So as some of you know we set our tv’s to game mode for gaming, I’m assuming most of y’all know that. I think LG calls their mode smooth motion or something. But my question is won’t the TV game modes clash or hinder some aspects that the 4k stuff brings to the table or am I just overthinking things. I know game modes make a big difference on the cod games and such.
Such modes exist because TV manu’s lie about specs. Refresh rates are not made equally, and often arent what they are stated as.
Use Rtings to check your TV’s actual specs/ratings.
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I don’t really notice input lag on the TVs I’ve owned so I never use game mode, it usually makes the picture look worse anyway. It probably varies from each manufacturer how well implemented it is. If you have a TV that has a lot of post processing and you don’t like it or you are “pro” gamer, game mode is probably useful. My advice is to pick what you think looks best.
I know the manufacturers have their own buzzwords for refresh rates but I haven’t heard of them lying on the specs, just making up terms to make their TVs better than they are. Nearly every TV is 60Hz, some higher end TVs and I think 3D TVs are the exceptions and are usually 120Hz.
The more you know 
More at link.
I remember consulting that chart when I was buying my last TV, it’s ridiculous you can’t find out the true refresh rate from the TV’s own website.
I guess it depends on your TV, my TV (KS8000) has a game mode that basically disables most image processing stuff, keeping the image as close to the source as possible so it does the reverse of what you are worried about(disables image processing so as to not interfere with the signal coming from Xbox). It might be different for other TVs though, I recommend you do research on the internet and AVS forums is a great place. Good luck
Thanks, this is what I wanted to hear. You were right I was thinking the other way as you suggested. I’m not as tech-y as most. And thanks for the info from everybody else as well, it’s all helpful.
Not sure, but I think there is some mix-up within that question.
“Smooth motion” sounds like those artificial refresh-rate boosts the other guys refered to.
“Game modes” usually turn all kinds of extra image processing off, which would most likely include stuff like “Smooth motion”.
I don`t think “game mode” and “4k stuff” have much to do with each other, so no, I doubt there are any clashes.
However, if I were to buy a TV Id make sure that "game mode" doesnt turn off or block HDR (not sure if that case exists), and I`d probably try to find out how much lag / response time HDR adds on top of game mode.
Thanks, yeah I’m not a tech guru by any means. I know just enough to be dangerous. I thought game mode did turn off the extra image stuff so that’s why I posted the question. Didn’t know if game modes would affect the 4K extra image stuff. Sorry if I worded my post in a confusing way. Thanks for all the info guys.
Game mode just disables certain video processing effects by the TV that add latency to the image.
Refresh rates are a fixed spec, and ideally games should run at native where possible. Everything else is half steps.
The “true” refresh rates are a fixed spec yes, but the fake half-step stuff ala 400Hz mode can usually be turned off (and should be off in game modes).
None of them are that though. There is no 400hz mode. its purely marketing.
Game modes refer to the video processing manipulating the displayed output, and nothing to do with the refresh rate itself.
From Sammy:
I personally find game mode turning down quality of the video. But that’s just me and what I see personally
Aside from refresh rate you have to consider what is the point of upgrading to 4K for HDR when/if it is disabled in game mode or worse still enabled in other modes but only offers terrible input lag.
The state of affairs with 4K gaming is utter BS. People can’t be expected to understand the impact on gaming when game mode is enabled unless the manufacturers are crystal clear on what is being compromised in game mode. HDR - on and refresh rate might be a paltry 60+, turn it off and voila 30, but lets not forget for gaming you want as close to to zero as you can possibly get.
You shouldn’t tolerate anything over 20 to be honest…
4K TV’s claiming support for HDR that don’t meet the required specs for HDR, that’s another clear gotcha. A display can recognize a HDR signal without being able to display it properly but still be classified as HDR compatible.
Don’t be fooled by the buz words…do your research and if shoe doesn’t fit stick with what you got. A good old plasma can look far superior to many 4K tv’s on the market. Case in point my dad was utterly disappointed with his 4K upgrade, sighting that his old TV had better colours and blacks. But hang on a sec, he purchased a 4K HDR TV and it looks worse than his 1080p plasma on most of his existing material.
Research, research, research…The Xbox one family will look great on almost any 4K TV but will it look better than a good old HD TV? the answer is more complex than just 4K is the way.
HDR is just a buz word on low end 4K displays. To truly appreciate it you will unfortunately need to spend up and even then OLED tech is mostly too “Input Lag” high for serious gamers and so where does it leave us…
(H)igh
(D)ry &
(R)emorseful after we buy
Tread carefully…
PS. If you find yourself counter steering unnecessarily in driving games your first port of call is to see if you can find the TV’s input lag times online. Hell, you might just discover your fighting an uphill battle when competing in single player and/or multiplayer modes. The battle is a hidden lag system created by your televisions circuits before being displayed on your tv.
You meant input latency, not refresh rate.
That I did…thankyou
I am currently doing some research … about to purchase an LG OLED 4K tv. You mention OLEDs as having too high of an input lag for serious gamers. Rtings.com gives the LG OLEDs very high marks for input lag in game mode … testing out at ~20ms at all resolutions with HDR both on and off. I am not a “serious” gamer … shouldn’t that be good enough for a casual gamer?
I am not sure about all LG TVs, but I have one of their 4K OLED TVs and there is an HDR enabled Game Mode. It was added in an early firmware update because people were complaining about latency while playing games with HDR.
Also, LG calls their fake refresh rate smoother whatever thing, “TruMotion”.
I have access to two of the 120hz TVs on the list with me owning the MU9000 and my parents have the x930. Neither panel will allow setting the refresh rate above 60hz when a PC is connected. I thought maybe it was a HDMI bandwidth limitation but they won’t do above 60hz@1080p and trying to force it with a custom resolution just yields a black screen. So I’d really like to know how they arrived at those values and what situation allows it’s usage.
To keep the answer short …
You can search the data inside the tech data sheet for every specific model.
Almost all support 120hz only @ 1080p and have locked 60hz @ 4k or even 30hz @ 4k for the cheaper models… The image processor is the bottleneck.
Sometimes the source is the problem. HDMI 1.4 hardware only supports 30hz @ 4k.
You can search for your specific model, or post here again with the exact and full name of the TVs.
Some of the ‘120hz’ TVs have only 100hz panels for instance.
edit:
Oh. By re-reading I think i misunderstood your question, since you ask for 1080p.
Please post your exact and full model names.