Soap Opera

The so-called soap opera effect describes the unnaturally intense optical highlighting of objects or persons within an image scene on a TV device. This impression is created when the interframe calculation is set in a way that movements are displayed more fluidly and sharply than intended in the original recording and thus look more like a live broadcast.

Higher frame rate leads to soap opera effect

The origin of the term goes back to the fact that the effect creates a soap opera charm to the footage. Traditionally, cameras that have a higher frame rate are used for such shots. This creates a smooth appearance that is typical for this format and differs from the low frame rate cinematic aesthetic.

To reduce or eliminate the effect, you need to adjust the settings of your TV. To do this, you can try the following steps:

  1. Look out for the interframe calculation feature in the TV menu: Manufacturers like to use different names for this, such as Motion Interpolation, TruMotion, Perfect Motion, Picture Sharpness or Motionflow.
  2. Changes the picture mode: Select a picture mode that is specifically provided for the playback of films. For example, Cinema, Movie or Filmmaker. Usually these modes are already configured at the factory to either reduce the soap opera effect or leave it off altogether.
  3. Adjust advanced picture settings: Modern TVs offer advanced picture settings with additional options. This allows you to manually adjust the settings to reduce the refresh rate.
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