A few minutes in your TV's menu makes streaming look noticeably better. Use Filmmaker, Movie or Cinema mode (not Vivid), set sharpness low, turn motion smoothing low or off, turn noise reduction low, and switch off energy saving that dims the picture. For 4K and HDR, enable your TV's enhanced HDMI setting for the input you use.
The quick calibration
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Picture mode | Filmmaker / Movie / Cinema | Closest to how content was mastered |
| Sharpness | Low / neutral | High adds halos and artefacts |
| Motion smoothing | Off or low | Avoids the "soap opera" look and halos |
| Noise reduction | Off or low | Keeps fine detail |
| Energy saving / eco | Off | Stops automatic dimming |
| Backlight / brightness | Adjust to your room | Brighter for daytime rooms |
| Colour temperature | Warm | More natural skin tones |
| HDMI input mode | Enhanced / deep colour (for 4K/HDR) | Allows full 4K HDR signal |
Motion setting names by brand
| Brand | Motion smoothing name |
|---|---|
| Samsung | Auto Motion Plus / Picture Clarity |
| LG | TruMotion |
| Sony | Motionflow |
| Hisense | Motion Clarity / MEMC |
| TCL | Motion Clarity / MEMC |
| Philips | Perfect Natural Motion |
For sport, some viewers like a low setting — see smoother live sport.
Enhanced HDMI names by brand
| Brand | Setting |
|---|---|
| Samsung | Input Signal Plus |
| LG | HDMI Ultra HD Deep Colour |
| Sony | HDMI signal format → Enhanced |
| Hisense / TCL | HDMI 2.0 / enhanced format |
Details in 4K HDMI setup.
HDR settings
When HDR plays, most TVs switch to a separate HDR picture mode. Use the HDR Movie/Filmmaker mode, and let the streaming device match dynamic range so SDR channels aren't forced into HDR — see HDR on IPTV.
SD channels
Standard-definition channels will never look as sharp as HD. A low noise-reduction setting and a 4K streaming device's upscaling help. Choose the HD version of a channel where available — see resolution vs bitrate.
With the TV set up, the rest is connection and device — see our IPTV subscription and the buffering checklist.
