'Why You Should Use Your TV's Filmmaker Mode' 77
An anonymous reader shares a CR report: Based on the name, you'd think Filmmaker Mode is strictly for watching movies. But in our labs, we find that it can get you pretty close to what we consider to be the ideal settings for all types of programming. Filmmaker Mode is the product of a joint effort by the Hollywood film community, TV manufacturers, and the UHD Alliance to help consumers easily set up their TVs and watch shows and films as they were meant to be displayed. The preset has been widely praised by a host of well-known directors, including J.J. Abrams, Paul Thomas Anderson, James Cameron, Patty Jenkins, Rian Johnson, Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, and Martin Scorsese, as well as actors such as Tom Cruise. Right now, you can find Filmmaker Mode on TVs from Hisense, LG, Philips, Samsung, and Vizio. And more sets may get the feature this year.
Most newer TVs have fancy features that manufacturers say will improve the picture. But these features can actually have the opposite effect, degrading the fidelity of the image by altering how it was originally intended to look. To preserve the director's original intent, Filmmaker Mode shuts off all the extra processing a TV might apply to movies and shows, including both standard (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR) content on 4K TVs. This involves preserving the TV's full contrast ratio, setting the correct aspect ratio, and maintaining the TV's color and frame rates, so films look more like what you'd see in a theater. For most of us, though, the biggest benefit of Filmmaker Mode is what the TV won't be doing. For example, it turns off motion smoothing, also referred to as motion interpolation, which can remove movies' filmlike look. (This is one of three TV features that it's best to stop using.) Motion-smoothing features were introduced because most films, and some TV shows, are shot at 24 frames per second, while most TVs display images at 60 or 120 frames per second. To deal with these mismatches, the TV adds made-up (interpolated) frames, filling in the gaps to keep the motion looking smooth. But this creates an artificial look, commonly called the soap opera effect. Think of a daytime TV show shot on video.
Most newer TVs have fancy features that manufacturers say will improve the picture. But these features can actually have the opposite effect, degrading the fidelity of the image by altering how it was originally intended to look. To preserve the director's original intent, Filmmaker Mode shuts off all the extra processing a TV might apply to movies and shows, including both standard (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR) content on 4K TVs. This involves preserving the TV's full contrast ratio, setting the correct aspect ratio, and maintaining the TV's color and frame rates, so films look more like what you'd see in a theater. For most of us, though, the biggest benefit of Filmmaker Mode is what the TV won't be doing. For example, it turns off motion smoothing, also referred to as motion interpolation, which can remove movies' filmlike look. (This is one of three TV features that it's best to stop using.) Motion-smoothing features were introduced because most films, and some TV shows, are shot at 24 frames per second, while most TVs display images at 60 or 120 frames per second. To deal with these mismatches, the TV adds made-up (interpolated) frames, filling in the gaps to keep the motion looking smooth. But this creates an artificial look, commonly called the soap opera effect. Think of a daytime TV show shot on video.
too bad they don't have a setting to fix the sound (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:too bad they don't have a setting to fix the so (Score:5, Insightful)
yeah, the problem is the Loudness War and their extreme dynamic range reduction.
It's SO reduced that there's no enough separation at all between the voice channel and the music/soundFX.
So unless you receive an audio stream with separated voice channels, (and manually configure it), you're out of luck.
And no, AI will not help you like it did for the last Beatles song... At least not in a "live" environment.
Re:too bad they don't have a setting to fix the so (Score:5, Insightful)
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Might have been Christopher Nolan. I think he said that he prefers the dialogue inaudible and unintelligible for some reason.
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It's not only that the dialog level is lower, but it's more often spoken so unclear that I have to rewind or enable subtitles to understand what they said.
It's clear that those actors have never worked in a theatre before.
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yeah, elocution, and Projection are not taught or expected these days, it seems.
It goes hand in hand with "blurry dark picture = cool." Unintelligible whispers over a background of strafing fire is cool. And cool far outweighs viewer engagement.
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Re:too bad they don't have a setting to fix the so (Score:5, Informative)
All i know is we keep the subtitles on on many movies because if it is quiet enough that the music doesn't blow your head off, the dialogue is so quiet that neither I
Yeah I just enable dynamic range compression which is a feature available on literally ever TV / home cinema sound device, but if you want to read rather than using the right tool for the job, then you do you.
Snark aside, most people don't realise this exists, and they long for a solution for a problem which they have already been given 15+ years ago. Directors are right, sound and vision should be setup for the cinema, media should be setup in the best possible way, and finally consumer devices should be responsible for giving the user the option to make it work in their living room.
