In early 2008, one of the things the high-definition video market was all a-flutter about (besides the outcome of the Blu-ray/HD DVD battle) was increasing refresh rates on big-screen displays. Typical LCD TV panels have refresh rates of 60 Hz, meaning they refresh 60 times a second. The idea was that by refreshing the screen more often, motion would be smoother and the perceived quality of the display higher. So manufacturers leapt to release LCD HDTVs with 120 Hz and 240 Hz refresh rates…and, unfortunately for the manufacturers, the results generally proved underwhelming, with only modest improvements in perceived picture quality visible to experienced eyes.
