When It Matters
Input lag matters the most for playing video games, either on a console or on a PC. With fast-paced games like fighting or FPS games, quick reflexes are key. Lower input lag can mean the difference between a well-timed reaction for a win or a late response that results in a loss. It doesn’t matter for watching movies, though, so unless you’re a gamer, you have nothing to worry about. You might notice some delay when scrolling through your smart TV's menu, but it's rarely an issue for most people.
Why there's input lag on TVs
The total input lag time is the addition of threeparts
Before we get into the details of how we test, let's first talk about the causes of input lag. Three main factors contribute to the input lag on the TV: acquiring the source image, processing the image, and displaying it.
Acquisition of the Image
The more time it takes for the TV to receive the source image, the more input lag there will be. With modern digital TVs, using an HDMI cable will allow you to minimize the acquisition time, as that will transfer from the source to the TV almost instantly.This phase of the input lag is rarely an issue on modern TVs as it was more of an issue in the past with analog connections like from early gaming consoles.
Video Processing
Once the image is in a format understandable by the video processor, it will apply at least some processing to alter the image in some way. A few examples:
- Adjusting the colors and brightness
- Interpolating the picture to match the TV's refresh rate
- Scaling it (like 720p to 1080p, or 1080p to 4k)
- Adding variable refresh rate technology
The time this step takes is affected by the speed of the video processor and the amount of processing needed. Though you can't control the speed of the processor, you can exercise some control over how many operations it needs to do by enabling and disabling settings. Only more demanding video processing settings, like motion interpolation, will usually add input lag, while others, like the brightness, won't.
Displaying the Image
Once the television has processed the image, it's ready to be displayed on the screen, and the processor sends the video to the screen. However, the screen can't make it appear instantly, and the amount of time it takes to appear depends on the technology and the panel. Unfortunately, there's no way to improve or control the amount of time needed in this part, as it changes from TV to TV. However, this is different from the response time, which is the amount of time it takes for the pixels to change colors, and effects motion.
Our tests
Now, let's talk about how we measure the input lag. It's a rather simple test because everything is done by ourdedicated photodiode tooland special software. We use this same tool for our response time tests, but it measures something differently with those. For the input lag, we place the photodiode tool at the center of the screen because that's where it records the data in the middle of the refresh rate cycle, so it skews the results to the beginning or end of the cycle. We connect our test PC to the tool and the TV. The tool flashes a white square on the screen and records the amount of time it takes until the screen starts to change the white square; this is an input lag measurement. It stops the measurement the moment the pixels start to change color, so we don't account for the response time during our testing. It records multiple data points, and our software records an average of all the measurements, not considering any outliers.
When a TV displays a new image, it progressively displays it on the screen from top to bottom, so the image first appears at the top. As we have the photodiode tool placed in the middle, it records the image when it's halfway through itsrefresh ratecycle. On a 120Hz TV, it displays 120 images every second, so every image takes 8.33 ms to be displayed on the screen. Since we have the tool in the middle of the screen, we're measuring it halfway through the cycle, so it takes 4.17 ms to get there; this is the minimum input lag we can measure on a 120Hz TV. If we measure an input lag of 5.17 ms, then in reality it's only taking an extra millisecond of lag to appear of the screen. For a 60Hz TV, the minimum is 8.33 ms.
We always measure the input lag in the TV's Game Mode unless our test indicates that we're supposed to use different settings.
Difference With Response Time Testing
Some people may confuse our response time and our input lag tests. For input lag, we measure the time it takes from when the photodiode tool sends the signal to when it appears on-screen. We use flashing white squares, and the tool stops the measurement the moment the screen changes color so that it doesn't include the response time measurement. As for the response time test, we use grayscale slides, and this test is to measure the time it takes to make a full transition from one gray shade to the next. In simple words, the input lag test stops when the color on the screen changes, and the response time starts when the colors change.
1080p @ 60Hz Input lag
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: For gaming and PC use.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
This test measures the input lag of 1080p signals with a 60Hz refresh rate. This is especially important for older console games (like the PS4 or Xbox One) or PC gamers who play with a lower resolution at 60Hz. As with other tests, this is done in Game Mode, and unless otherwise stated, our tests are done in SDR.
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution, except for game mode off.
When it matters: For gaming and PC use, while retaining access to all features of the TV.
Good value: < 40 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
We repeat the same process but with Game Mode disabled. This is to show the difference between in and out of Game Mode. It could be important if you scroll a lot through your TV's smart OS and you easily notice delay, so if you find it's too high and it's bothering you, simply switch into Game Mode when you need to scroll through menus.
This result can also be important if you want to play video games with the TV's full image processing. You might consider this if you're playing a non-reaction-based game.
