Refresh rate test

Counts how many frames this browser really delivers, in frames per second, along with the frame time and how steady the pace was. Made to run on the television itself. It is also clear about what the number is worth, which depends on the device: On a computer it normally follows the display mode in use, and on a television it is the browser's own ceiling rather than anything about your panel.

This test needs JavaScript to run. Everything below still explains what refresh rate means and why a 120Hz TV reports 60, so the page is useful either way.

Ready to measure

This counts frames for five seconds. Leave the page in front while it runs and do not press anything, because a keypress can cost a frame and drag the figure down.

Measure the frame rate

The numbers

Quick answer

A browser refresh rate test counts how many frames per second the browser draws, and what that number means depends on the device. On a computer the browser draws in step with the display, so the figure normally matches the refresh mode currently switched on: a monitor running at 144Hz reports about 144. It is still the active mode, not the maximum, so a 144Hz monitor left at 60Hz reports 60. On a television it is different: TV browsers are capped near 60 frames per second whatever the panel does, so a 120Hz set reports 60 and the figure says nothing about the screen. Either way the steadiness and the dropped frame count are honest, and they show how loaded the device is.

What did you see?

Pick the closest match and we take you straight to what causes it and what fixes it.

It reports 60 on a 120Hz TV Well below 60 Motion still looks wrong I am setting up a games console Film looks like cheap video

Next test TV Motion Test Moving patterns show blur, judder and the soap opera effect as you would really see them.

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What this test can and cannot tell you

This is the test where most sites overclaim, so the line is drawn carefully.

Counting the browser's frame rate

Reliable. The figure is a real count of frames delivered over five seconds, with the first moments discarded and the median taken, so a single stutter does not move it.

The refresh mode on a computer

Usually right. A desktop browser draws in step with the display, so the measured rate normally matches the mode currently switched on. A 144Hz monitor running at 144Hz reports about 144.

The panel's maximum refresh rate

Not shown, even on a computer. This is the mode in use right now. A 144Hz monitor left in a 60Hz mode reports 60, and nothing here reveals that it could do more. The display settings list what is available.

The panel's rate on a television

Not measurable here. TV browsers are capped near 60 frames per second whatever the screen does, so a 120Hz set reports 60 and the figure cannot tell the two apart. This is the one case where a number that looks like an answer is not one.

Frame time and steadiness

Reliable, within reason. These come from the same timestamps as the rate. They show whether the browser kept an even pace, which is a fair sign of how loaded the device is.

Whether your TV supports 120Hz

Not answered here. Check the specification, or let a games console report it: a PS5 or Xbox will tell you what the connection actually negotiated, which is the honest answer for gaming.

Response time and motion blur

A different question. Refresh rate is how often the picture updates; response time is how quickly a pixel changes. The motion test shows blur and judder as you would actually see them.

What refresh rate actually means

Hertz, in one line

How many times per second the screen redraws the picture. 60Hz means sixty fresh pictures a second, 120Hz twice that. It sets the ceiling for how smooth motion can look, and nothing more.

Why a TV browser says 60

Television browsers render at sixty frames per second by design, to stay predictable and cool. The panel underneath may well be 120Hz. On a computer it works the other way: the browser follows whatever mode the display is in, which is why the same test is more informative there.

Where 120Hz really shows

Gaming from a current console or PC, where the source can actually send 120 frames a second. For broadcast and streaming there is no 120 frame content, so the panel rate matters far less than the processing.

Not the same as motion smoothing

A TV can invent extra frames to fill a 120Hz panel. That is interpolation, and it is what gives film the cheap video look. A high refresh rate does not require it, and it can be switched off; the soap opera effect guide shows where.

Questions people ask

How do I test my TV refresh rate?

Open this page in the television's browser and run the measurement. It counts the frames the browser delivers over five seconds and reports the rate. Read the result carefully though: it tells you what the browser managed, not what the panel is capable of. Nearly every TV browser is capped at 60 frames per second, so a 120Hz television will still report 60 here.

Why does my 120Hz TV show 60Hz?

Because the browser, not the panel, sets the limit. Television browsers render at 60 frames per second and there is no way for a web page to ask the screen what it can do. The panel can still be 120Hz and still show 120 frames per second from a games console or a 4K Blu-ray player. To confirm what the set supports, check the specification or the console's own video test.

What is a good refresh rate for a TV?

For films and normal television, 60Hz is enough, because the content itself is 24 or 50 or 60 frames per second. For gaming on a current console or a PC, 120Hz is a real advantage: motion is clearer and input feels more direct. Sport sits in between and benefits mainly from good motion handling rather than the number itself.

Can a website measure my panel's refresh rate?

Partly, and the honest answer depends on the device. A browser only knows how fast it is drawing its own frames. On a computer that is genuinely useful, because the browser draws in step with the display, so the figure normally matches the refresh mode currently switched on. What it never shows, even there, is the panel's maximum: a 144Hz monitor left in a 60Hz mode reports 60. On a television the number stops being informative altogether, because TV browsers are capped near 60 whatever the panel does.

My result is lower than 60. Is my TV broken?

Usually not. A low figure normally means something else on the device was busy, or the browser throttled animation while the page was not in front. Close other apps, bring the page forward and measure again. If it stays low across several runs, the browser on that television is simply slow, which says nothing about how the set handles video.

Does a higher refresh rate make films look better?

Not by itself. Film is made at 24 frames per second and a higher panel rate does not add detail. What changes the look is motion smoothing, which invents extra frames and gives film the cheap video look known as the soap opera effect. That is a setting, not a panel property, and it can be switched off.