That said there is also another problem, some filmmakers purposefully wash out dialogue. Go see Tenet in the cinema and you won't be any wiser than at home because Nolan loves drowning out dialogue with sound. Or other cases where actors simply do not get taught to clearly articulate anymore. The best sound system can't solve a mumbling buffoon.
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Yeah I just enable dynamic range compression which is a feature available on literally ever TV / home cinema sound device
Strange. My TV doesn't have that and it is less than 15 years old. It is used strictly as a display device, so I don't really care... I am merely calling out this fallacious (felatious?)claim.
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" they consciously do the sound that way specifically to make it sound the best in the newest Dolby theaters, and that he didn't care what it sounded like in people's homes because he wanted them to see it in a theater. "
It has to be remastered to put it on streaming or disc anyway, so this excuse is doubly bullshit.
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Re:too bad they don't have a setting to fix the so (Score:5, Informative)
yeah, the problem is the Loudness War and their extreme dynamic range reduction.
Wrong term. There's no such thing as Loudness War in cinema. Movies have since the earlier days of surround sound been mastered to a specific dB target defined by THX and Dolby which provides ample headroom (literally mandating dynamic range - unlike the CD). The only difference now is that in the days of DVD / Bluray we actually actually put that cinema master to disc whereas in the VHS days we had to compress the shit out of it.
I know what you're trying to say, the voice track is often drowned out by sound effects, but this is not "loudness war" it's just crap film making. And in many cases the problem people have in their own homes is that they don't want to disturb the neighbours / baby so don't turn their system up to THX approved volumes. Literally there's *too much* dynamic range in modern films so people turn the volume down (the opposite of the loudness war for music which is too little dynamic range) and as such they can barely make out voices.
The problem is 90% of people don't realise there's a tool for this: dynamic range compression. Turn it on at home if you don't want to setup a home cinema. Every TV / surround receiver / soundbar has it.
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I bought a small DAC and feed that into a studio compressor. Works great.
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Something like this, they sell for $60 or so on ebay. https://dbxpro.com/en-US/produ... [dbxpro.com]
And a DAC like this. https://www.amazon.com/Optical... [amazon.com]
Connect the DAC to your tv output and then feed that into the compressor. Feed the compressor output into any 2 channel amplifier.
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Re: too bad they don't have a setting to fix the s (Score:2)
Hooking up a modest audio receiver and set of speakers helps. Give a little extra volume to the center channel and the dialog will stand out a better against the chaotic effects sounds
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Thanks though
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Sound bars are better than TV speakers but are still pretty much crap. Get a center channel speaker, two bookshelf speakers, and a subwoofer and you'll never go back.
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seriously, most consumers want that fixed too!
It is fixed. Filmmaker mode sets the video to match the cinema, and a decent sound system sets the audio to match the cinema. You want the opposite of "fixed". You want something to suit your living room. Unlike what TFA suggest you shouldn't be using Filmmaker mode, and for your audio issues simply turn on dynamic range compression in your audio settings. It's literally there for this purpose and I've yet to see a system without it.
You're welcome.
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I have tried that setting (which is even in my archaic 52" Plasma from 2007) and it didn't fix it.
Not that surprised given your gear. Audio and video are a changing thing. Just like that Dolby NR button doesn't do anything good for a CD, the dynamic range compression which would have been defined for a very different audio stream than what is currently released. Same with your video. Your Plamsa from 2007 ironically would support the REC2020 colour space better than many cheap LCDs, but wouldn't be able to display it properly either.
The base assumption in my comment was that you own gear designed to pla
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If every television on the planet has to enable a specific setting just for movies I would say the problem here are the movies.
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If every television on the planet has to enable a specific setting just for movies I would say the problem here are the movies.
Not at all. Movies aren't created to appease the lowest common denominator. They are designed for the highest quality, for cinema and the home cinema enthusiast. (This is literally what this article is about, making your TV video match that of the "gold standard" cinema). We're not striving for mediocrity here.
The tool is there for you to use it in your situation. The other way makes no sense. We don't compress audio to 96kbps for Youtube, and then print that compressed piece of shit on a CD for sale either
Re: too bad they don't have a setting to fix the s (Score:1)
Itâ(TM)s called Yamaha/Klipsch.
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>"seriously, most consumers want that fixed too!"
I have a real sound system- a many-channel AV receiver/amplifier surround system and many high-quality speakers, fed by both optical and/or HDMI. Sound is not something I would ever use in a TV.
That said, there are problems with content. Have nothing to do with "TV." The biggest problem, by far, being dialog. My system is "perfectly" tuned, I spent a LOT of time using actual/active feedback to the receiver that ensures every speaker is exactly the corr
Re: Switching off motion smoothing is dumb (Score:3)
Re:Switching off motion smoothing is dumb (Score:4, Insightful)
The creators do a lot of work to get 24 fps to work. It's not like they say, "Hey, 24 fps is slow, but screw it. Let's pretend it's not there.
