As with all capitalist franchises, there’s a constant arms race in the home theater business. The slightest edge can be something that persuades a buyer to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on one product versus another. Literally — companies like LG and Samsung tout the extreme thinness of some models as a selling point.
Some of these changes are meaningless, however, or even detrimental from a consumer’s perspective. There are also holdovers from earlier eras, which companies refuse to ditch either out of convention or because it boosts their bottom line. Below are the features and settings I’d most like to get rid of, though I’m sure you and I could both imagine more.
Vivid, Dynamic, and similar picture modes
Deceived by a name
Superficially, Vivid and Dynamic sound exactly like the sort of modes you’d want, if a little vague. Who doesn’t want a vivid or dynamic image? They’re also the sort of modes you’re liable to see on display models, and if you’re just browsing at your local big-box retailer, you might be impressed.
The truth is that these modes catch your eye by cranking elements like brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness beyond what’s actually ideal for home viewing. They may also include aggressive motion smoothing and noise reduction, which can sabotage the look of movies and shows, especially anything shot on film instead of digital. From an image processor’s perspective, “noise” includes the pleasing film grain of a classic like The Wizard of Oz.
So what should you be using instead? My preference is Filmmaker Mode, which strips out all post-processing and sets a neutral white point. From there, you can manually tweak other settings to match your preferences. Your TV may also have Cinema or Theater modes that do add processing, but don’t go overboard. Always use PC or Game mode for your computers and consoles.
HDMI 2.0
The cheapskate maneuver
Based on what you’re used to from phones and laptops, you might reasonably assume that HDMI 2.1 is just a minor leap over 2.0, but you’d be wrong. 2.1 is required for all 4K refresh rates over 60Hz, as well as VRR to prevent visual artifacts with PCs and consoles. It’s also vital if you want lossless Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. You can get Atmos via 2.0, but only in compressed form.
While HDMI 2.0 is fine for a cable box, a basic soundbar, or an add-on media streamer, just about any other peripheral will lose out on its full potential. So why do TV makers still include it on a lot of models? Profit margins. Because the format dates back to 2013, 2.0 ports help slash manufacturing costs. The good news here is that with 2.2 beginning to roll out, 2.1 should gradually take over all the ports on new TVs, even budget models.
Automatic Content Recognition (ACR)
You may have been tricked into it
This one is so insidious, it should’ve been first on my list. It’s often given a slick name, and spun as “personalizing” your content. In reality, though, it doesn’t help you at all. What’s actually going on is the harvesting of your onscreen activity, mostly for the sake of ads or selling your data to brokers. It is anonymized, and might not sound that much different from the hazards of web browsing — the kicker is that it really does apply to all your viewing. As far as ACR is concerned, your child’s birthday party video on DVD is as much fair game as Netflix, Fox News, or your PlayStation.
You do have to opt into ACR during setup, but as I mentioned, it’s disguised when presented to you. You may have turned it on by accident. It should arguably be illegal rather than just heavily regulated, since no one in their right mind would consent to it if it was described accurately. It’s an underhanded way of subsidizing profit margins.
USB-A and USB 2.0
Ancient relics of the digital era
USB 2.0 isn’t useless. Capped at 480Mbps, it’s enough to browse photos, or even plug in an offline movie drive. By modern standards, though, it’s archaic. It dates back over a quarter-century, and USB 3.0 supports speeds up to 5Gbps. The latest version of USB is actually USB 4 v2, which can push bandwidth up to 120Gbps. There’s no good excuse to include 2.0 ports in 2026.
A lot of TVs have migrated over to USB 3.x, but a problem remains in the form of USB-A. It’s not just about the convenience and prevalence of USB-C connectors, either. The fastest data speeds are reserved for USB-C, as are technologies like DisplayPort Alt Mode, and high-wattage Power Delivery (USB PD). With the right port, you could both power a laptop and extend its display using a single cable — but USB-C in any form is still rare on TVs.
