You bought a good television, spent a good amount of money, and yet you feel the picture looks artificial and you have to turn up the volume every time the characters talk.

Frustration is common and almost never has to do with a defect in the device. In most cases, the problem lies in the factory settings.

The good news is that almost everything can be resolved with free menu adjustments in just a few minutes, without needing any technical knowledge.

In this guide, you will learn exactly what to change, in the right order, to get the most out of the television you already have at home.

There's a simple explanation for this, and it's not accidental.

Most televisions come from the factory with settings designed for the retail environment, where the lighting is extremely bright and several devices compete side-by-side for the customer's attention.

In this scenario, excessive brightness and saturated colors help to draw attention to the shelf. Inside your living room, however, the effect is the opposite: artificial skin tones and visual discomfort.

Therefore, the first step is not to buy anything, but rather to access the menu and undo what was designed to sell, not to be watched.

If you're only going to make one change to this guide, let it be this one. It's the one that produces the most visible results.

Access your television's picture settings and see which mode is active. It will likely be Dynamic, Vivid, or Standard.

The mode Dynamic or Vivid It forces excessive brightness and oversaturates the colors. It's the store mode, and the worst for home use.

The mode Standard It's the factory middle ground. It works, but it retains processes that distort the original intent of the content.

The mode Cinema or Film It warms the color temperature for more accurate tones and reduces harsh blue light, delivering natural skin tones and more detail in dark scenes.

THE Filmmaker Mode It goes even further. Developed in collaboration between manufacturers, filmmakers, studios, and the UHD Alliance, it automatically disables all motion smoothing and edge enhancement, preserving the original aspect ratio, colors, and frame rate.

For movies and TV shows, choose Filmmaker Mode whenever your TV offers it. If it's not available, use Cinema or Movie.

For video games, activate Game Mode, which drastically reduces the latency between the command and the response on the screen.

For sports, the dedicated mode can be helpful, as it prioritizes fluidity of movement over cinematic fidelity.

An important note: when switching to Cinema mode, the image will appear darker and more yellowish at first. This is normal. Give your eyes a few minutes to adjust before judging, and then compare by switching back to the previous mode.

This is the adjustment that most divides opinions and bothers those who notice the problem the most.

Modern televisions insert artificial frames between the original ones to make the movement smoother. The feature appears under different names depending on the brand, such as TruMotion, Motion Plus, or similar.

The result is the so-called soap opera effect: Hollywood films begin to look like home recordings or live broadcasts because the processing removes the natural 24 frames per second frame rate, the standard in the film industry.

To fix this, go to the image menu, look for the clarity or motion options, and turn off anti-aliasing.

One practical caveat: in football, motorsports, and other content with fast-paced movement, a low level of smoothing can be useful. Test and decide based on the type of content.

If the image remains dark even after increasing the brightness, the culprit is probably something else.

Check if any power saving mode or automatic brightness adjustment is active. LG itself warns that this feature may make the image darker than expected.

These systems automatically reduce the panel's brightness, often without the user noticing, and sabotage any calibration you may have performed.

Regarding contrast, the rule is simple: increase it until the details in the light areas are still visible. If the clouds in a scene become a white blotch, you've gone too far.

For brightness, do the opposite. Adjust until you can distinguish the details in the shadows without the blacks becoming grayish.

Here, the golden rule applies: make few changes and always test with a real scene, preferably with faces in the frame.

For the color temperatureCompare the Normal and Warm options using a scene with human skin on a neutral background. The one that leaves the tones looking more natural is the correct one, even if it appears yellowish at first.

For the saturationAdjust slightly. If the colors appear flat or overly vibrant, reduce the settings.

For the hueKeep it close to the standard color. If the red starts to turn orange or purple, go back a little.

A sharpness This is the most common trap. Many people increase the zoom to the maximum thinking it improves the definition, but the excess creates artificial, double outlines around objects. If you notice this effect, reduce the zoom by one step.

Specific adjustments by content type

If your television allows you to save settings via HDMI input, take advantage of it. This way, the video game console stays in Game mode and the streaming device in Cinema mode, without having to switch every time.

There's no point in calibrating the image if the room is working against you.

Avoid direct light on the screen, especially from windows positioned directly opposite the television. The glare destroys the contrast and makes blacks appear gray.

Install the TV approximately at eye level for someone who is seated. Screens that are too high cause neck strain and distort the viewing angle.

Regarding distance, sitting too close to a large screen makes the image appear grainy, while sitting too far away wastes the resolution you paid for.

Here's an extra, inexpensive tip: installing soft lighting behind the television reduces eye strain in dark environments and improves contrast perception.

This is the most frequent complaint from those who own modern TVs, and there is a physical reason for it.

Televisions have become extremely thin, leaving little internal space for decent speakers. Furthermore, in most models the speakers point downwards or backwards, not towards you.

In the sound menu, look for options like Clear Dialogue, Crisp Voice, or Voice Amplifier. These prioritize the mid-range frequencies, which is exactly where human speech is located.

If there's a manual equalizer, slightly boost the mids and reduce the bass. Muffled sound is usually due to excessive bass masking the vocals.

Also disable virtual surround sound features when the goal is to understand dialogue. They spread the audio and impair clarity.

Moving the television a few centimeters away from the wall can help a lot, especially with models that have rear speakers, because the sound gains a surface area to reflect on.

Avoid placing decorative objects in front of the audio outputs and keep the area below the screen clear.

If, after all the adjustments, the sound is still insufficient, it's time to consider external equipment.

A soundbar is the most practical solution and solves most problems, especially models that include a separate subwoofer.

The recommendation from experts is clear: avoid models without a subwoofer, because the difference in quality is significant.

A budget tip: if you have an entry-level TV, investing in a mid-range soundbar usually pays off more than upgrading your television to a higher category.

An incorrect connection wastes resources you've already paid for.

To get audio in advanced formats like Dolby Atmos, connect the soundbar to the HDMI port marked eARC, usually located on the back of the television.

In the sound menu, check that the HDMI-eARC mode is set to automatic and that the digital audio output is set to pass-through.

Regarding cables, if your TV is 120Hz and you want 4K with a high frame rate without lag or black screens, an HDMI 2.1 cable is mandatory. Older cables simply cannot handle that volume of data.

It's also worth checking the signal source. There's no point in calibrating everything if the streaming device is set to a low resolution or if the internet connection is unstable.

Keep your system updated. Manufacturers release periodic patches that resolve playback issues and improve app compatibility.

Clean the screen only with a microfiber cloth lightly dampened with water. Products containing alcohol or ammonia will damage the anti-reflective coating.

Avoid leaving the television displaying static images for many consecutive hours, especially on OLED panels, to reduce the risk of permanent damage.

Finally, review your settings from time to time. System updates occasionally restore default values without warning.

Improving the picture and sound quality of your Smart TV is, in most cases, a matter of undoing the factory settings for the store environment.

Changing the picture mode, disabling motion smoothing, adjusting the audio to prioritize voices, and using the correct connection resolve most complaints.

The best part is that all these adjustments are free and reversible, so feel free to experiment until you find the configuration that suits your taste.