1440p @ 60Hz Input Lag
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: For gaming and PC use.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
This result is important if you play 1440p games, like from an Xbox or a PC. However, 1440p games are still considered niche, and not all TVs support this resolution, so we can't measure the 1440p input lag of those.
4k @ 60Hz Input Lag
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: For gaming and PC use.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
The 4k @ 60Hz input lag is probably the most important result for most console gamers. Along with 1080p @ 60Hz input lag, it carries the most weight in the final scoring since most gamers are playing at this resolution. We expect this input lag to be lower than the 4k @ 60Hz with HDR, chroma 4:4:4, or motion interpolation results because it requires the least amount of image processing.
4k @ 60Hz + HDR Input Lag
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution using a 10-bit HDR signal.
When it matters: For gaming and PC use in HDR.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
With the PC sending a 4k @ 60Hz signal, we use an HDFury Linker to add an HDR signal. This is important if you play HDR games, and while it may add some extra lag, it's still low for most TVs.
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 Input Lag
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution with proper full 4:4:4 chroma, without subsampling.
When it matters: For PC use and gaming where fine text display (ClearType) is needed.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
This test is important for people wanting to use the TV as a PC monitor.Chroma 4:4:4is a video signal format that doesn't use any image compression, which is necessary if you want proper text clarity. We want to know how much delay is added, but for nearly all of our TVs, it doesn't add any delay at all compared to the 4k @ 60Hz input lag.
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution, except for game mode off.
When it matters: For gaming and PC use, while retaining access to all features of the TV.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Like with 1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode, we measure the input lag outside of Game Mode in 4k. Since most TVs have a native 4k resolution, this number is more important than the 1080p lag while you're scrolling through the menus.
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution with motion interpolation turned on.
When it matters: When you want to play video games with motion interpolation (Soap Opera Effect) enabled.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Motion interpolationis an image processing technique that increases the frame rate to a higher one, like if you want to increase a 30 fps video up to 60 fps. However, for most TVs, you need to disable the Game Mode to enable the motion interpolation setting, as only Samsung offers motion interpolation in Game Mode. As such, most TVs will have a high input lag with motion interpolation. Also, we measure this with the motion interpolation settings at their highest because we want to see how the input lag will increase at the strongest, like a worst-case scenario.
8k @ 60Hz Input Lag
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: PC use.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
This test is only important if you have an 8k TV, and your graphics card can output 8k content at 60 fps.
1080p @ 120Hz
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: For console and PC gaming.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
We repeat most of the same tests but with 120 fps signals instead. This is especially important for gaming on some gaming consoles, like the Xbox Series X or Xbox One X, as some other devices don't output signals at 120 fps. The 120Hz input lag should be around half the 60Hz input lag, but it's not going to be exactly half.
1440p @ 120Hz
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: For console gaming and PC gaming.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Once again, this result is only important for PC and Xbox gamers because they use 1440p signals. Not all TVs support this resolution either, so we can't always test for it.
4k @ 120Hz
What it is: The average input lag when all the TV settings are optimized to reduce it at this specific resolution.
When it matters: For console gaming and PC gaming.
Good value: < 25 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
This test is important if you're a gamer with an HDMI 2.1 graphics card or console. Since most 4k @ 120Hz signals require HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, you don't have to worry about this if your TV or gaming console is limited to HDMI 2.0. For this test, we use our HDMI 2.1 PC with an NVIDIA RTX 3070 graphics card because we need an HDMI 2.1 source to test it.
1080p with Variable Refresh Rate
What it is: Lowest input lag possible for a 1080p input signal when using Variable Refresh Rate (FreeSync, etc).
When it matters: When gaming with a device that supports Variable Refresh Rate, such as the Xbox One X or a PC.
Good value: < 40 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
We also measure the input lag with any variable refresh rate (VRR)support enabled, if the TV has it. VRR is a feature gamers use to match the TV's refresh rate with the frame rate of the game, even if the frame rate drops. Enabling VRR could potentially add lag, so that's why we measure it, but most TVs don't have any issue with this. We measure this test by setting the TV to its maximum refresh rate and enabling one of its VRR formats, like FreeSync or G-SYNC.
1440p with VRR
What it is: Lowest input lag possible for a 1440p input signal when using Variable Refresh Rate (FreeSync, etc).
When it matters: When gaming with a device that supports Variable Refresh Rate, such as the Xbox One X or a PC.
Good value: < 40 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
We repeat the VRR testing with 1440p signals. If the TV doesn't support 1440p, we skip this test.
4k with VRR
What it is: Lowest input lag possible for a 4k input signal when using Variable Refresh Rate (FreeSync, etc).
