Samsung has unveiled HDR10+ Advanced, a new HDR standard featuring Intelligent FRC to give creators control over motion smoothing and reduce the soap opera effect. This rivals Dolby's upcoming Vision 2, which includes similar Authentic Motion tools. The features aim to align TV playback more closely with filmmakers' intentions.
Motion smoothing, also known as motion or video interpolation, is a feature in modern TVs designed to eliminate judder from 24p or 25p films displayed on 60Hz or 120Hz screens. However, it often produces the unwanted soap opera effect, drawing criticism from cinephiles, home theater enthusiasts, and Hollywood creators who argue it distorts the intended cinematic look.
On November 4, 2025, Samsung detailed HDR10+ Advanced, the next iteration of its HDR format, introducing six new features. The standout is HDR10+ Intelligent FRC (frame rate conversion), which allows content creators to specify motion smoothing levels per scene and adjusts intensity based on ambient lighting, according to Forbes. This nuanced approach seeks to make motion appear smoother in pans or zooms without overapplying the effect.
This mirrors Dolby's Authentic Motion, announced in September for Dolby Vision 2's advanced tier, Dolby Vision 2 Max, targeting high-end TVs. Dolby describes it as “the world’s first creative driven motion control tool to make scenes feel more authentically cinematic without unwanted judder on a shot-by-shot basis.” A TechRadar demo on the 25p-shot Amazon Prime Video series Paris Has Fallen showed motion levels shifting from 5 during a tracking shot to 3 for a gentle tilt, 1 as the camera settled, and 0 for a static talk scene, offering 10 levels total.
Skepticism remains about effectiveness. Neither standard addresses visual artifacts like halos, which occur when TVs interpolate between dissimilar frames. Samsung demonstrated simulations of Intelligent FRC, but real-time performance on TVs is unproven. Adoption questions loom: HDR10+ launched in 2017 with support from 500 movies and 16 streaming services, while Dolby Vision, from 2014, had 900 titles by 2020.
HDR10+ Advanced will debut on Samsung's 2026 TVs with Prime Video support from launch, giving it an edge over Dolby Vision 2, which lacks a release date. With motion smoothing often default-enabled, these tools could improve viewing for many, though convincing cinema purists will be challenging.