What the Tech: How to enhance your sports viewing

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Football season is upon us, and if you’re like most people, you’ll be watching the games on your big-screen TV.

But did you know that your TV might not be optimized for the best viewing experience? With a few simple adjustments, you can significantly enhance your sports viewing.

Choosing the Right Picture Mode

Contrary to what you might think, “Game” or “Sports” mode is not the ideal setting for watching sports. These modes are designed for video games and can make the picture look overly bright and artificial.

These options also turn on motion smoothing to follow fast movements on the screen. Motion smoothing will also give a “soap opera effect” that looks blurry when you’re watching anything else.

Instead, opt for “Movie,” “Filmmaker,” or “Cinema” mode. While the picture may appear darker initially, you can fine-tune it for optimal viewing. In today’s UHD, OLED, and QLED televisions, simply turning on “Cinema” mode will be perfect no matter what you’re watching using only the TV’s default cinema or movie settings.

Adjusting Brightness and Contrast

To achieve the perfect balance of brightness and contrast, start by freezing a dark scene, such as a night scene in a movie.

Adjust the brightness until you can see details in the darkest areas without washing out the blacks. Then, find an image with lots of white and lower the contrast until you can see details like folds in clouds.

Gradually increase the contrast until you get the best picture without losing those details.

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Fine-Tuning Color Temperature and Tint

Select “warm” or “low” for the most natural and lifelike colors for the color temperature or tone setting. Adjust the tint to achieve realistic flesh tones.

You can adjust the picture so the skin doesn’t look orange or greenish-yellow. Avoid turning up the sharpness, as this can often lead to a less natural and overly processed image.

Additional Tips

• If you’re taking your TV tailgating, you might want to use “Vivid” mode for a brighter picture in outdoor settings. Just remember to switch back to “Movie” or “Cinema” mode when watching indoors.
• Resist the urge to use the “eco” mode, as this can dim the picture and reduce overall image quality. Many televisions come with eco mode turned on by default. Turning this off will make a big difference in the brightness level.

By following these simple tweaks, you can transform your TV into the ultimate sports-viewing machine. Your friends and family will be impressed with the picture quality, and your home might just become the go-to spot for watching the big game.

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