When it matters: When gaming with a device that supports Variable Refresh Rate, such as the Xbox One X or a PC.
Good value: < 40 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
Score distribution
Like with 1440p and 1080p, we measure the 4k input lag with VRR enabled. Once again, this is important for gamers.
8k with VRR
What it is: Lowest input lag possible for an 8k input signal when using Variable Refresh Rate (FreeSync, etc).
When it matters: When using a PC that supports Variable Refresh Rate.
Good value: < 40 ms
Noticeable difference: 15 ms
On 8k TVs, we measure the input lag with an 8k signal and VRR enabled.
Additional Information
How input lag is measured
An input lag of 40ms can be seen on the television.
Input lag is not an official spec advertised by most TV companiesbecause it depends on two varying factors: the type of source and the settings of the television. The easiest way you can measure it is by connecting a computer to the TV and displaying the same timer onbothscreens.Then, if you take a picture of both screens, the time difference will be your input lag. This is, however, an approximation, because your computer does not necessarily output both signals at the same time. In this example image, an input lag of 40 ms (1:06:260 – 1:06:220) is indicated. However, our tests are a lot more accurate than that because of our tool.
When do we start to notice a delay?
Most people will only notice delays when the TV is out of Game Mode, but some gamers might be more sensitive to input lag even in Game Mode. Keep in mind that the input lag of the TV isn't the absolute lag of your entire setup; there's still your PC/console and your keyboard/controller. Every device adds a bit of delay, and the TV is just one piece in a line of electronics that we use while gaming. If you want to know how much lag you're sensitive to, check out this input lag simulator. You can simulate what it's like to add a certain amount of lag, but keep in mind this tool is relative to your current setup's lag, so even if you set it to 0 ms, there's still the default delay.
Other Notes and Related Settings
- The most important setting to ensure you get the lowest input lag possible is the Game Mode setting. This varies between brands; some have Game Mode as its own setting that you can enable within any picture mode, while others have a Game picture mode. Go through the settings on your TV to see which it is. You'll know you have the right setting when the screen goes black for a second because that's the TV putting itself into Game Mode.
- On some TVs, if you're using it as a PC monitor, you have to go into PC Mode to get low input lag.
- Many TVs have an Auto Low Latency Mode feature that automatically switches the TV into Game Mode when you launch a game from a compatible device. Often, you need to enable a certain setting for it to work.
- Some peripherals like Bluetooth mice or keyboards add lag because Bluetooth connections have inherent lag, but those are rarely usedwith TVs anyways.
Conclusion
Input lag is the time it takes a TV to display an image on the screen from when it first receives the signals. It's important to have low input lag for gaming, and while high input lag may be noticeable if you're scrolling through Netflix or other apps, it's not as important for that use. We test for input lag using a special tool, and we measure the input lag at different resolutions, refresh rates, and with different settings enabled to see how changing the signal type can affect the input lag.
FAQs
Does TV Affect input lag? ›
Input lag is what happens when the TV is doing so much image processing that a physical input from the player (on a video game controller) takes too long to register on screen.
Do 4K TVs have input lag? ›4K TV settings often have a lot of post-processing effect enabled by default that cause input lag. Even settings like game-mode can cause input lag issues. Try disabling effects such as 'Auto-Smoothing' and the like or switching your TV to PC mode to remove many of these effects.
What is normal TV input lag? ›An input lag below 30 ms is generally considered unnoticeable in a television. Once the frame has been processed, the final step is the updating the pixels to display the correct color for the new frame. The time this takes is called the pixel response time.
Why do smart TVs have input lag? ›Input lag is caused as follows. Each image is generated by a source, like a console. The console sends the image to the TV via a cable or wireless signal, where it's processed and displayed on the screen. This entire process takes a couple of milliseconds.
How do I reduce input lag on my TV? ›- Turn Off Picture Enhancing Or Altering Features. ...
- Test Out Other HDMI Inputs. ...
- Use Separate Speakers. ...
- Lower The Resolution. ...
- Turn Off Power Saving Options. ...
- Disable HDMI-CEC. ...
- Disable Motion Smoothing. ...
- Use Game Mode.
The short answer is yes, especially if your TV's native resolution is 1080p or higher. If you have an older TV—say from 2006 or 2007—with sub-1080p resolution, you may find that the interlaced 1080i signal (from a component input) is a little faster at the cost to some image clarity.
How do I get rid of input lag? ›- Limit the frame rate. First, try limiting the frame rate to just under your display's refresh rate.
- Attempt a higher frame rate. Second, try pushing the game to a much higher frame rate—double the monitor's refresh rate or more.
