Why Motion Judders on a Streaming TV, and How Frame-Rate Matching Works Across Devices

A car drives past a row of trees, and instead of sliding smoothly across the screen the trees seem to hop from one position to the next. It usually isn't a fault in the television or the stream. It is a timing mismatch between the rate at which the video was made and the rate at which the screen is refreshing, and most streaming devices now include a setting meant to deal with it.

This guide explains where that mismatch comes from, then walks through the main ways to tackle it on Apple TV, on Google TV and Android TV, and on the television itself. Every menu name below comes from Apple's and Google's published support and developer pages.

Where the Jerky Motion Comes From

Film and most scripted series are made at 24 frames per second. Broadcast television in many regions runs at 25 or 50, and in others at 30 or 60, often with fractional rates such as 29.97. A streaming box, meanwhile, tends to send one fixed refresh rate to the TV, very often 60 Hz.

Twenty-four does not divide evenly into sixty. Android's developer documentation describes the usual workaround, a 3:2 pulldown, in which alternate frames are held on screen for different lengths of time. Google's TV guidance says the resulting motion judder is especially visible during slow panning shots.

There are two ways out. The device can change its output so the screen refreshes at a rate that suits the content, or the screen can refresh fast enough that the frames fit evenly. Android's documentation gives an example of the second: a 24 Hz video on a display that can move from 60 Hz to 120 Hz plays without any pulldown.

Method 1: Turn on Match Frame Rate on Apple TV

1. Open Settings on the Apple TV.
2. Go to Video and Audio, then Match Content.
3. Turn on Match Frame Rate. Match Dynamic Range sits next to it and is a separate choice.

Apple says the box will then try to work out which frame rates the television supports, and that the screen may go blank or flicker while the TV changes format. According to Apple, it matches content encoded at 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps, using the regional variant such as 29.97 for NTSC, and doubles 25 and 30 fps material to 50 and 60 Hz where possible. If a format shows up under Unverified Formats, selecting it runs a short display test.

When to use it: films and series judder on an Apple TV, and a brief blank screen as playback starts doesn't bother you.

Method 2: Let a Google TV or Android TV Box Follow the Video

On Chromecast with Google TV and the Google TV Streamer, Google's help page lists the option alongside Resolution and the colour-format settings.

1. Open Settings, then All settings.
2. Choose Display & Sound.
3. Open Match content frame rate and pick the behaviour you want. On other Android TV hardware the menu wording and location differ, so check the display or picture section.

There is a catch on this platform. Android's frame-rate guide explains that a switch which interrupts the picture happens only when both sides agree: the user enables the setting, and the app asks for the change. Google advises app makers to request it for long videos such as films, so one app may switch while another never does, whatever the setting says. For anyone who also watches IPTV on an Android-based box, New IPTV's Android TV setup page covers installation, from the service the author writes for; frame-rate behaviour afterwards still depends on each app and the display.

When to use it: judder appears on a Google TV or Android TV device and you want the box to follow each video's rate.

Method 3: Lock the Output to One Fixed Rate

Matching isn't the only route. Apple TV has a Format option under Video and Audio for choosing resolution, frame rate and dynamic range, and Google lists Resolution as its own entry under Display & Sound.

1. Work out which rate most of your viewing uses, for example 50 Hz broadcasts in your region.
2. Choose a mode at that rate in the format or resolution setting, if one is offered.
3. Leave automatic matching off so the box stops switching.

When to use it: nearly everything you watch shares one rate and the repeated blank screens get tiresome. It won't cure 24 fps films, so expect them to judder slightly.

Method 4: Check the Television's Own Processing

Many televisions apply motion smoothing or frame interpolation of their own, and the feature carries a different brand name on almost every model, so the manual is the place to find it. Some newer sets also support Quick Media Switching (QMS). Apple describes QMS as a way to reduce delays when frame rates change, available only when the TV supports it, and adds an Optimize QMS option that keeps the chroma format consistent between rates.

1. Find the TV's motion or clarity settings in its picture menu.
2. Compare a slow pan with smoothing on and off.
3. If your Apple TV shows a Quick Media Switching option under Match Content, try it to shorten the blank moment.

When to use it: motion looks oddly fluid, like a soap opera, or the switching delay is the main annoyance.

Comparing the Approaches

• Approach: Match Frame Rate — Where it lives: Apple TV: Video and Audio > Match Content — What changes: Output follows the content — Trade-off: Short blank or flicker on a switch
• Approach: Match content frame rate — Where it lives: Google TV: Display & Sound — What changes: Follows the content when the app asks — Trade-off: Some apps never request it
• Approach: Fixed output rate — Where it lives: Format (Apple) or Resolution (Google) — What changes: One rate for everything — Trade-off: Off-rate content still judders
• Approach: TV motion settings — Where it lives: The television's picture menu — What changes: Smooths or leaves frames alone — Trade-off: Can look artificially smooth

Fixes for the Most Common Problems

• The screen goes dark for a second when a film begins. That is the TV changing refresh rate. It is expected; QMS can shorten it on supported sets.
• The setting is on, yet nothing ever switches. On Android-based devices the app may not be requesting a change. Compare with another app before changing anything else.
• Colours look washed out or over-saturated after fiddling. Google notes that some TVs need their HDMI input set to an "enhanced" signal mode for HDR, and that matching content can fix over-saturated standard video.
• An Apple TV picture looks wrong after experiments. Apple offers Reset Video Settings under Video and Audio to make the output compatible with the TV again.

The Short Version

Judder is a mismatch between the content's frame rate and the screen's refresh rate, worst on slow pans. Apple TV and Google TV both have a matching setting; expect a brief blank screen when it works. On Google TV and Android TV the app has to ask for a switch too. If matching is more trouble than it's worth, fix the output to one rate and check the TV's own smoothing.

A useful yardstick for any change: pause on a scene with a slow horizontal camera move, step back, and watch the edges of buildings or tree trunks. They show uneven timing long before faces do.

Marcus Hale writes about picture settings on streaming devices, from refresh rates and frame timing to the options buried in display menus.