Review: What is Filmmaker Mode and which TV models support it?
Hollywood's Filmmaker Mode presents movies in SDR, HDR and even Dolby Vision as the director intended. Here is what you should know, plus an updated list of TVs with Filmmaker Mode. Filmmaker Mode was launched in 2020 by the UHD Alliance, which is a coalition of Hollywood studios and filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese, TV makers and content distributors. In its essence, it is a picture mode on modern TVs that adjusts the picture settings to match the specifications set by Hollywood filmmakers. This is to avoid boosted colors and brightness, motion smoothing, and similar tricks.
The official Filmmaker Mode logo from UHD AllianceWhat Filmmaker Mode does
Filmmaker Mode adheres to the video source signal without applying picture enhancements or conversion:
- No motion smoothing: Motion smoothing, which can produce the "soap opera effect", is turned off to preserve the intended look and feel of the movie. Sharpening, noise reduction and other enhancements must also be off.
- Correct aspect ratio: It maintains the original aspect ratio of the content, whatever that may be (4:3, 1.90:1, 16:9 etc.), with overscan disabled.
- Original frame rate: It maintains the original frame rate of the content, whatever that may be (24fps, 25fps, 50fps etc.)
- Accurate colors: The UHD Alliance requires that Filmmaker Mode must be based on the TV maker's most accurate picture mode with a D65 white point. However, color accuracy is not verified or certified.
- Reference brightness level: It adheres to the reference standard for both SDR (100 nits) and HDR to set TV brightness for dark room viewing.
Expanded Filmmaker Mode
Since its launch in 2020, Filmmaker Mode has been expanded in a number of ways. The first time was in October 2021 when auto-switching was enabled for Amazon Prime Video, meaning that you no longer have to manually switch in and out of Filmmaker Mode. In 2024, Filmmaker Mode expanded beyond SDR and HDR10 to also be an option with Dolby Vision content. Auto-switching support was also expanded to Apple TV+. Finally, the UHD Alliance is also planning to expand Filmmaker Mode to preserve creative intent in brighter viewing environments by using the TV's light sensor to automatically adapt to your viewing environment. FlatpanelsHD saw the approach demonstrated at CES 2024.
Which TVs support Filmmaker Mode?
Filmmaker Mode is supported in select TV models from various brands, but it can be difficult to know how exactly it is supported. The official logo to guide consumers is not always listed in the TV specifications either. The list below pulls data from FlatpanelsHD's TV Database to show you all the models that support manual or automatic Filmmaker Mode, as well as Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode. The list will automatically expand as the TV Database gets updated.Filmmaker Mode:
TV brand:
