New Roku update is making TVs look worse – and you can't turn it off
Roku TV owners have reported a new issue that is ruining their viewing experience
❌ Roku TVs won’t let users turn motion smoothing off
😤 A new update has rolled out the forced feature to more TVs
👎 Motion smoothing generally makes TVs look worse
🤐 Roku has yet to comment and a fix isn’t guaranteed
Last month Roku TV owners complained about an update that turned on motion smoothing with no option to turn it off – and now it seems to be impacting other TVs with Roku OS.
The Verge has reported that a new update has added a feature called Roku Smart Picture to TCL TVs running Roku OS 13, which “automatically improves picture dynamically as users stream”, according to Roku’s support release notes.
However, even when Roku Smart Picture is turned off, it seems to be forcing motion smoothing on, which can make a TV unwatchable. If you’re not sure how motion smoothing works, it makes a picture look “smoother” by interpolating frames. The problem is that it creates a soap opera-like effect that is distracting and anything but natural.
It’s why the vast majority of people immediately turn any sort of motion smoothing off, but Roku’s update isn’t letting users do that. Roku hasn’t responded to a request for comment from The Verge, leaving many owners saddled with a TV picture that doesn’t look how they’d like.
It’s possible that Roku could be quietly working on a fix, but apparently, this issue occurred with some TCL Roku TVs back in 2020 and was never resolved. It could mean those who are affected will be stuck with the issue for the foreseeable.
It’s worth contacting Roku’s customer support to file a complaint if your TV has been affected, as the more people who flag the issue the more likely it is to be fixed. It may also be worth sharing your experience on community forums such as Reddit.
The Roku update shows the problem with updates that don’t give users any control. While the team at Roku may appreciate motion smoothing or think it provides a better picture, owners should be the ones who ultimately make that decision.
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Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.