV Program Material or Completed Programmes. Recommendation ITU-R BT.2035-0, July 2013.
    https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/bt/R-REC-BT.2035-0-201307-I%21%21PDF-E.pdf

    ↩↩

  3. Spears & Munsil. Technical Notes on the Patterns. Official calibration documentation, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://spearsandmunsil.com/portfolio-item/technical-notes-on-the-patterns/

    ↩

  4. Spears & Munsil. Pattern Help Text, 2nd Edition. Official calibration documentation, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://spearsandmunsil.com/portfolio-item/pattern-help-text/

    ↩

  5. Sony Electronics. Noise Appears During Fast-Moving Scenes or When Switching Scenes Using the Motionflow Feature. Updated July 6, 2026.
    https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00153243

    ↩

  6. Sony Electronics. What Is the 24p True Cinema Feature? Modified November 1, 2024.
    https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00013855

    ↩

  7. Samsung Electronics. How to Adjust the Picture Quality for Each Picture Mode in Samsung Smart TV? Updated July 30, 2024.
    https://www.samsung.com/in/support/tv-audio-video/how-to-adjust-the-picture-quality-for-each-picture-mode-in-samsung-smart-tv/

    ↩↩↩

  8. Samsung Electronics. How to Use the Energy Saving Mode on the Samsung Smart TV. Updated March 9, 2022.
    https://www.samsung.com/latin_en/support/tv-audio-video/how-to-use-the-energy-saving-mode-on-the-samsung-smart-tv/

    ↩

  9. HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. Auto Low Latency Mode. Official page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://www.hdmi.org/spec2sub/autolowlatencymode

    ↩

  10. U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program. Purchasing Energy-Efficient Televisions. Acquisition guidance updated December 2024.
    https://www.energy.gov/cmei/femp/purchasing-energy-efficient-televisions

    ↩

  11. Samsung Electronics. New 2026 OLED AI TVs: Color Booster Pro and AI Processing. 2026 product page, reviewed July 31, 2026.
    https://www.samsung.com/us/tvs/oled-tv/highlights/

    ↩
Related reading: TV Test Patterns: What They Show and How to Use Them Use controlled patterns to evaluate sharpness, motion behavior, clipping, and other processing changes. Next step: Set TV Black Level Continue from controlling optional processing into signal-range matching, PLUGE patterns, crushed shadows, raised blacks, and near-black verification.