What is a frame rate?

Chances are, while looking at any smartphone, monitor, or TV reviews before purchasing one, you’ve often heard the terms frame rate being thrown around. The frame rate in a TV has become one of the most deciding factors while purchasing it. Here’s all you need to know about what frame rates are, and why they’re important. 

What frame rates are and how they're measured

Frame rates are a unit used to refer to the frequency with which subsequent images (In the form of a video) are displayed on any given screen, and essentially decide how the viewer perceives it when watching something on their TV or laptop. Frame rates are recorded in fps, and the most commonly used one for TV content is 24 fps. This is used for most feature films, which allows them to appear realistic and also leaves some space to play around with different cinematic effects. 

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However, frame rates may vary from 30fps to 60fps depending on whether the content type is the pretext and what visual effect is desired to be conveyed. Specially while gaming, whether on your TV with a console or on a laptop, the higher the frame rate, the smoother the game runs, and the more enjoyable it is to play. 

Why frame rates are important

In straightforward terms, setting the frame rate at a high setting makes more frames appear per second, which makes the overall motion on a screen more fluid to the eye, and the visual experience therefore becomes more realistic. However, a lower frame rate could make any given content appear to be jittery, which negatively impacts viewer immersion with any content. 

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Along with 4K resolution, Dolby Vision support, as well as HDR 10+ certifications, frame rates in a TV have also become one of the most important factors to consider while purchasing one. This is because increased resolution demands higher frame rates to maintain visual quality, and prevent motion blur, ensuring that viewers can fully experience and appreciate the crispness and details of images.