With early smart TVs, smooth performance was sometimes an afterthought. The first one I owned was slow from the get-go, saddled with a weak processor and inefficient proprietary apps. It did its job, but I was overjoyed once I plugged in a Chromecast. Casting from my phone was so much faster and easier.
The industry has improved its tech significantly over the years, to the point that a TV you buy today may function smoothly (enough) for many years. Slowdowns can still happen though, and if you’re holding on to an older model, you may be trying to figure out how to keep it useful long enough until you’re prepared to upgrade, instead of being forced to.
There are a few approaches you can use to breathe new life into your TV. A couple of these involve spending some money. The others, though, are purely software-based, and are worth trying if you have a few minutes to spare.
Bang for the buck
I didn’t want to put this one upfront. The honest truth, though, is that if you want the most dramatic speed boost possible, an add-on media streamer is in order. As you probably know, a media streamer plugs into one of your TV’s HDMI ports, effectively replacing your TV’s built-in interface. I say “effectively” because that interface is still around if you want it — you’re just switching video inputs to a device that handles the same tasks. To make the experience seamless, I suggest changing your TV’s settings to default to the new input.
It’s important to shop carefully if you want a streamer to be a meaningful upgrade. The cheapest models tend to have the slowest chips and the least memory, so unless your TV’s age is approaching a decade or more, they might not make a huge difference. With newer TVs, there’s also the risk that cheap streamers won’t support relevant standards like 4K, dynamic HDR, or Dolby Atmos. If your TV supports one or more of things, you’ll hate yourself if your streamer prevents you from exploiting them. If it doesn’t, it may nevertheless be worth spending a little extra on futureproofing.
QuizTV settings and formats
Trivia challenge
From Filmmaker mode to HDMI specs — how well do you really know your TV’s settings?
Filmmaker ModeHDMIColor DepthEthernetDisplay Settings
What is the primary purpose of Filmmaker mode on modern TVs?
Correct! Filmmaker mode disables motion interpolation (the so-called ‘soap opera effect’) and turns off other processing enhancements so content looks exactly as the director intended. It was introduced as an industry-wide standard backed by major filmmakers and the UHD Alliance.
Not quite. Filmmaker mode is all about disabling post-processing features like motion smoothing, sharpening, and noise reduction. The goal is to preserve the director’s original creative vision rather than enhance the picture with the TV’s own algorithms.
Which organisation was primarily responsible for developing and promoting the Filmmaker mode standard?
Correct! The UHD Alliance, the same body behind the Premium 4K UHD and Dolby Vision certification programs, spearheaded Filmmaker mode. It was announced in 2019 with backing from directors like Christopher Nolan and Patty Jenkins.
Not quite. The UHD Alliance developed Filmmaker mode, announcing it in 2019 with support from prominent Hollywood directors. The feature began appearing on TVs from brands like LG, Samsung, and Vizio from 2020 onwards.
What maximum bandwidth does the HDMI 2.1 specification support?
Correct! HDMI 2.1 supports up to 48 Gbps of bandwidth, a massive leap from the 18 Gbps ceiling of HDMI 2.0. This extra headroom enables features like 4K at 120Hz, 8K at 60Hz, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).
Not quite. HDMI 2.1 supports 48 Gbps, which is more than double the 18 Gbps offered by HDMI 2.0. This increase in bandwidth is what makes features like 4K/120Hz gaming and 8K/60Hz video possible over a single cable.
Which HDMI feature allows a TV to send audio back to a soundbar or AV receiver through the same HDMI cable used for video?
Correct! eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) is an HDMI 2.1 feature that allows high-quality audio, including lossless formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS:X, to travel from the TV back to a connected audio device over the same HDMI cable. It supersedes the older ARC standard.
Not quite. The answer is eARC — Enhanced Audio Return Channel. Unlike standard ARC, eARC supports lossless and object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos via TrueHD, making it essential for high-end home theatre setups. HDMI CEC, by contrast, handles device control commands.
How many possible colour values per channel does 10-bit colour depth provide?
Correct! 10-bit colour depth provides 2^10 = 1,024 possible values per colour channel (red, green, and blue). Compared to 8-bit’s 256 values per channel, this results in over a billion possible colours versus 16.7 million, dramatically reducing banding in gradients.
Not quite. 10-bit colour means each colour channel can represent 2^10 values, which equals 1,024 steps. This is crucial for HDR content, as it allows much smoother gradients and a wider range of brightness levels compared to standard 8-bit displays.
What is the term for the visual artefact caused by insufficient colour depth, where smooth gradients appear as visible stepped bands of colour?
Correct! Colour banding occurs when a display lacks sufficient bit depth to render subtle tonal transitions smoothly, causing gradients like a blue sky to show distinct stripes instead of a smooth fade. It is one of the main reasons 10-bit and 12-bit panels are preferred for HDR content.
Not quite. The artefact is called banding. It appears as visible stripes in what should be smooth colour or brightness gradients, and is a direct result of too few available colour steps. Posterisation is a related but slightly different effect often associated with heavy image compression.
Which HDMI specification first introduced the HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC), allowing devices to share an internet connection over an HDMI cable?
Correct! HDMI 1.4, released in 2009, introduced the HDMI Ethernet Channel, which allows compatible devices to share a 100 Mbps network connection through a single HDMI cable. While clever in theory, adoption has been limited and most users still connect devices to their network separately.
