So I've got this nice LCD TV and I'm fooling around with some action/motion processor/filter thingine and when I've got it on the video looks... odd. It looks sort of not-real? Almost like it's a pseudo 3D kind of effect but not really. This is when it was set to 120Hz. So I was wondering what this thing is? It would seem to me that with it on things should look good not make me kind of sick and strange feeling. So I have it off. But I'm really wondering what it is, what it is for, when is a good time to use it and if maybe it has more to do with the device I had hooked up to the TV -a mediocre DVD player.
IMO the 120Hz function is a gimmick to sell TVs at a premium price, as 120Hz TVs still cost significantly more than those without. The short, Captain Dummy version of it is exactly what you described--visual processing to make everything look 3D that, at the same time, exposes flaws in the source (effects, makeup, fake stages, etc.) and makes everything look TOO smooth (think film sources looking "live" like video). I've heard some people claim that losing the film quality goes against the director's intent. I've only seen it hooked up to a Blu-Ray player and while it is initially very striking, I can see it getting old quickly. I don't know how well it works for different types of video (film vs. live, etc.), so maybe it does have a place with some types of shows or movies.
This effect isn't the 120Hz from what I understand but rather an "anti-judder" processing feature. If this is a Sony product, there should be a function to switch this feature off as well. For my $0.02, I don't like this effect either.
That's correct. 120Hz is always a good thing, though it's impact is debatable... it lets you go from 24fps movies to an LCD display much more gracefully then you can with 60Hz. The motion thing is something else entirely. Some people do like it; I can't stand it so I have it turned off on my TV.
I noticed a more 3-D look on my Futurama DVD's, and that's playing them with an upconverting DVD player on my LCD Samsung (w/120Hz). As far as I ever knew, the higher "refresh rate" helps reduce the motion-blur that all these flat screens have. I know that's more of a computer monitor term, but accurate.
Interesting and good to know. It seems like everywhere I've read about the anti-judder feature has been in the context of 120Hz televisions, so I got the two confused.