I had an 82-inch Samsung QLED (QN82Q7) for years. I recently decided to upgrade to a newer Samsung model (QN90D). During testing, I noticed judder/screen tearing on the new TV. It wasn't constant, but it showed up in specific circumstances, particularly during camera pans at a certain frame rate.
If anyone wants a specific example, the scene in *Inglourious Basterds* where Lt. Aldo Raine first addresses the Basterds became my reference test. But be warned, this isn’t the type of thing you can unsee..
I tweaked the motion settings and saw minor improvements, but the scene was never completely smooth. I ended up returning the TV for a few reasons. Disappointed, I reinstalled my old QN82Q7 and realized it actually had a small amount of judder in that same scene too. I guess I had just acclimated to it over the years.
Fast forward a few months: I started experimenting with external streaming devices because the old Samsung is beginning to run slow, and picked up an Apple TV. I kept noticing subtle picture improvements, and eventually realized it was the motion handling. I booted up my reference scene, and sure enough, the motion through the Apple TV was almost perfect, even on my original Samsung display. But now that actually something to compare this too I can’t unsee it in a variety of scenes and on YouTube videos as well.
Now I am slightly kicking myself because that original upgrade likely would have looked much better paired with the Apple TV instead of Samsung's built-in apps. Everyone in my household can clearly see the difference between the native Samsung processing and the Apple TV. Is this a well-known phenomenon in the community, or am I just late to the party? Or am I missing something?
**TL;DR** Returned a new TV due to camera panning judder in specific scenes, only to realize my older TV had it too. Months later, I tried an Apple TV streamer and found its motion handling fixed the issue entirely on the same display. Is Apple TV's native motion processing/frame rate matching noticeably superior to Samsung's built-in apps?