Soap opera effect is consumer lingo for a visual effect caused by motion interpolation, a process that high definition televisions use to display content at a higher refresh rate than the original source. The goal of motion interpolation is to give the viewer a more life-like picture.

What is soap opera effect good for?

The Soap Opera Effect, also called Motion Interpolation or Frame Interpolation, is a form of video processing in which artificial animation frames are generated between existing ones by means of interpolation. The purpose is to attempt to make the animation more fluid and to compensate for the display's motion blur.

Why do they call it soap opera effect?

Smoothing is often derogatorily called "the soap opera effect" because it evokes the cheap visual look of classic daytime soap operas, which were generally shot on videotape rather than film out of practical necessity due to their daily production schedules.