Many modern smart TVs advertise their gaming capabilities with special features, but in most cases, these features aren't enabled right out of the box. Instead, the majority of Google TV models ship with a preset tuned for image quality rather than responsiveness.
While it may not seem like it, features like aggressive post-processing, noise reduction, and motion smoothing quietly degrade the gaming experience. The good part is that tweaking these settings on a Google TV is easy, and these tweaks can improve gaming performance without upgrading the hardware.
Enabling Game Mode and disabling power-saving features are the first points of action
These first fixes can make the biggest difference
The easiest way to improve the gaming experience on a Google TV is to turn on Game Mode. As the name suggests, it's a setting that boosts gaming performance, and for those wondering, it does that by cutting back on image processing. On most TVs, it's available in the Display Settings tab. When it's enabled, input lag will notably decrease, and overall responsiveness will also improve.
Of course, with less post-processing, the images may have a less "processed" look. However, the improved latency is worth it, especially for fast-paced games.
The next step is to turn off any power-saving or energy-saving modes enabled on the Android TV. Most Google TV models will automatically turn off when Game Mode is enabled. For the other TVs, the power-saving feature can be found in the Display Settings or Power tab. Switch to High Performance if available.
Turning off some features can improve gaming performance even further
Noise reduction, motion smoothing, and image processing are not great for gaming
You can't just enable Game Mode and call it a day. Notable performance improvements can come from disabling a couple of features that are meant to make content look great rather than make games run smoothly. Motion smoothing, noise reduction, and other image-processing features, for example, can make gaming worse on a TV.
Among the three, motion smoothing is the biggest culprit. It adds artificial frames between the real ones to make motions seem smoother. Although this may work well for TV shows and movies, it introduces unnecessary latency in games. This delay translates to lower responsiveness and higher input lag, both of which are bad for gaming.
Noise reduction and other image processing features have a similar impact on the gaming experience. These Google TV settings analyze each frame and attempt to remove visual artifacts. Again, they are great for viewing content, but the extra processing introduces additional latency. With them disabled, there will be a noticeable improvement in responsiveness.
These settings are generally available in the picture tab, but they may be available in Additional Settings on some TVs.
Some overlooked TV settings can also have a big impact on gaming responsiveness.
HDMI input mode, ALLM, and refresh rate settings are the highlights
Proper signal handling plays a notable role in improving the gaming experience on a TV. Most modern Google TV models come with features that specifically optimize how the display communicates with a connected gaming PC or console.
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) is one of them. Enabling it will let the TV automatically switch to low-latency mode when it detects a gaming signal. This feature is usually available on the Additional Settings tab under Picture Settings.
Another overlooked area is the HDMI input setting. Most smart TVs automatically assign performance profiles based on the selected input mode, which can be hit-or-miss for gaming. Manually switching to the Game or Enhanced mode will allow the TV to handle higher-bandwidth signals properly, resulting in a more responsive gaming experience.
The refresh rate setting also matters, especially when high responsiveness is a priority. Of course, for this, it's also important to consider the connected console or gaming PC. For example, it wouldn't make any difference at all if the source is running the games at 30fps or 60fps.
If the connected console or PC can run games at higher frame rates, it's worth setting the TV's refresh rate to 120Hz. This will offer a more consistent and fluid experience.
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These changes aren't perfect for everything
Better gaming responsiveness comes with a cost
With the above-mentioned settings tweaked, a Google TV will be better configured for gaming, but for everything else, it'll be worse. For example, content like movies and TV shows will appear less smooth and noisier when noise reduction and image processing features are turned off.
Power settings can also affect viewing comfort, and the display might not behave the same way as before under different lighting conditions. So, when the TV is displaying regular content, it's best to switch to the movie preset or other picture modes.
