Soap opera effect

The soap opera effect makes it appear as if the viewer is either on set or watching a behind the scenes featurette.

The soap opera effect (SOE) is a byproduct of the perceived increase in frame rate where motion interpolation may introduce a "video-look" (instead of a "film look"). The image has been described as "too realistic" or "too smooth" and therefore undesirable for viewing films.

This term is a reference to the distinctive appearance of most broadcast television soap operas or pre-2000s multicam sitcoms, which were typically shot using less expensive 60i video rather than film. The "soap opera effect" is not a glitch or a defect, but a purpose-built feature found in many modern television sets to make the image more smooth and to compensate for the display's motion blur.

Conversely, the effect has been well-received and much desired for sports, news and video games due to the very smooth-looking action displayed on screen.

Background

The term "soap opera effect" stems from inexpensively produced television drama, also known as soap operas, which lacked sufficient money and had to be shot and edited promptly on video tape (VHS) at 30 frames-per-second (60 interlaced frames). Therefore, a daytime soap opera would look very clear and almost "real life", which was in contrast to high budget Hollywood movies (that were filmed and exhibited in theaters on more costly film stock at 24 FPS). Even on television sets, the difference between content recorded on film and on a VHS was rather detectable.

The soap opera effect is the result of a default setting on modern television sets that makes and cyphers extra frames in between the existent ones to make a sharp and crisp image of the action on screen. The effect is more apparent in pans and camera movement, although many viewers may see it in any motion. When media is filmed at lower frame rates, the human eye anticipates a definite measure of motion blur and time between frames, except that the addition of interpolated frames may eliminate this, thereby causing the image to appear to be excessively sharp, smooth or unnatural looking. The soap opera effect becomes more noticeable the lower the FPS of the original image. The effect occurs because the video content and the display do not give out the same number of images per second.

Reception

Negative

On modern Smart TV and high-definition television sets, the soap opera effect has become the unwelcomed ramification of motion interpolation experienced by some viewers, due to the hyperreal, ultrasmooth motion. Many complain that the soap opera effect ruins the theatrical look of cinematic works due to the strong picture clarity and high detail visibility when it comes to fast-moving imagery, which is normally lacking in television or theater presentations. As such, almost all manufacturers provide ways to disable the feature, but because methods and terminology differ, the UHD Alliance proposed that all televisions have a "Filmmaker Mode" button on remote controls to disable motion smoothing.

Motion interpolation so annoys filmmakers that Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie released a public service announcement in 2018 describing the effect and how to disable it. While some people dislike the effect, others do not notice it and some actually enjoy it. But those who dislike it feel as if it makes the picture look artificial and unfamiliar, since they are not accustomed to watching television with such a high frame rate.

Furthermore, audiences felt disconcerted watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at 48 frames per second as opposed to the 24 fps that was used for a long time (and simulated by digital cameras later on), where they opined that the film looked "unnatural" and "too real", thereby giving it a "soap opera" look.

Positive

Some sports viewers appreciate motion interpolation, as it can reduce motion blur produced by camera pans and shaky cameras, and thus potentially yield better clarity of such images. It may also be used to increase the apparent framerate of video games for a more realistic feel, although the addition of display lag may be an undesired side effect.

In the early 2000s, the "video look" was created deliberately by the VidFIRE technique to restore archive television programs that only survive as film telerecordings, such as early seasons of the TV series Doctor Who. VidFIRE made its broadcast debut on BBC2 in 2001 where the effect was applied to a few episodes of Dad's Army. Subsequently, it was used to critical acclaim in the restoration of The Seeds of Death, The Dalek Invasion of Earth and the Lost in Time collection.

Television setting

Every television manufacturer uses its own name for motion smoothing; LG titles the setting TruMotion, Hisense names it UltraSMR, Samsung uses the term Auto Motion Plus, Sony has MotionFlow, TCL calls it Action Smoothing, and Vizio names it Smooth Motion Effect.

Moreover, Vizio, LG, Samsung, and Panasonic have pledged to include Filmmaker Mode – Since 2020, LG TVs have Filmmaker Mode integrated in the coding for Amazon Prime Video, so that the motion filter is disabled during Prime Video movies and shows.

See also

• Motion interpolation
• Inbetweening
• Motion compensation
• Flicker-free