Motion Handling 101: Understanding Blur, Ghosting, and Jitter

The Foundation: Why Motion Artifacts Exist on Modern Displays

When we talk about “motion handling” in TVs, what we really mean is how well the television can display objects that move rapidly across the screen. Unlike the analog CRT TVs of the past—which inherently refreshed very quickly and had virtually no latency—modern flat-panel TVs (LCD, OLED, Mini-LED, QLED) operate using digital signals and must rely on complex image processing algorithms to draw and redraw frames dozens or even hundreds of times per second.

The core issue lies in the discrete nature of digital video. A moving object on a screen is not actually “moving”—rather, it’s being shown in slightly different positions across consecutive frames. If the display can’t keep up with this change fast enough, or if it introduces errors in translating those frames onto the screen, artifacts appear.

Motion Blur: When Things Get Smudgy

Motion blur is the most commonly discussed artifact. It’s what happens when a moving object appears soft or smeared as it travels across the screen. In digital displays, motion blur comes from two primary causes: slow pixel response times and frame-hold behavior.

Pixel Response Time and Liquid Crystals

In LCDs, motion blur is largely governed by the behavior of liquid crystals. When an electric field is applied, these crystals twist to control how much light passes through. But this twisting isn’t instantaneous—it takes time. The time required to transition from one state to another is called the pixel response time, typically measured in milliseconds (ms).

If a pixel takes too long to transition from, say, black to white and then back again, it will trail behind the motion, creating a blur effect. Even modern LCDs can suffer from this, particularly in grays-to-grays transitions, which often take longer than black-to-white.

Frame Hold and Persistence of Vision

Another contributor is how LCDs “hold” each frame. Unlike CRTs that flash each frame briefly, LCDs hold an image steady until the next one arrives. This constant illumination interacts poorly with the way our eyes track motion, resulting in perceived blur. Our brains expect intermediate positions as our eyes pan across the screen, but LCDs only show discrete steps. This causes a smearing effect even if the response time is fast.

Ghosting: The Phantom Afterimage

Ghosting refers to the appearance of a faint trail following a moving object. It may look like a shadow or a clone of the object that lingers briefly on the screen. While often confused with motion blur, ghosting has different underlying causes.

Charge Trapping in LCD Panels

Ghosting in LCDs can occur due to a phenomenon called charge trapping. When a pixel is asked to transition rapidly, residual voltage can linger in the liquid crystal cell, preventing it from fully resetting before the next frame. This leftover charge causes the pixel to retain some of its previous state, creating a ghostly afterimage.

Overdrive and Its Trade-Offs

To combat slow response times, manufacturers use a technique called overdrive, which briefly applies a higher voltage to a pixel to accelerate its transition. This can greatly reduce blur—but if the overdrive overshoots its target, it can cause inverse ghosting or overshoot artifacts, where bright or dark halos appear around moving objects. Tuning this system is a delicate balance and varies widely between TV brands and models.

Jitter: Uneven Motion and Temporal Noise

Jitter is the least understood of the three but no less disruptive. It appears as stuttery, uneven movement, especially in panning shots or scrolling content. Jitter is often caused by frame rate mismatches or inconsistent frame delivery.

Frame Rate Mismatch and Pulldown

Many films are shot at 24 frames per second (fps), but most TVs refresh at 60Hz or 120Hz. To display 24fps content on a 60Hz screen, TVs use a technique called 3:2 pulldown, which unevenly distributes frames (three of one, two of the next) to match the refresh cycle. This creates a rhythm that feels unnatural, especially during slow pans, causing jitter.

High-end TVs combat this with native 24fps playback or motion interpolation—the process of creating new frames between existing ones to smooth out the motion. While interpolation can reduce jitter, it can introduce other problems like the “Soap Opera Effect,” which makes the film look overly smooth and artificial.

Input Lag and Frame Delivery Jitter

In gaming and streaming, jitter may also result from inconsistent frame delivery, where frames arrive at irregular intervals due to weak processing or network delays. TVs with high input lag or poorly optimized game modes may struggle to smooth out this inconsistency, especially when low-latency modes like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) aren’t supported or engaged.

The Role of Refresh Rate in Motion Handling

Refresh rate—measured in hertz (Hz)—refers to how many times the screen updates per second. A 60Hz TV redraws the screen 60 times per second; a 120Hz TV does it 120 times.

