What The Tech: Change your tv settings for football season
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Tech Reporter
Have you ever watched a game on a friend’s TV and wondered, “Why does it look so much better than mine?” You may not need a new television. A few settings can make a noticeable difference before kickoff.
Start With Picture Mode
The first setting to check is Picture Mode.
Depending on the TV, you may see choices such as Vivid, Dynamic, Sports, Cinema, Movie, Natural or Filmmaker Mode. Sports sounds like the obvious choice for football, but it is not always the best one. Sports, Vivid and Dynamic modes can boost brightness, color and sharpness so much that the picture starts to look unnatural.
Instead, try Movie, Cinema, Natural or Filmmaker Mode.
These settings usually aim for a more realistic picture, with more natural colors and less artificial sharpening. There is a tradeoff. Movie and Filmmaker modes can look darker, especially if you are watching an afternoon game in a brightly lit room.
If the room is dark, though, one of these modes may give you a much more natural-looking picture. The best choice is the one that looks right in your room, so try switching between the modes while the game is on.
Check the Motion Settings
This is especially important for sports. Football has a lot of fast movement, from long passes to players running across the field. Some motion smoothing can make that action easier to follow. Too much, however, can create what is commonly called the “soap opera effect.”
That is when the picture looks unnaturally smooth, almost like live video rather than a traditional television broadcast. If your TV has a simple motion-smoothing control, try setting it to Low. Some televisions give you separate controls for Judder Reduction and Blur Reduction.
As a starting point, keep Judder Reduction low and try Blur Reduction somewhere around the middle. Then adjust it based on what looks best to you.
Turn Off Eco or Power Saving Mode
Many televisions have energy-saving settings turned on by default.
Those settings can automatically dim the screen to reduce electricity use.
That is useful for saving power, but it can also make a football game look dull, especially during daytime viewing. Look for a setting labeled Eco Mode, Energy Saving or Power Saving and try turning it off during
the game.
Don’t Crank Up Sharpness
More sharpness does not necessarily mean a sharper picture.
Turning the Sharpness control too high can add artificial outlines around players, graphics and objects on the field. If jerseys, helmets or the scoreboard look like they have glowing edges around them, try lowering the Sharpness setting.
Make Sure Your Streaming Device Is Actually Sending 4K
Even if you own a 4K TV, that does not automatically mean everything connected to it is sending a 4K picture. If you watch through a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or another streaming device, check its video or display settings.
Make sure the output resolution is set to the highest resolution your television supports. On many devices, an Automatic setting will detect whether your TV supports 4K and HDR, but it is worth checking if the picture does not look as sharp as expected.
You should also make sure you are using the correct HDMI input and cable if your television requires a particular port for 4K or HDR. And remember, the game itself has to be available in 4K. A 4K television and a 4K streaming device cannot turn a regular HD broadcast into a true 4K broadcast.
You Probably Don’t Need a New TV
A few minutes with the remote can sometimes make a bigger difference than spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new television. Try a more natural Picture Mode, reduce excessive motion smoothing, turn off energy-saving settings and make sure your streaming device is sending the best signal your TV can handle.
The grass may look greener, the jerseys more natural and fast plays easier to follow. And you can do all of it before kickoff.
