No need to cue the “Mission: Impossible” theme music. This video featuring action film star Tom Cruise lacks the drama of most of the stuff he’s involved with — but the message is still an important one for movie fans and tech geeks.
Cruise joined director Chris McQuarrie for a public service announcement that they shared on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, alerting viewers to something called “video interpolation,” or motion smoothing. The digital effect on most HDTVs, which relies on the addition of frames to a moving image, is intended to reduce motion blur in live sporting events or other high definition programming.
Cruise and McQuarrie, speaking from the set of “Top Gun: Maverick,” said that the so-called “soap opera effect” can make most movies “look like they were shot on high-speed video rather than film” and they advised users how to navigate their TV controls and turn the feature off.
I’m taking a quick break from filming to tell you the best way to watch Mission: Impossible Fallout (or any movie you love) at home. pic.twitter.com/oW2eTm1IUA
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 4, 2018
“If you own a modern high-definition television, there’s a good chance you’re not watching movies the way the filmmakers intended, and the ability to do so is not simple for you to access,” McQuarrie said.
“Filmmakers are working with manufacturers to to change the way video interpolation is activated on your television, giving you easier access and greater choice on when to use this feature,” Cruise said.