At CES 2020 the UHD Alliance hosted a press conference to present an update on Filmmaker mode. Following the mode's announcement back at the end of August 2019, the automatic picture mode is set to be coming to more TVs from more brands.

But what exactly is Filmmaker Mode and why does it matter?

What does Filmmaker Mode do?

TVs with Filmmaker Mode are designed to present content as the filmmaker intended. When applicable content is detected the TV will automatically disengage post-processing, such as motion interpolation, thus avoiding the so-called 'soap opera effect' (where smoothed motion makes people look too close to life, which takes away some of the magic).

It's not just about post-processing disengagement though. Filmmaker Mode also means that content will automatically display in the original aspect ratio, at the correct frame-rate and, importantly, with accurate colour renditioning.

The film-making community spends a lot of time ensuring appropriate exposure, lighting and colour grading, which various colour settings in TVs can more-or-less undo. Filmmaker Mode is designed to put a stop to that.

When the UHD Alliance went about creating Filmmaker Mode, it wanted to ensure harmony with the standard across all manufacturers. So you won't get something like MovieMaker Plus with one brand and Filmmaker Mode with another. It's standardised.

Which brands offer Filmmaker Mode?

At its inception Panasonic was the first brand to be on board with Filmmaker Mode, followed by Vizio and LG.

At the CES 2020 press conference on Monday 6 January, however, it was announced that Samsung and Philips (TP Vision) would also be joining, bringing the total brand count to five.

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Pocket-lint

LG has made a commitment that all its 4K and 8K TVs in 2020 will offer the mode, for example, so you can expect it to be increasingly common on high-end tellies.

There's a lot of industry support, too, including the Directors Guild of America (DGA), The Film Foundation, the International Cinematographers' Guild, and American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Many big-name directors have also spoken out in support, including Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, and more.