Higher refresh rates allow TVs to display more frames per second, reducing both blur and jitter by smoothing motion transitions and allowing better frame matching. However, the display technology must also support fast pixel transitions to fully take advantage of this feature.

OLEDs, for instance, benefit from 120Hz more than LCDs because of their near-instantaneous response times. An OLED pixel can transition in microseconds, drastically reducing blur compared to even the fastest LCD.

How Display Technologies Differ in Motion Handling

LCD and QLED TVs

LCD-based displays (including QLEDs) rely on LED backlights and liquid crystals. Their motion handling is limited by the liquid crystals’ response times and the frame-hold nature of the technology. Even with overdrive and black frame insertion (BFI), some blur and ghosting persist.

OLED Displays

OLEDs, being self-emissive, do not suffer from slow pixel transitions. Each pixel emits light directly and can turn off and on almost instantly. This gives OLEDs a significant edge in reducing blur and ghosting. However, because they also “hold” frames like LCDs, some blur due to persistence remains, unless mitigated by BFI or other flicker techniques.

Mini-LED and MicroLED

Mini-LEDs use smaller backlights and more zones to improve contrast, but their motion handling characteristics are still similar to conventional LCDs. MicroLEDs, on the other hand, are self-emissive like OLEDs and promise excellent motion clarity, though the technology is still emerging for mainstream consumers.

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) and Motion Clarity

One advanced technique used to reduce perceived motion blur is Black Frame Insertion (BFI). BFI works by inserting a black frame—or briefly turning off the backlight—between real frames. This reduces the frame hold effect and allows your eyes to perceive smoother motion.

However, BFI often reduces overall brightness and can introduce flicker that is visible to sensitive viewers. It also increases power consumption, especially in OLEDs where each pixel must pulse light individually.

Modern TVs offer adjustable BFI settings so users can find a balance between clarity and visual comfort.

Motion Interpolation and the Soap Opera Effect

Motion interpolation, often branded under names like MotionFlow, TruMotion, or Auto Motion Plus, artificially generates intermediate frames to smooth motion. While effective at reducing stutter, it often creates the “Soap Opera Effect,” where cinematic content looks unnaturally fluid and loses its original aesthetic.

Interpolation algorithms analyze object trajectories across frames and try to predict motion paths. But if done poorly, it can introduce visual glitches like artifacts, tearing, or ghost limbs—where the system incorrectly renders intermediate content.

Gamers and film purists often disable interpolation to preserve original motion characteristics and minimize input lag.

How Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Solves Jitter in Gaming

Gaming introduces a whole new set of motion demands. Games often don’t run at a consistent frame rate due to rendering complexity. Traditional TVs, which expect a fixed refresh cycle, struggle with these variations, resulting in screen tearing and jitter.

Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) solves this by allowing the TV to dynamically match its refresh rate to the game’s frame output in real time. This eliminates tearing and reduces stutter, delivering buttery-smooth gameplay, especially important in first-person shooters or racing games.

HDMI 2.1 supports VRR, along with other technologies like ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which together optimize motion clarity and responsiveness for gamers.

Engineering Challenges in Motion Optimization

Achieving optimal motion handling is not just a matter of fast hardware—it requires an intricate balance of physics, materials science, and computational algorithms.

Display engineers must:

• Minimize pixel response times through material innovation (like new liquid crystal compositions or organic compounds in OLEDs).

• Develop smarter overdrive circuits that reduce blur without introducing artifacts.

• Design motion estimation and compensation algorithms that interpolate frames intelligently.

• Tune backlight systems for BFI and strobing without inducing visible flicker.

• Integrate adaptive refresh logic like VRR while maintaining HDMI timing standards.

Each of these factors must harmonize across software and hardware to deliver true motion fidelity.

Final Thoughts: Getting the Best Motion Performance

To get the most out of your TV’s motion handling capabilities, make sure to:

• Enable Game Mode when gaming to reduce input lag and jitter.

• Experiment with BFI or motion smoothing settings when watching sports or fast content.

• Disable interpolation for movies if you’re bothered by the Soap Opera Effect.

• Use native frame rate sources (like 24p Blu-rays or 120Hz-capable streaming devices) to minimize pulldown-related jitter.

Understanding the physics and digital processing behind blur, ghosting, and jitter empowers you to make smarter decisions—not only about what settings to tweak, but also what kind of display technology best suits your needs.