> Who seriously thinks this looks better

I don’t think people notice. I don’t own a TV, but twice now I’ve been to some friend’s house and I immediately noticed it on theirs. Both times I explained the Soap Opera effect and suggested disabling the feature. They both agreed, let me do it, and haven’t turned it on again. But I also think that is a mix of trusting me and not caring, I’m not convinced they could really tell the difference.

Tip for those aiming to do the same: Search online for “<tv brand> soap opera effect” and you’re bound to find a website telling you the whereabouts of how to reach the setting. It may not be 100% correct, so be on the lookout for whatever dumb name the manufacturer gave the “feature” (usually described in the same guide you would have found online).

> I got a serious uneasy feeling as if I was on a psychedelic and couldn't quite trust my perception, especially at the 2:00 mark

You weren’t kidding. That bit at 02:06 really makes you start to blink and look closer. The face morphs entirely.

https://youtu.be/7Yyx31HPgfs&t=126s

Looking at the original, it’s obvious why: that section was really blurry. The AI version doesn’t understand camera effects.

https://youtu.be/1X6KF1IkkIc?t=126

Thank you for providing both links, it made the comparison really simple.

If you watch the average person watch TV, they don’t actually pay attention to it. Everyone is just on their phone. It drives me crazy watching just about anything with people because I look around and no one even has their eyes on the TV. It’s just background noise.