Modern television picture technology does an effective job of reducing unwanted noise and other image artifacts in movies and television shows. Some of this image processing is also used to improve your TV’s gaming performance, which is especially important for action-packed online titles like “Battlefield 6” and “Helldivers 2.” But not all TVs are equal, and some TVs are much better than others for console and PC gaming.
If you’re shopping for a new TV and your budget isn’t limited, it’s worth investing in a set that at least supports 4K resolution at up to 120Hz. Not every game will meet these specifications, but locking in a UHD display with a refresh rate above 60Hz gives you the best chance of optimizing your current-gen gear while future-proofing you against hardware demands down the line. But what else can you do to tweak a new or existing TV to play video games?
It’s a good question, and fortunately many TV manufacturers use similar features and settings to meet gaming requirements, like high-end motion clarity and low input lag. Today we’ll look at how to use some of these menus and dashboards to get the best gaming performance from your TV. Before you begin, however, you should first make sure that HDR and HDMI-CEC are enabled on the console or PC side; otherwise, your TV may miss out on some key optimizations.
Make sure you’re using HDMI 2.1 cables, not whatever’s been lying around for a decade
Modern TVs, game consoles, and gaming PCs are built around the HDMI 2.1 standard (also known as Ultra High-Speed HDMI), which entered the mainstream around 2020. HDMI 2.1 certified ports and cables deliver up to 48 Gbps and ensure support for gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR) and automatic low latency mode (ALLM). But if you don’t use 2.1 certified cables, your console or PC will only provide the specifications supported by your old HDMI cables.
While this isn’t such a big deal for games limited to 4K/60Hz, more and more titles are coming out with 120Hz support. HDMI 2.0 and earlier have a hard limit of 60Hz, and the round-trip bandwidth drops from 48Gbps to 18Gbps. You also won’t have access to 8K/60Hz support and dynamic HDR capabilities, so some games won’t appear visually as they should, even if you’re playing on a high-end 4K TV.
Fortunately, HDMI 2.1 cables are no more expensive than the 2.0 cables you bought back in the day; you should be able to find several 2.1 certified cables for $20 or less. Cable length, jacketing, and other design elements will ultimately determine the final price, but you get the idea.
Use the Game or PC picture preset, even if you connect older hardware
If the TV you’ll be gaming on was purchased within the last decade, chances are it has a gaming or PC picture preset (it can also have both). These settings aren’t just for enhancing colors and improving peak brightness; they are designed to optimize real-time gameplay. Competitive online gaming requires a display with as little screen tearing and input lag as possible, which is exactly why the Gaming and PC presets are there.
We mentioned that you want to enable both HDR and HDMI-CEC on your gaming console or PC, and one of the main reasons is that most TVs automatically switch to gaming mode when a compatible console or PC is detected. This is all thanks to ALLM, an HDMI feature introduced with the 2.1 standard that Microsoft began supporting with the release of the Xbox Series X/S, while Sony added the feature to PS5 consoles in March 2022.
With ALLM at the helm, you’ll never have to worry if you’re getting the best frame rate and lowest input lag when you’re actively gaming. You also won’t have to worry about manually turning Game Mode on and off when you want to use your PS5 or Xbox Series X to watch a 4K Blu-ray or DVD; hardware and software do the thinking for you.
Add motion interpolation that bypasses your TV’s automatic settings
I had the idea to include this last section based on my recent reading of the “Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy”. My PlayStation 5 is connected to my LG TV via HDMI 2.1 and usually the TV’s built-in Game Optimizer is enabled. Since the game was originally released on PS4 and did not receive any performance improvements from PS5, “Crash” is locked at 30 FPS. And compared to the buttery smoothness of 60 FPS platformers like “Astro Bot,” the “N Sane Trilogy” looked and felt awfully stiff.
Fortunately, there is a workaround: add digital motion interpolation to the source. Instead of relying on my TV’s Game Optimizer for automatic gaming adjustments, I turned on LG’s TruMotion feature and set it to my liking. That said, activating TruMotion wasn’t that simple; The LG C5 has a setting called “HDMI Deep Color” that won’t let me use TruMotion unless it’s turned off, which also stops LG’s Game Optimizer from working. But with TruMotion applied to the PS5 input, playing “Crash” was easier and far more rewarding.
Keep this in mind: adding motion interpolation (a fancy way of saying “fake motion”) will affect the input lag. Fortunately, I was able to get used to the small lag introduced by the interpolation in “Crash,” but it may be less tolerable for games that require rapid button spamming and other fast mechanics. Added interpolation also goes by many names in the TV world (e.g. “Auto Motion Plus” on Samsung TVs, “Motionflow” on Sony TVs), so you may need to do some research to find out what your TV manufacturer calls this feature.
Take the time to fine-tune your TV speakers (or upgrade to a soundbar)
Video games demand a lot of visual power from your TV, and all those picture subtleties can easily overshadow the sound quality. And that’s a shame, because many games are mixed and mastered using the same audio formats (e.g. Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS) that movies and TV shows use. Right out of the box, most new TVs offer a fairly balanced soundstage, but that might not be enough for gaming. So you should take a look at the TV audio settings your TV has.
Most TV brands will let you choose alternative audio presets, and options like “Game,” “Cinema,” and “Sports” can help highlight parts of the game’s audio and soundtrack that could use a boost. We also recommend choosing “Dialogue” or “Vocal” presets if you have trouble hearing in-game dialogue. Some TVs will even let you choose whether the device is wall-mounted or stand-mounted in the audio menu, and adjust the speaker output based on your selection.
Still, if you find that you can’t get anything but dull sound from your TV speakers (you’re not alone), you can always invest in a soundbar. Most systems can be set up in just a few minutes and should not require much adjustment. There are even soundbars with built-in HDMI switching, allowing you to connect your gaming console or PC directly to the bar instead of your TV, which can be handy if your TV is wall-mounted.