Then your TV "knows better" and plugs what the tech things are gaps by correcting the signal that's already been optimized for 24 fps. The result is unnatural-looking.
But... it's a setting. If you prefer the adjusted picture, then of course you should choose that.
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Motion smoothing helps deal with the limitations of TVs, particularly LCDs but other types as well. They just aren't as good as film projectors at producing clear images when there is motion. CRTs weren't bad because, like a film projector, the image flickers. LCD manufacturers tried inserting black frames and strobing the backlight, but people find that annoying and additional motion interpolated frames are a decent compromise that helps preserve detail and clarity in moving scenes.
I am still using my Pana
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They just aren't as good as film projectors
Very few cinemas are using film projectors. Unless you're Nolan masturbating on a 70mm roll of IMAX, your final product is almost certainly going to be setup and graded for a DLP or if it is a Dolby Cinema / IMAX production for a Laser.
I am still using my Panasonic plasma TV, and prefer the lowest level of motion smoothing.
A plasma TV renders each frame some 3 different times at high speed. Your experience matches literally no one other than those still using Plasma TVs and doesn't apply to any other technology specifically because of how unique Plasma's display technology was. In comparison OL
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Basically you are saying, that you enjoy their stuff so much, you even endure the advertisement. But at the same time, you think your TV set can automatically improve upon their stuff.
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I can enjoy someone's storytelling and simultaneously recognize he's being an idiot about some aspects. Like when that person decides to make half the dialog unintelligible unless I turn up the volume so far that the next action scene blows out the windows of my living room.
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Even if you're okay with your TV making up things to show you, in my experience this motion smoothing is not consistent. If there's too much going on in a scene, it'll just not do the motion smoothing. So you end up seeing some things at 60fps and some at 24fps. Extremely distracting.
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Filmmaker mode doesn't disable motion smoothing on my screen... It may be that this is either vendor dependent.
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For most OLED at least it's damned if you do, damned if you don't for motion smoothing.
Apart from a couple old LG TVs, OLED TVs don't do BFI so they can't replicate the multi-strobed cinema display. So it's either increased stop-motion effect or motion smoothing.
So "Filmmaker" and "Game" Modes Are The Same Now? (Score:3)
Huh. I thought that's what "Game Mode" was supposed to do, albeit for different motivations -- minimize the latency before the rendered frame actually becomes visible.
Old CRTs had a latency of zero, but modern TVs can delay presenting imagery for two or three frames while it faffs about "improving" the picture. For twitch-style games, this delay is fatal.
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Different modes do different things. Latency isn't an issue for movies, and Filmmaker mode doesn't reduce latency in the slightest. Game Mode prioritises latency by turning off as much processing as possible. Filmmaker mode on the other hand sets specific defaults to suit the colour grading of most movies, including black level, brightness, contrast, disabling sharpening, etc. But leaves other things like motion smoothing on.
Old CRTs had a latency of zero, but modern TVs can delay presenting imagery for two or three frames while it faffs about "improving" the picture. For twitch-style games, this delay is fatal.
Why are you playing competitive games on a TV? Wrong tool for the job.
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Filmmaker mode . . . leaves other things like motion smoothing on.
Not according to the summary.
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Yes according to my TV which has Filmmaker mode which doesn't turn off motion smoothing (but does most of the rest of the summary).
You don't pay me to watch your movies (Score:2, Insightful)
...try not bitching about how people enjoy them.
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Sure, the "default" settings of TVs these days are a crude mix of trying to adhere to weird "energy saving standards" while pushing out over-saturated images that may please whomever. But the "Filmmaker Modes" to me look equally terrible - weirdly non-neutral color-balance, also lots of motion-blur on sample
Re: You don't pay me to watch your movies (Score:2)
well-known directors, including J.J. Abrams (Score:5, Funny)
My viewing preference (Score:5, Funny)
I prefer the "Golden Age of Hollywood Silent Films" setting:
Crops the picture to 4:3 aspect ratio
Converts to monochrome with a severe gamma curve
Cuts resolution to 480P, with graininess effect added in
Plays only 18FPS, but speeds up playback by 25%
Mutes all sound
Adds random vertical jitter, randomly drops 5% of all frames
Adds occasional closed caption text on interstitial cards
Adds copious amounts of stains, scratches and burn marks
Expedites viewing by occasionally displaying "Missing Reel", then skipping ahead 10 minutes
Re: My viewing preference (Score:2)
Add casual racist stereotypes and it's like we're in the roaring 20's!
