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No Motionflow - False Advertising?

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PDakota
Explorer

No Motionflow - False Advertising?

I've recently bought the 43" WE75, which is advertised on Sony's site as having 'Motionflow 400hz'. I'm beginning to think it's false advertising...

I'm 99% certain this TV does NOT have Motionflow. There is no setting for Motionflow like some other Sony TVs. The only motion related setting is LED Motion'; which manages the backlight flicker, to no obvious benefit. I have read on Sony's official support forums that Sony themselves have stated Motionflow turns on/off AUTOMATICALLY in the background depending what scene is selected (Game, Cinema etc.), and they have even been quoted as saying there may be no visual difference even when it is on. It's a 50hz panel so Motionflow 200/400hz would have to be achieved using frame interpolation (as stated on Sony's website) however this is absolutely not happening. No matter which scene I select the motion blur remains the same. I came from a 6 year old 200hz interpolating LG TV and the motion blur was markedly improved even at '100hz' on that set.

Frame interpolation is one of the main reasons I bought this TV as it's the one thing I didn't want to sacrifice.

I'm on the latest firmware and have performed a factory reset.

Is this a case of false advertising? Can it be fixed by software?

5 REPLIES 5
Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi there

 

What is the exact model number of your TV?

 

MotionFlow covers a range of technologies, which Sony does not specifically state which one/s are used on the TVs.

 

More info:

sony-eur-eu-en-web--eur.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/65562/

 

Cheers

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PDakota
Explorer

Hi

 

It's the KDL-43WE753.

 

The table on the Sony page I linked above, states the following for this model:

 

"Motionflow™ XR 400Hz (Native 50Hz)"

 

This I beleive is the same term they use for other models that use frame interpolation.

 

Thanks for your help so far.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi there

 

As you have probably discovered, there is no MotionFlow settings on your TV of which you can change with various options like on other Bravia TV models.  Instead there is a setting called 'LED Motion Mode' which is in the advanced picture settings.  Enabling LED Motion Mode will activate MotionFlow XR 400.

 

Sony does not state which technologies that they use for LED Motion Mode.  To get to XR400 its most likely a combination of a couple of technologies.  MotionFlow/LED Motion Mode does not have to be specifically frame interpolation/insertion.

 

According to Sony, the term MotionFlow is a catch all term for any features that help to smooth out fast moving pictures. 

 

This particular issue was raised in 2013 with Sony's W6 model.  I believe the following statement was released at the time:

"We would like to reiterate the fact that Motionflow feature was never mentionned in the menu setting of the W6.  MotionFlow" refers to different technologies that are used to reduce blurry effects during movement. Among those, there is the "Led Blinking Mode" that is available on the W6.

The association "Advertising Standards" had a meeting with Sony to discuss the use of the "MotionFlow"  in the promotional campaign of the W6. They did approved the use of it & did underline the fact that it's not false advertising."

 

Hope this explains things a bit better.

Cheers

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PDakota
Explorer

Thanks for your response.

 

Coming from a 6 year old "200hz" TV that used interpolation I was rightly expecting to see at the least same if not improved performance on motion handling.  The "MotionFlow 400hz" implies that the panel can interpolate; 400 is a number and hz is a unit.  The only way that could be achieved is with frame insertion.

 

For Sony to say "actually MotionFlow can mean many things depending on what model you bought and we're not going to clear on what those things are, however it may or may not include interpolation even though that's the headline technology we advertise on the feature," is, frankly, digusting.

 

It's a bit like saying a range of TVs ALL have "60inch SizeXR Screens", omitting the screen size from the specs, and then making the cheapest model 40inch and the most expensive 60inch.  Waiting for people to open what they're expecting to be a 60" TV, for Sony to then say "SizeXR includes a range of sizes that vary depending on the model". 

 

It's a slighty exaggerate analogy but it's the same point.

 

How can Sony claim the 400hz figure for a technology that doesn't create extra frames?  What does the 400 even mean?

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Kuschelmonschter
Hero

I also don't agree with the way Sony advertises their TVs nowadays. There are lots of examples, like:

 

new HW platform and VP9.2 announcement

 

PiP

 

discontinuation of advertised Video & TV SideView functionality

 

That's how Sony acts these days. Just don't buy it or return while you still can...

 

Suppose they are pretty desperate...

 

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