1. Introduction
The recent TV market has been booming. In the past few years, everyone showed their magical powers in color gamut value, eye protection technology, sound effects, etc., and this year the focus of everyone's competition has come to screen refresh rate . It turns out that everyone is in peace when they use 60Hz screens. As the arms race sounds, major manufacturers have successively launched TVs with 120Hz, 144Hz or even 240Hz refresh rate. As a consumer, what kind of refresh rate should they choose?
2. What is the refresh rate?
To figure out this issue, we must first explore what the refresh rate is?
refresh rate refers to the maximum number of times the TV updates the image displayed on the screen per second. A higher refresh rate means that it can present more information within the same time, making the moving picture look smoother.
The moving images we see are composed of a series of still images. Relying on the principle of visual in the human eye, as long as these images are displayed fast enough, they will form in our eyes after processing in the brain. dynamic screen. The refresh rate is the number of times a TV and other display devices can present the picture per second. The more pictures switched per second, the richer the image information presentation will be.
120Hz refresh rate means that the TV can switch 120 still photos per second. Compared with today's mainstream 60Hz TV, the number of images can be displayed per second is twice that of it, which in theory can naturally bring a smoother video effect.
3. Is the high refresh rate equal to good picture quality?
Just now we talked about the higher the refresh rate, the smoother the screen. Does that mean that when we buy a TV, we look at the refresh rate parameter. The higher the value, the better? Actually, it's not.
To answer this question, you need to understand another concept: " frame rate " corresponding to the TV refresh rate. The higher the refresh rate of the TV, the better. It needs to be matched with the frame rate of the input content to achieve the best display effect. If the screen refresh rate is lower than the video frame rate, the screen tear will occur; if the screen refresh rate is much higher than the frame rate, the improvement effect on the video fluency will not be obvious.
To give a simple example, if our display device refresh rate is less than 60Hz and when playing a 60-frame video, the screen will tear and stutter; however, when a TV with a refresh rate of 120Hz plays a 60-frame video, You can only switch 60 still pictures per second, which will not greatly improve the user's impression.
4. Recommended refresh rate for daily use
If your TV at home is just to watch cable TV programs, occasionally watch HD movies, etc., then the 120Hz refresh rate is definitely enough for , and the general price of mainstream video websites is 60 frames per second. The frame compensation optimization of ordinary sources and the manufacturers can reach up to 120Hz at most. This refresh rate is absolutely enough for watching online programs or local high-definition videos.
If your TV in your home is mainly used to connect to Xbox Series X or PS5 to play games, then the 144Hz refresh rate can indeed bring a smoother gaming experience with the game console . We can also pay attention to many electronic games that are pursuing With the smooth experience brought by high refresh rate, the mainstream computer monitor has also reached a 144Hz refresh rate.
In fact, after years of development, 120Hz has not only been very mature in many key links such as screens, decoding chips, algorithms, and content production. On this basis, it has formed multi-channel support such as HDMI, USB, and streaming media to realize full channel 120Hz high brush. In addition, 120Hz high-flash TVs have gradually entered the consumer's vision. According to AVC data, the retail share of 120Hz TVs increased to 9.3% in the first quarter of 2022. Overall, "full channel 120Hz" is not only the best choice after balancing clarity and refresh rate, but also the most widely used and mature movie viewing solution in the industry.
For the majority of game groups, manufacturers have also been working hard to launch a full channel of 144Hz to meet the needs of game fans for refresh rates.
. True and fake high-brush
It should still be noted here that even if you purchase , you should also pay attention to whether it is 144Hz for the entire channel or 144Hz implemented through software algorithms.
This is a technical promotional picture of a brand overclocking 144Hz. Please note that there is an asterisk mark on the small characters below. Let's look at the markings down.
The promoted "overclocking 144Hz" is actually a 120Hz panel. Some experts on have also reviewed this TV. No 144Hz picture was measured in movies, TV series, and games. Friends who bought this TV for "144Hz" really want to cry.
