You can lower your TV’s sound without sacrificing quality or turning it off altogether. Whether you’re using your TV for gaming, watching movies or streaming content, the right settings can make all the difference in your viewing experience.

Most modern TVs have options to lower the sound in a “display,” “options” or “settings” menu. Some people use this feature to reduce a TV’s “soap opera effect” or to avoid the booming, over-loud volume that is common with many home theater systems and speakers.

This option can also help lower the TV’s power consumption, saving you money on your electricity bill. Some Picture modes, such as Vivid or Movie, use more energy than others.

Another way to save energy on your TV is by lowering TV’s the backlight brightness. While this may make the screen less impressive at first, it can extend the life of the LEDs by up to 10 years. You’ll probably want to replace your TV before that time comes, but it’s worth the small sacrifice for a longer lifespan.

If you’re struggling to hear your TV’s sound, it could be because the ‘Speakers’ setting isn’t set to your TV’s speakers. This is a common problem with some TVs, especially when they’re connected to an external audio device or set-top box. Make sure to select the correct output device in your TV’s ‘Sound’ settings and test the volume with the internal speaker.

Most TVs have a setting to change the ‘Sharpness’ of the picture. Increasing sharpness generally adds definition, but it can reduce details along edges. If you find your TV’s picture is blurry or lacking detail, try decreasing the sharpness setting.

If you’re having trouble with the ‘Input Lag’ on your TV, you can lower it by enabling Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). This can improve gaming performance, though not everyone will notice the difference. You may need to experiment with this setting to see if it’s right for you, but most serious gamers will find the extra performance is worth the trade-off. To enable VRR, you’ll need to find your TV’s HDMI 2.1 input. This is usually listed in your manual or on the back of your TV. You can also find it by searching on Google, or look at your TV’s ports to figure out the wattage of each one. You’ll need this information to calculate wattage per USB or HDMI cable, or to figure out how many watts your TV is using on standby. If you’re unable to find this information, ask your TV manufacturer for more details.