We can understand MEMC in simple words as a mechanism that adds smoothness to the display of videos on your TV efficiently and actively. And the basic principle that governs the whole mechanism of MEMC is the addition of frames and specifically talking artificial frames to the video.
As far as MEMC meaning is concerned, MEMC stands for motion estimation motion compensation. And the basic function it is supposed to perform is to make the display of videos smooth. And this task is carried out by the addition of artificial frames as told above.
You should also know the fact that MEMC is also known as the “Soap opera effect”. And the reason why it is known for this name is that its appearance is similar to that of soap operas.
You may have observed that it is one of the frequently asked questions whether MEMC video effects are good for a TVs display or not. The explanation given below will provide you with a brief introduction about MEMC working along with the answer to the questions.
Table of Contents
What Is MEMC And How Does It Work?
Commonly Used Names:
Before talking about the working of MEMC, we need to know different names that various brands have given to this mechanism.
Famous Names Assigned To MEMC By Some Well-Known TV Brands:
- LG- True motion
- Sony- Motion flow
- Roku- Action smoothing
- VIZIO- Smooth motion effect
- Samsung- Auto motion plus
Working:
The basic principle that MEMC works on is the addition or insertion of frames. The special technology allowing the frame insertion is not found generally in all TVs. The traditional low-end TVs lack this feature mostly, the modern and high-end flat-screen TVs, however, have this special feature.
Understanding The Concept Of FPS:
In order to understand the working of MEMC technology, it is mandatory for us to have some knowledge about what is FPS. Although, FPS is a commonly used term very few people understand really what it is.
FPS is the abbreviation of “frames per second” and this factor matters a lot when it comes to video quality and smoothness. We can easily understand the role of frames transmitted per second through the fact that the greater the number of frames transmitted per second, the smoother will be the video play.
Normally the content displayed on TV including the normal videos and movies has a frame frequency or refreshing rate of 24 Hz. While modern TVs can enhance it from 24 FPS to 50 or even 60 FPS.
Although, increasing FPS by adding frames artificially into the videos enhances the smoothness but its drawback is that it makes the picture unreal. Therefore, you need to be careful in this regard if you want to maintain the picture quality.
Is MEMC Good Or Bad For TV Display?
The answer is the majority of the display types, it is always better for you to turn off this mechanism in your TV. However, in very few cases it can be helpful for you. So, we can say that overall it is not good for your to turn on MEMC on your TV.
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It is to be noted that enabling the MEMC display option can only be helpful when your TV is displaying a simple video. While in the case of the complex videos and content, it will not be working. In other words, with the increasing complexity of content, the performance of MEMC gets bad and it gives the pictures being displayed an unreal look.
Effects of MEMC On Picture Quality:
As told earlier, the usage of MEMC in complex videos reduces the picture quality up to a huge extent. If we take the example of a moving object in a video, let it be a flying jet or a bird. In this case, the MEMC can work somewhat but if the number of moving objects exceeds the one, then using MEMC can be problematic for you.
We can understand it in a way that if the algorithm is devised only to recognize one object, the entrance of more objects in the video can distort the picture considerably.
Furthermore, some types of content are produced such that they support only a low frame rate. A-frame rate higher than the limit they can support will definitely affect the picture badly. Here are the negative effects MEMC can impart over the videos and content.
- Color confusion
- Blurred details
- Blurred sides and edges of objects in motion
The Conditions When MEMC Must Be Avoided:
There are some circumstances when enabling MEMC affects very badly your video or content quality. If we talk about these circumstances, gaming comes at the top. In other words, we can say that gaming is relatively more vulnerable and sensitive to MEMC.
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The reason behind the high vulnerability of gaming towards MEMC is the high processing requirements of the games. Apart from the lowering of picture quality due to MEMC, the extra burden of processing needs also makes the games lag more and more resulting in their being unresponsive.
That’s why you must disable or stop the MEMC while gaming on your TV if it gives you the option to do so.
Conclusion:
No matter what kind and quality of content you are displaying on your TV, you will certainly want it to run smoothly and without picture distortion. As the whole discussion shows that MEMC is considered as one of the most effective and practical ways of making video display smooth.
However, it must also be kept in mind that the MEMC setting also imparts negative effects on video quality. Therefore, you should avoid the enabling of this mode as far as it is possible in case of complex videos or content. Especially in the case of MEMC TV gaming, you must not activate this option at all.
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