Not quite. HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) was introduced with HDMI 1.4 back in 2009. It provides up to 100 Mbps of bidirectional network connectivity between connected devices, though it has never become widely used in practice compared to dedicated Ethernet or Wi-Fi connections.
Why do many home theatre enthusiasts recommend using a wired Ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi for a smart TV when streaming 4K HDR content?
Correct! A wired Ethernet connection offers more stable and consistent throughput than Wi-Fi, which can be affected by interference, distance from the router, and network congestion. For 4K HDR streams that can demand 25 Mbps or more, a reliable connection helps prevent buffering and quality drops.
Not quite. The key advantage of Ethernet over Wi-Fi for streaming is reliability and consistency. Wi-Fi signals can fluctuate due to interference from other devices, walls, or distance from the router. For high-bitrate 4K HDR content, a stable wired connection helps ensure smooth, uninterrupted playback.
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The best add-ons won’t upgrade your TV’s video and audio capabilities, but can be shockingly faster than what you’re used to. The gold standard is the Apple TV 4K, owing to the fact that Apple uses iPhone processors. In fact there’s a 2017 Apple TV in my home that’s smoother than much more recent devices. If you buy the 2022 edition, or the upcoming 2026 one, it might last you well into the 2030s. Alternately, I’d suggest buying the Google TV Streamer or the Roku Ultra.
Deleting unused apps
Heads-up, Fire TV users
Something device makers fail to warn people about is the fact that anything with a full-fledged operating system requires a base amount of free storage to operate properly. While there is RAM, some temporary files need to be kept around longer, or simply won’t fit in RAM anyway.
On a Mac or Windows PC, there’s often ample free storage available, even after you’ve installed many gigabytes of apps. Smart TVs often have tiny onboard storage, though, as anything more would increase manufacturing costs and end prices. That means that if you go overboard on installing apps, you can potentially infringe on your TV’s swap space, forcing it to repeatedly erase and replace data to accomplish once simple tasks.
Deleting apps is most likely to help on Fire TV devices. Although recent models may perform better, particularly if they support Amazon’s recent OS overhaul, Fire TV has traditionally been associated with budget products that have weak specs. The original version of the OS was notoriously inefficient, coming to a crawl after a few years unless you bought something like a Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
Updating firmware
No guarantees, but worth a shot
A frequent complaint about updates on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store is that some developers will claim “performance and bug fixes” in all their release notes, never going into detail. In this case, though, that’s exactly what we’re after.
Performance improvements are possible because no piece of software is completely airtight. If there aren’t memory leaks, there may be bits of code here and there that are redundant, or otherwise less efficient than they could be. More rarely, TV operating systems may switch to fundamentally better architecture, as in the case of Fire TV.
There should be an option to check for firmware/software updates in your TV’s Settings menu. Do your homework before pulling the trigger, though. Some updates can have the opposite effect, introducing new features that older TVs have a hard time coping with. If you’re not presented with release notes on your TV, check your manufacturer’s website for details. There may be no way to roll back an unwanted update without performing a factory reset, which will force you to reconfigure settings, re-download apps, and sign back into all of your streaming services.
Clearing out cached data
Stop tripping over junk
This one is almost a cliche, but it’s a fact that the caches created by your TV’s apps and OS can occasionally cause problems. They’re actually meant to speed things up by keeping frequently-used resources available, such as menu graphics. Yet over time, redundant files can stick around, needlessly occupying storage space (see my first tip to free up more). More rarely, caches can accumulate outdated or corrupt data, triggering glitches or crashes. Think of it like a hoarder’s house — at first, all of those stacks might be a minor hassle, but eventually they may prevent you from getting anywhere without tripping on something.
The exact instructions for clearing caches will vary from platform to platform, but you can find that info on the web, or by exploring your TV’s Settings menu. I’ll give you an example to help point you in the right direction. On Fire TV devices, you need to navigate to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Installed Applications, then click Clear all Application Caches. Don’t bother clearing apps one at a time. Chances are, even an app like Netflix or Disney+ won’t have much of a footprint on its own.
Plugging in an Ethernet cable
A roundabout remedy
Strictly speaking, an Ethernet cable won’t speed up your TV’s software. Indeed, plugging one in may not make any difference at all if your TV already has a stable, high-speed Wi-Fi connection to your router.
Older TVs may, however, have slower Wi-Fi limited to Wi-Fi 5, or Wi-Fi 6 at best. By switching to Ethernet, you can potentially raise download speeds to as much as 1Gbps (gigabit per second), shortening the amount of time it takes videos to buffer. If nothing else Ethernet is more reliable, since it’s essentially immune to range or interference issues in the context of a home theater.
There are a few catches to this approach. For one, if your TV has an Ethernet (a.k.a. LAN) jack at all, it might be capped at just 100Mbps. You can get around this if your TV has a USB 3.0 port, which will let you use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter compatible with gigabit Ethernet. USB 2.0 ports are capped at 480Mbps.
You’ll also want a decent internet plan that can actually take advantage of faster speeds. For some people, though, the greatest obstacle may be the cable itself. If your router isn’t in the same room as your TV, you may find yourself needing to buy an extremely long Cat 6 cable that snakes between rooms.
