120Hz Vs 60Hz

There are massive misconceptions when it comes to high definition televisions.  In America it seems that bigger is better without thinking about it or putting any logical to it.  This is what has happened to HD TV.  When talking Hz vs Hz this is referring to the refresh rate of televisions, which means, the number of pictures displayed per second.  Let’s break it down to its fundamentals.

What’s really going on?

All television is recorded originally at 24 Hz, and upconverted to 30 frames per second through a process known as 2:3 pulldown.  These 30 frames are then combined and shuffled to get to 60 Hz to be able to match standard HD TV’s.  Just knowing this fact and thinking ahead can tell you that yes, anything above this will not make the picture any smoother.  You can’t add detail beyond what is in the source footage.

This has become the standard of television in America; to record at 30Hz and pulldown to 60 Hz.  So why would you want anything above 60 Hz and how can that even be possible?  What happens at 120 Hz, 240 Hz, 480+ Hz is that the television takes the original source frames (which you can’t add any more detail to) and uses algorithms and such to produce frames inbetween the frames that already exist, producing a type of smoothness that in reality, is TOO smooth.  Have you ever seen an HD TV that just looks too smooth to enjoy?  Once you have you’ll know exactly what I am talking about.  It no longer looks like your standard movie picture.  It gives it a massive artificial and unnatural feel.

Where did this come from?

One reason refresh rates went up is because when LCD TV’s were first being produced there was sometimes a motion blur during fast action scenes.  It occurs from when the afterglow of a previous image lingered too long and killed the ability to have sharp pristine action scenes.  This has long been eliminated.  The technology now is much greater than it used to be and these problems don’t exist anymore

For your new LCD TV are you going to want to go with the 120Hz or the 60Hz?  What do these actually mean and what are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Conclusion

With how advanced televisions of this day and age are every single TV you purchase will AT LEAST be 60 Hz.  Now some of you might enjoy the artificial look of the ultra smooth ultra high refresh rates and now understand why they look like that and can make an informed decision, but if you just want a standard, normal looking television anything between 60Hz and 120Hz will do the job and should never be a deal breaker.  If you find a TV that’s identical except for the refresh rate and it’s cheaper for the 60Hz then grab it, you’ve just outsmarted the marketing industry, if you find vice versa then grab that one.  You are now informed, happy shopping!