Trailing video refers to the phenomenon of displaying a visual afterimage or ghosting effect on a video screen when objects or motion appear with a delay or smearing effect during rapid movement. It is a visual artifact that occurs due to the persistence of vision, where the human eye retains an image for a short duration even after it is removed.
When a video contains fast-paced action or swift movement, the trailing video effect emerges as blurred or stretched motion trails following the objects or figures on the screen. This trailing effect happens because the eye perceives the image remnants of the previous frames while the display refreshes to the new frames. As the frames transition at a higher speed, the eye tries to fill in the gaps, leading to the illusion of afterimages or trails.
Trailing video can occur on various display technologies, including CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors, LCD (liquid crystal display) screens, and LED (light-emitting diode) panels. However, it is more prominent on older displays with slower refresh rates, which struggle to keep up with rapid motion. Modern high-refresh-rate displays, such as those with 120 Hz or 240 Hz, mitigate the trailing effect significantly.
Video gamers, especially, may find trailing video distracting during fast-paced gaming, as it can impact the perception of motion accuracy. To reduce or eliminate trailing video, technologies like motion blur reduction, higher refresh rates, or G-Sync/FreeSync synchronization are implemented, refreshing the screen more quickly and synchronizing the display with the GPU output to create smoother motion and reduce afterimages.
