Display refresh rates, measured in hertz (Hz), significantly impact the smoothness of motion on screens. A display with a 60Hz refresh rate updates the image 60 times per second, each update representing a frame. Thus, at its maximum capacity, a 60Hz display shows 60 frames in one second. In contrast, a 360Hz display updates its image 360 times per second, allowing for the potential display of 360 frames in the same duration. This rapid succession of frames results in a markedly smoother visual experience, as the human eye perceives motion more fluidly when more frames are displayed per second.

Conversely, a display with a lower refresh rate, like 24Hz, refreshes the image just 24 times per second. This lower frequency results in a more ‘choppy’ or stuttered visual experience due to the fewer number of frames presented each second.

Analogous to a film projector, increasing the frame rate for smoother motion requires the film to move faster through the projector. However, without additional frames in the source material, this would simply speed up the playback. To maintain normal playback speed while achieving a higher frame rate, the source material must contain more frames. For instance, to sustain standard playback speed on a 360Hz display (which is 6 times faster than a 60Hz display), the source needs to provide six times as many frames per second.

The unit “hertz” means “per second”. A higher value is still one second, but more events per second.

All of the frames in the number (30, 60, 144, 360, etc) are shown in one second. So for 360 Hz you’re seeing a new frame every 1/360 = 0.0028 seconds vs 1/60 = 0.017 seconds which gives a smoother transition from frame to frame