LG OLED TVs have extremely low input lag with an incredible 1ms response time. This ensures that every move you input on the controller is displayed instantly on screen, giving you a vital edge over opponents and a better chance of winning.
Does higher resolution cause input lag? ›It is not too uncommon for higher end screens in particular to use internal scalers to handle non-native resolutions, which can add significant input lag. Sometimes the signal must pass through the scaler even if scaling is not required (i.e. running the monitor at its native resolution).
Does lower resolution cause input lag? ›Providing a non-native input resolution can also cause delays, especially with the wrong aspect ratio – ie a 16:9 frame on an ultrawide panel. This isn't the same as a game's cutscenes only drawing a 16:9 image though, as your GPU is still sending the monitor a full 21:9 frame, just with black pixels on the sides.
Will better HDMI cables reduce input lag? ›
Conclusion. This test showed that input lag is not affected by HDMI cable length or HDMI connector, but primarily by the electronics inside the television/display.
Why do TVs have more input lag than monitors? ›Televisions tend to rely heavily on filters that improve image quality when watching TV, like noise reduction and upscaling, but this takes extra time and translates into input lag.
Is it normal for new smart TVs to lag? ›Like your computer, your TV has a cache that stores data so that it doesn't have to load it every time you want to use it. Over time, this cache can become full and cause your TV to run slowly. To clear your TV's cache, you'll need to go into your TV's settings and find the “Clear Cache” option.
Are bigger TVs slower for gaming? ›In a word, no. Some consumers, for example, choose TVs because larger screens are better suited to split-screen, multiplayer games (on a smaller, gaming monitor, finer details tend to get lost). Some gamers prefer to sit further away from the screen to reduce eye strain and fatigue.
What causes input lag? ›Input lag can be caused by any part of the chain leading from your key or mouse press to the corresponding game action being displayed on-screen. It's most often caused by the peripherals or display, but it can also be caused by the CPU or GPU, or the transporting of data between all these things.
Why are old TVs better gaming? ›Besides this, CRTs have a few small advantages over the LCDs, PDPs and OLEDs of today. There's no motion blur, black is truly black, and because they utilize an analog signal, there's zero input lag – when you press the button to make Mario jump, he jumps instantaneously.
What is the best TV settings for gaming? ›If sharpness settings are available, the best TV sharpness setting for gaming is zero percent . The best TV color setting for gaming is 50 percent. This setting will avoid potentially bizarre filters built into games. Tint - also referred to as G/R - can affect color saturation.
Is input lag really an issue? ›This is the amount of time it takes for a TV or projector to produce an image. In the worse case, excessive input lag can cause lip sync issues. In most cases, it can lead to worse performance with certain games.
What is a good TV response time for gaming? ›Response time on a gaming TV vs gaming monitor
You'll find gaming monitors with response times of 1ms to 5ms and gaming TVs with response times of 5 ms and higher.
Input lag is the amount of time it takes for your TV to display a signal on the screen from when the source sends it. It's especially important for playing reaction-based video games because you want the lowest input lag possible for a responsive gaming experience.
How do I test HDMI on TV? ›
Note: Make sure to insert one end of the HDMI cable into the HDMI output terminal of the source device and the other end into the HDMI input terminal of your TV. While TV is ON and the device is ON, go to the HDMI input where the device is connected and test if TV is displaying a picture and if the sound is heard.
Whats a good lag time for a TV? ›Input lag is how much of a delay there is when transferring data between the console and the TV or monitor. Time is measured in milliseconds, with gaming monitors ranging from 1ms to 4ms input lag and gaming TVs ranging from 5 ms to 16ms or higher. Input lag can depend on what console you're gaming on too.
How do I check HDMI inputs? ›- Type troubleshooting in the search bar.
- Select Troubleshooting.
- Select View all on the top left corner.
- Click on Hardware and Devices.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
- Check if issue persists.
- Press Windows + X > Device Manager.
- Double-click Display adapters.
- Right-click the display driver you wish to update > select Update driver.
- Click, Search automatically for drivers, and wait for Windows to look for driver updates.
Beyond 50 milliseconds, the delay becomes more noticeable. If a display's input lag exceeds 70 milliseconds, some tech reviewers will classify its performance as poor. Multiple devices can cause input lag. It's rare for hardware keyboards and controllers to malfunction, but it can't be ruled out.
Do TVs have 1ms response time? ›LG OLED TVs have extremely low input lag with an incredible 1ms response time.
How do I reduce input lag? ›To achieve the lowest possible controller latency, the best option is to completely disable vertical sync. V-Sync is a function that allows the game to synchronize it's frame rate with the refresh rate of the display. Disabling it removes the frame rate cap, which also causes massive amounts of screen tearing.