Are movies playing weird on your Roku TV? Here is the reason
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Users report that their Roku TV’s motion smoothing is automatically turned on with no way to turn it off. The issue appears to have started after updating Roku OS 13 on some TCL TV models. It is speculated that the problem could be related to Roku’s new Smart Picture […]
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Users report that their Roku TV’s motion smoothing is automatically turned on with no way to turn it off.
- The issue appears to have started after updating Roku OS 13 on some TCL TV models.
- It is speculated that the problem could be related to Roku’s new Smart Picture feature.
Owners of TCL TVs running Roku OS are facing an unexpected issue after a recent software update. According to several reports online, the recent Roku OS 13 update triggered an unwanted side effect for some users: the dreaded “soap opera effect.” (h/t: The edge)
The problem sparked a wave of complaints on the Roku site. Community Forums And Reddit, with TCL TV owners reporting that the motion smoothing effect is suddenly present even if they haven’t actively enabled it in their settings. Adding to the frustration, some users say this is the first time their TVs have offered the motion smoothing feature, and they can’t find any option to turn it off.
For the uninitiated, motion smoothing (also known as frame interpolation or MEMC) is digital magic that aims to make videos smoother. It does this by creating and inserting new frames between the original ones, effectively increasing the frame rate.
While this can be beneficial for certain types of content, like live sports or video games, it can also make movies and TV shows look unusually smooth and glossy, which many viewers find jarring and artificial.
The culprit behind this unexpected change appears to be the new “Roku Smart Picture” feature introduced in the OS 13 update. This feature aims to automatically optimize picture settings based on the content being watched, but it appears to mistakenly apply smoothing movement to content that does not benefit from it.
Adding to the confusion, not all TCL TV owners experience this issue. Some users, especially those with access to the “Expert” picture settings, report that they still have control over the motion smoothing feature and have not noticed any change in their viewing experience. This discrepancy suggests that the issue may affect specific TV models or configurations differently.
If you’re feeling the soap opera effect on your Roku TV, here’s what you can try:
- Start playing a movie or TV show on your TV.
- Press the Star button on your Roku remote.
- Select “Picture Settings”.
- Select “Customize Picture Mode”.
- Select “Expert Settings”.
From there, you may be able to adjust the “Action Smoothing” setting to your preference. However, if you don’t see this option or the setting doesn’t seem to have any effect, you may need to wait until Roku releases a fix for the issue.
