If you are going to buy a screen or television, surely one of the specifications you see on the sticker is that of hertz. But you may not know how much hertz your new Smart TV should have or you may not know what difference there is between one brand and another, what hertz are or what they are for and what are those so-called ” improved hertz ” that some manufacturers use promising us much more than there is.
Whether you want to buy a new TV or if you are simply curious about what the hertz are for or what they bring us, we review everything you should know about them, what their purpose is or how you will notice that your television has more or less or if You really have enough to see a movie well.
What are hertz
The hertz (Hz) of the television allows us to know the number of frames that are on the screen in each second. They are responsible for measuring the refresh rate or the images per second that we see on the screen that we have. The higher the hertz number, the more frames you will see every second.
That is, more times the screen is updated in each second and more fluid is the image you are seeing on it. You may not notice the difference or the jump in very static scenes but you will notice it in other content that involves speed and change such as action scenes from a movie, in case of playing video games on that screen or watching races.
If the refresh rate of a television is low, we will notice slight jumps on the screen or that the displacement is not fluid in case of watching a motorcycle race, for example. We will see a slight halo in the movement instead of all the details of the vehicle moving along the track in real time. This is less and less common because practically all current screens or televisions have minimal hertz or are betting on technologies that would improve possible failures.
The actual hertz of current screens does not exceed 100 or 200, in general, although it does in some cases. Even so, we may see that many brands or televisions boast of having much more than this and it is usual that we see 800 Hz or 1000 Hz in the product descriptions. As we will see in the next paragraphs, these are not real hertz but improved hertz that are achieved through different techniques used by companies. They will look better, yes, but it does not mean that you have those hertz.
What are they for
As we have explained in the previous section, hertz allows us to see the images fluently. They practically do not influence you if you are watching a newscast with seated protagonists, for example, or any other content that does not involve movement . You will notice it in races, action movies, basketball games with continuous movement or in soccer games or any other sport. Above all, you will notice if you use action video games because they involve fast and continuous movements.
Enhanced and virtual hertz
Enhanced hertz are hertz that appear in the specifications of some televisions and screens with a number that does not correspond to reality. That is, far from the usual 100 or 200 that haunt home televisions, we find some that boast 800 or 1,000 hertz. Are real?
No. Manufacturers use technologies that improve the image , different techniques that increase fluidity, but that does not mean that frames are added per second or that we really have 800 hertz on the television. Furthermore, these improved hertz mean that we cannot accurately compare which is better because it will depend on the technique used by the manufacturer and the improvement. If you want an exact comparison, it’s your turn to read the fine print. The rest will be an added technique used that improves what the eye catches but does not change what is there.
In general, interpolation tricks are used that allow the image to be faster and to these techniques manufacturers add their own name. For example, LG uses TruMotion technology, Samsung uses Clear Motion Rate or Auto MOtion Plus or Sony MotionFlow, among many other brands that also use these techniques. Toshiba also uses its ClearFrame or ClearScan, Sharp has AquoMotion or Vizio uses Smooth Motion. They all have a different name but they do the same thing: they are smoothing technologies to give us these improved hertz.
Black Frame Insertion
One of the technologies used is the Black Frame Insertion or BFI technique, which consists of an image flicker. Black images are inserted between frames. Generally speaking, the technique allows you to quickly turn the screen on and off without the eye being able to perceive it. You hardly notice but the so-called motion blur is reduced and you get more fluid images. But it can also lead to problems for people who are more sensitive to this effect, who do notice it and who may end up suffering discomfort when watching television. In general, some televisions allow you to activate or deactivate this technology if you do not want to use it or if you find it uncomfortable.
Soap opera effect
The soap opera effect or Soap Opera is one of the techniques that many LCD screens also use to increase frames per second and that moving images do not lose details. What this technique does is that it automatically inserts images. A frame created based on the previous and the next frame that is “injected” in between to achieve greater fluidity in the image artificially.
Like the previous effect, we achieve greater fluidity, but there can also be a sensation that can be annoying for many users and would vary greatly from the person who is watching it. Some hate this feature and others don’t even realize it. For this reason, many televisions have the effect incorporated, but normally we can deactivate it from the screen settings.
What to consider when buying a television
Although enhanced hertz is advertised, it is recommended that you check the actual hertz before choosing one television or another. For example, the DisplaySpecifications website allows you to enter the TV model you want and will show you the details and difference between the actual hertz and the interpolation or enhanced hertz. So you can compare fairly and equally.
Once you consult the real hertz and taking into account that the above technologies can be deactivated if they are uncomfortable, the normal thing is that you bet on a Smart TV that is, at least, 100 Hz. A greater amount of hertz, as we have explained At the beginning of this article, there will be a higher refresh rate and more fluidity in the images. It will be especially useful, as we have repeated, if you usually watch action content or play video games or watch soccer games or any other sport. If you only watch static contests or debates you will not notice big differences between betting on 100 Hz or 200 Hz. The more action, the more you will notice.
As always in these cases, you should not only take into account the hertz when choosing a television and there are many more essential specifications that you should look at such as the resolution, the type of screen, the sound, the connections it includes, the applications or Smart TV software you use… There is only one factor that can be decisive on which TV to buy and neither are hertz. Of course, you already know how to face the specifications without being deceived and how to compare fairly between two models if you see big differences between them.
