Electronics

[Jordan2]

I'm not a techie, I'm wondering if it is worth the money to get a 120hz refresher rate? It seems the majority of TVs have 60hz, does it really matter, can the average person even notice the difference? They say 120hz is good if your a gamer (I'm not), it's also good for live sports ( which I watch). They say 60hz can give you the Soap Opera Effect, which I don't exactly understand. Can one be just as happy with 60 hz instead of 120 hz ( I don't buy tvs often so I do want to purchase a good one). 

[D Kay]

Try Google

[On It]

120hz for sure.

[gardenman]

Can you see a difference? Eh, maybe. A lot depends on the quality of the screen and the TV hardware. If you're not bothered by blurring and smearing on your current HDTV then you can stick with a 60hz set. If you watch a lot and of fast action (hockey, auto racing, etc) then a 120 hz set might be marginally better for you. 

Things are a lot clearer when it comes to 120 hz versus 240 hz. Multiple blind studies have shown that no one can see the difference between 120 hz and 240 hz. Even the loony fringe hard core gamers have larger ignored the 240 hz monitors now.

I operate on the belief that if I can't see or hear a difference, I won't pay more for something that's technically better. Stats are great for bragging rights, but if you can't see or hear a difference, does it matter?

My primary TV is a 55" Element Fire HDTV that I bought in 2017. It's 4K, but no HDR, just 60 hz, and far from "state-of-the-art." I paid $399 for it back then and I'm fine with it. It's got a great picture and does everything I need. There are 55" HDTVs you can buy for $3,000-$5,000. They're statistically better than mine, but not that much to justify the expense of them. At least not to me. 

[SilleeMee]

With bigger TVs you might see a difference between the two speeds. The smaller the TV the less you'll notice any difference.

[hckynutjohn]

@Jordan2 

I would go with the 120. If not every time you see a blur on your set! Why didn't I buy the 120? 

For me it's fast cars and seeing a hockey puck at full speed. It is already hard for any camera to follow, unless it is far away with a BIG zoom lens. 

Like many say after they purchase a 50" TV. Dang, I wish I would have went with the 60 or 65". 

hckynut 🇺🇸

[Ainhisg]

Like others have said, I think it depends on the quality and size of the TV.  I really like Samsung TV's.  The one here in my "den" is a 32" and has a refresh rate of 60.  It is perfectly fine for how I use it (no gaming, sports, etc.)  Our main TV is a 65" and has a refresh rate of 120.  My husband watches quite a bit of sports, so 120 was the way to go.  Since you said you watch a lot of live sports, I would go with the 120.  That way, you won't be sorry.

[gardenman]

The refresh rate is basically how many times a second the TV redraws the picture on the screen. A 60 Hz set redraws the picture 60 times a second. A 120 Hz refresh rate redraws the picture 120 times a second. The issue is that most of the material you're watching doesn't match the refresh rate. The material focuses more on frames per second.

A 60 Hz TV would get 60 frames per second fed into it in a perfect world. Every time it draws the picture, the picture would be slightly different. Broadcast television broadcasts at 29.97 frames per second. So, your 60 Hz set draws the same picture twice for every frame. A 120 Hz set would draw the same picture four times in a row without digital help. Movies are typically shot at 24 frames per second, so the TV draws the same image five times per original frame.

If you're watching sports on a broadcast network using a good over-the-air antenna, you're probably getting 29.97 frames per second. If you're watching cable or satellite, you're probably getting less as they compress their signals in various ways. So, why does a 120 Hz TV appear to be smoother and have less blur? The TVs cheat.

A 120 Hz HDTV will grab a few images as they come in and hold them and compare them one to the next. For the sake of argument let's label one second of images 1-30 (thirty frames per second.) The HDTV will be drawing pictures 1-120 in a second from those thirty frames. So, from the data from images one and two they have to create four pictures. The TV gets image one and holds it. It then gets image two and compares it to image one. It's looking for differences between the two. When it goes to draw image one, it will show that image as it came in. Then it knows what image two will look like so it creates images for pictures, 2, 3, and 4, that will lead into image 2. The TVs pretty much fill in the blanks using their best guess as to what happened where they don't have data. It usually works pretty well. 

As a viewer, it may make the picture look smoother and less blurry. In reality, you're seeing the same real images as everyone else. Your TV is just filling in the blanks with its best guesses. Your TV is just getting 29.97 frames per second. (At best. Once again, cable and satellite providers tend to compress images.)

The only pure 120 Hz images that I'm aware of are on the newest gaming consoles and even those require the software creator to produce 120 Hz software for the consoles. Many don't. Anything else is likely at 29.97 frames per second or slower so the higher Hz rate is less apparent. 

So, should you buy a 120 Hz set? Maybe. If you notice blurring and smearing now on your 60 Hz set, then yes. If you think your 60 HZ set looks fine, then don't spend the extra. And it's not that much extra these days. You can get a 50" 120 Hz TCL set for $450 these days. Sony has a 43" HDTV with pretty much everything for $598. Give it a year or two and every HDTV will be 120 Hz. Electronics prices and features get cheaper each and every year. What was state-of-the-art and very expensive ten years ago can be hard for a tenth of the cost now.

[Jordan2]

I decided for my 43" tv for my bedroom I'll go with a 60hz refresh rate. My tv is about 10 years old, a smart tv biut only HD. Frankly I don't think I would notice the difference, any new tv would be an improvement over what I have. Eventually I will need a 55" tv for my living room, I would get 120hz for that. 

[Ainhisg]

@Jordan2 have you bought your TV yet?  I want you to know that your thread spurred me to get a larger TV for my den and move the 32" into the bedroom.  lol  I am really enjoying my new 43" TV!  I considered several brands, but ultimately chose a Samsung, because 1) the model I chose has taller stands, so my soundbar will fit under it, and 2) our other TV's are Samsung, and the build quality and adjustability for sound and picture are very good.  In reading the professional reviews for the one I bought, one reviewer states that "its low response time in bright scenes makes it a good TV to watch sports on as fast, bright action looks clear."  If interested, I can tell you the model number.  The refresh rate is 60hz, and it is less than $300.