The smelter in the Xiaomi TV: understand the details

If you own a Xiaomi TV and first heard the term “smelter”, you may have wondered what it is and how it affects your viewing content. In fact, it is an informal name for one of the key image processing technologies that is responsible for smooth video playback, and in official Xiaomi documentation it is more often called “Motion Smoothing” or “MEMC” (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation).

The technology has become especially relevant with the advent of high-refrequency TVs (120 Hz, 144 Hz) and artificially increases frames per second, making movement smoother — but not always a benefit. For example, moviephiles often complain that smelting makes movies look like a “soap opera” with unnatural plasticity. On the other hand, for sports or video games, this feature can be useful.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how the smelter works in Xiaomi Mi TV, Redmi Smart TV and other models of the brand, where to find its settings, and when to turn it off, and how this technology compares with similar solutions from competitors such as Samsung, LG and Sony.

What is a smelter and how does it work?

A melter (or MEMC) is an algorithm that analyzes adjacent frames in a video stream and generates intermediate frames to smooth the transitions between them. For example, if the original video has 24 frames per second (the standard for a movie), a 120Hz TV can bring this value to 60 or even 120 frames, filling in the gaps with artificially created images.

The technology is based on two key processes:

• 🔍 Motion Estimation: The TV analyzes the trajectories of objects on the screen.
• 🎨 Motion Compensation – based on analysis, intermediate frames are created.

In Xiaomi TVs, this is the responsibility of a MediaTek or Amlogic processor (depending on the model), which has a dedicated video processing unit. For example, the Mi TV Q2 and Redmi Smart TV X use an Amlogic T972 chip with MEMC support up to 120 Hz.

Where to find the settings of the flattener in the Xiaomi TV?

Depending on the model and version of the MIUI TV firmware, the path to settings may vary slightly. Usually the option is hidden in the picture menu or additional image parameters.

1. Open the settings (cog on the remote).
2. Go to the Picture (or Display) section.
3. Select Additional Settings → Movement (or Smoothness).
4. Find the MEMC, Motion Smoothing, or Smoothing options.

In some models (such as the Mi TV P1), the option may be called Clear Motion or Judder Reduction. If you don't find it, check the Image Mode section: sometimes the smelter automatically turns on in Sport or Dynamic modes.

Open the "Picture" menu

Find the section "Movement" or "Smoothness"

Check the current MEMC value (usually 0–100%)

Make sure that the image mode does not override settings-->

When should the smelter be turned off?

Despite the obvious upsides to dynamic content, there are situations where MEMC is better off deactivating:

• 🎬 Movies (24) FPS) — Artificial increase of frames violates the author’s intention of the director, making the image “plastic».
• 🖥️ Viewing content from a PC – if the TV is used as a monitor, MEMC It can also add input delay (input lag).
• 🎮 Game consoles – in games, a natural picture without artifacts is important, and a smelter can create “ghost” objects.

It is especially critical to turn off the feature when watching black and white movies or low-resolution content – MEMC algorithms often misuse such materials, creating visual noise.

Yeah, always.

For cinema only, 24 FPS

No, I like the smoothness.

I don't know what that is.-->

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi TVs with firmware older than 2021 may not have a separate slider for MEMC. In this case, the smoothness is regulated through the general parameter Noise reduction - it should also be turned off for a natural image.

Comparison of Xiaomi smelter with competitors

All leading manufacturers have motion smoothing technologies, but they are implemented differently. For clarity, compare Xiaomi with its main competitors:

Xiaomi is in the middle of a mix: their smelter is not as aggressive as Samsung’s, but it’s not as delicate as Sony’s, and the main advantage is the flexibility of the settings: most models can adjust the intensity of the effect from 0 to 100%.

💡

Xiaomi smelter is suitable for sports and TV shows, but for movies it is better to use alternative modes of image (for example, Movie or Game).

How to test a smelter on your TV?

To see if you like the effect of MEMC, you can do a simple test:

1. Enable test videos with moving objects (such as racing or sports broadcasts).
2. Activate the smelter to a maximum of (100% or High level).
3. Compare the smoothness of movement with the disabled function.
4. Pay attention to artifacts: “ghost” contours, blurring or unnatural plasticity.

For objective evaluation, use special videos on YouTube with FPS tags (for example, “24fps vs 60fps comparison”).

• 📺 Standard – Balance between smoothness and naturalness.
• 🏀 Sport – Maximum activation MEMC.
• 🎥 Movie – the smelter is usually turned off or works at a minimum.

Frequent problems with smelting and their solutions

MEMC doesn't always work perfectly, but here are the typical user complaints and ways to address them:

⚠️ Warning: If after turning on the smelter, the TV begins to "brake" or horizontal stripes appear, try resetting the image settings to factory (Settings) → System system → Resetting. This can help with malfunctioning video processing algorithms.

Another common problem is that it's not compatible with external devices, like when you connect an Apple TV or an NVIDIA Shield, the smelter can automatically shut down.

1. Check if the external source supports HDMI 2.1 (needs for 4K@120Hz).
2. In the settings HDMI-Activate the TV port mode PC or Game mode.
3. Update the firmware of the TV and external device.

Xiaomi’s 2023 models (such as the Mi TV Q2 75) introduced a feature called “AI MEMC,” which adapts smoothness to content type, but it doesn’t work smoothly with low-quality streaming video (such as YouTube at 720p).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions