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Comment by meindnoch | Hacker News Reader

If you try using a 60hz screen after a 120hz one, it will feel very sluggish and choppy. As long as you don't get used to 120hz, you'll be fine with 60hz.

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I've never really felt this way, and have used all kinds of screens of various resolutions, sizes, technologies, etc. For 99% of the typical use cases (chats, email, doom scrolling, etc.) there just is not a big enough perceptible difference for most buyers.

Screen refresh rate arguments are starting to have hints of audiophile discussions.

I flatly will not buy any monitor, laptop, phone, tablet, or TV with a refresh rate below 120hz. I had 120hz 1080p over DVI-dual link in 2010. I can accept graphically demanding games going down to ~50 fps, but for UI interactivity and navigation, I'll take 120hz+ only.

And there you are, watching a movie on that 120p+ tv. You do k ow the movie is only 24p right?

I also (hopefully) don't have to interact with any UI while the movie is playing, but if I did, I'd want that UI running at 120hz. Maybe TV streamers will start advertising 120hz output soon. Maybe I should just replace my streamer with a spare PC that can output 120.

> Maybe TV streamers will start advertising 120hz output soon.

120 Hz won’t make a difference on a TV box, imo, as abysmal state of their UI is far greater of a problem. High refresh rate is nothing when a transition takes seconds and when scroll is jittery even by 60 Hz standards. :(

While 3:2 pulldown isn't atrocious, a 120Hz screen does have the advantage that it's a simple multiple of 24 fps, which can't be said of 60Hz.

Movie cameras have something called "shutter angle".

A computer UI is basically a movie with 0 shutter angle, which looks super jerky at low framerates.

Going 60hz → 120hz: "Meh, I guess it's smoother? Whatever..."

Going 120hz → 60hz: "WTF? Why is it so choppy? Am I accidentally in low battery mode?"

It's similar to going back to non-retina displays after getting used to retina resolution.

The good news is that human brain is amazing and will probably revert to reasonable perception if you use your non retina 60Hz screen for long enough :)

What conclusion do I draw from this? “Stay away from high refresh rate screens not to spoil myself” :D

That's actually not a bad recommendation if you want to keep sanity as a tech enthusiast :). Otherwise you start noticing how much stuff still hasn't been upgraded to support high dpi and high refresh rate and you can't go back

Sadly, I’ve already tasted the forbidden fruit of HiDPI, so I do understand the feelings of 120 Hz aficionado. :’(

The key takeaway is: it hurts more to lose something, than it made you happy when you received it.

From this you may reach enlightenment.

I have an iPhone pro, a 120hz LG, and a MacBook Air. At no point has the MacBook felt choppy…

I switch between various refresh rates daily, it’s barely noticeable.

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