In short, 's higher frame rate and screen refresh rate are certainly the future development trend of the imaging and TV fields, but at present, high refresh rate TVs can be said to be just starting out. If you are not a gaming enthusiast who pursues extreme performance, then there is no need to Troubled with a higher refresh rate, a 4K 120Hz TV can meet daily movie viewing, and if there is a need for external gaming equipment, 144Hz can also ensure a smooth experience.
6. Explore 240Hz
For the 240Hz promoted by some manufacturers, it is basically achieved by reducing the resolution, because no monitor can achieve 4K 240Hz.
Manufacturers continue to launch high-refresh TV products, and their original intention is good, but the improvement of refresh rate is still restricted by many factors.
First, the TV manufacturers' own screen technology, chip computing power and other capabilities are limited. At present, from the perspective of hardware standards, there is no 240Hz native TV screen at this stage, and the 240Hz display effect can only be achieved through technical means "simulation"; from the perspective of chip decoding, the computing power of the current flagship TV SoC does not support 4K 240Hz . In other words, under the current limitation of screen and chip computing power, the TV cannot reach "true 240Hz" to display . Therefore, the 240Hz solution adopted by major manufacturers at this stage of are all at the expense of image quality and software algorithms to achieve high refresh rate. For users, such pseudo-high brushing sacrifices the image quality effect and clarity and cannot bring actual benefits to users.
is followed by relatively lack of input sources for film, television, games, etc. It is understood that the world's first 120-frame film and television work is "Billy Lynn's Midfield War" launched by director Ang Lee in 2016; three years later, director Ang Lee once again released the 120-frame film " Gemini Killer " In addition, B station has also fully launched the submission of 4K+120Hz content. At the same time, the current game consoles Sony PS5 and Microsoft XBOX series both support 4K 120Hz game screen output, and the 120Hz specification movies, games and other content ecosystem is becoming more and more abundant. However, the supply of 240Hz content is somewhat scarce and it is difficult to popularize in the short term. Even if the "real 240Hz" high brushing is achieved, it is difficult to find a place to use it.
After verification of products that promote 240Hz, we also use a 120Hz panel, and then use the software algorithm to achieve the so-called "240Hz", which is more hateful than the fake 144Hz mentioned above, because fake 144Hz just cannot reach such a high refresh rate. But it can still guarantee the experience of 4K 120Hz, but 240Hz is achieved entirely by reducing resolution.
even. You will find that this product that promotes 240Hz not only cannot achieve 4K 240Hz, but also 1080P 240Hz.
The entire industry took ten years to improve the resolution to 4K, and unscrupulous manufacturers directly pressed the clarity back ten years ago just for the sake of their products. This is undoubtedly unacceptable.
7. High refresh rate requires a complete set of solutions
To sum up, the higher the refresh rate of the TV screen, the better. Only the prerequisite is that all the conditions such as displaying the screen in , decoding chip, transmission interface, content production, etc. are met. Next, the 240Hz high-flash display makes sense. At this stage, TV products are difficult to support 240Hz in terms of hardware, software and ecological construction. Obviously, the entire industry is not ready for development and lacks the realistic basis for large-scale promotion. But this does not mean that consumers cannot enjoy a high-quality and high-refresting experience on TV at this stage.The signal from the
screen needs to go through four links: interface, chip, algorithm, and screen, and no link does not support high refresh. For example, the recently released T7E and C11 of TCL, except for the 144Hz screen itself, the chip, interface, algorithm and other configurations all support 144Hz, so as to ensure a perfect experience of 4K 144Hz.
8. Return to the original intention of image quality and reject pseudo-high refresh
In the process of continuous advancement of TV product refresh rate, manufacturers should continue to improve their technology and improve their products, and provide users with a higher definition and smoother audio and video entertainment experience. On the other hand, based on reality, users should also provide users with the best products and services in terms of visual and user experience at the moment, rather than "parameter theory" or "market theory" to sacrifice picture quality. The method of selling the so-called 240Hz pseudo-high brush to users, making users a victim of corporate marketing tricks.
In any case, the core of TV products is display, the core of viewing experience is picture quality , and the core of the long-term development of the brand is user reputation. When purchasing TV and other products, does not have to be too obsessed with product parameters, nor should they be blinded by marketing gimmicks, but should choose the right product according to their actual needs.