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Not really done until you invite a bunch of cigar smoking drunks in to your house to hear bad jokes before a few dancing girls show up and die of dysentery.
Re: My viewing preference (Score:3)
We get it. You miss real player.
Mode? (Score:4, Funny)
Re: Mode? (Score:2)
No need to worry. Your screen is already set to the optimal viewing mode. Congrats!
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Good reminder (Score:1)
Best Picture (Score:2)
Filmmaker Mode yields the best picture for me, but it is also the dimmest mode.
Filmmakers need a rectal-craniotomy (Score:3)
The release for home viewing shouldn't need special TV settings. That may mean compensating for smaller screens, less dynamic range, and accounting for the fact that most times the room it is being watched it won't be darkened .
Of course, the TV defaults shouldn't be messing with the image, either.
When it comes to sound, directors are the worst. If I can't make out the dialogue on a two-speaker system, you failed. 5.1 or better is nice, but it isn't the minimum that needs to be workable. And if I have to constantly adjust the volume to hear dialogue without being deafened by explosions or music, up yours with a rusty fork...
What setting ... (Score:2)
Why you should stop making assumptions (Score:2)
Filmmaker mode is an ideal setting if your room is an ideal cinema watching room. I.e. you turn on Filmmaker mode during the day you're not going to see shit unless you pull the curtains. The colour grading for filmmaker mode matches that of a cinema. Great colours, but unwatchable if you have windows (as in glass, not as in malware).
People (headline writers especially) need to really stop telling other people what to do without asking about their circumstances first. And since I practice what I preach: Hea
Re: Why you should stop making assumptions (Score:1)
Cut the bullshit mode? (Score:2)
I have been known to take a laptop into a store and test with the models I had short listed to ensure there was no down scaling or lag t
Abomination (Score:2)
>"For most of us, though, the biggest benefit of Filmmaker Mode is what the TV won't be doing. For example, it turns off motion smoothing, also referred to as motion interpolation"
I absolutely DETEST motion smoothing. I can't watch any TV that has that setting on, regardless of "strength", and no matter what type of content. Thankfully, every TV I have seen has an OFF, you just have to find what the hell they call it. Unthankfully, most TV's seem to have it on by default.
That said, I don't know why we
Why you should trust your own judgement (Score:2)
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Many movies now have added grain and artificial 24fps mode, so directors are going to try to dictate exactly how you see a movie?
If the effect is intentional, yes. Oppenheimer is shown in both color and black and white. The director is directing your attention to these artifacts for purpose. Perhaps we should better understand the intent in each film.
Saw the main justification for Filmmaker mode back in 2008 when I tried to watch Iron Man on a new Vizio HDTV default-enabled with all that hyper-motion smoothing shit. The “film” looked like it was shot through a webcam strapped to a bloodhound high on crack. Movie make
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Perhaps we should better understand the intent in each film.
Why should we? The intent of the maker is totally not relevant for whether a movie is perceived as good entertainment. One might be well entertained laughing about the haphazard attempts of some "Horror" movie to be gruesome, one might be well entertained by watching "Idiocracy" as a documentary. It's not like the "filmmakers" are paying an audience to spend their time figuring out their "intent".
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Perhaps we should better understand the intent in each film.
Why should we? The intent of the maker is totally not relevant for whether a movie is perceived as good entertainment. One might be well entertained laughing about the haphazard attempts of some "Horror" movie to be gruesome, one might be well entertained by watching "Idiocracy" as a documentary. It's not like the "filmmakers" are paying an audience to spend their time figuring out their "intent".
And it’s not like we’re still dealing with 1950s video and audio hardware either. The artifacts introduced in the Golden era of television, were hardly artificial, and were a blatant limitation of the hardware. NO filmmaker is forced to deal with that shit today, so yeah. Maybe understand why the Director is directing your attention to purposeful effects.
And what the hell do you mean the intent of the (film)maker is totally not relevant? Oppenheimer purposely being filmed in black and white
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It's a generational issue. When films were actually on film, there were reasons they were done at 24fps... and those of us who grew up with that subconsciously categorize it as the 'feel of a movie'.
If the motion is too smooth, the image too clear, it starts to look first like television and then beyond that just completely fake to people accustomed to 24FPS, even though it's actually more realistic.
Maybe that'll change over time, but I don't think it'll happen quickly.
i don't even have a tv ... (Score:2)
... not to mention a filmmaker mode, you primitive clods.
You mean what Standard should be? (Score:2)
Yes, yes... we need to solve this. We need a 15th standard! (ala xkcd's power/charger cords comic)