Is it me or is this a problem with all new HDTV sets?
I just replaced by 10 year old 46" pioneer (great tv) with a 56" JVC HD-56G786. The contrast on the JVC is sooooo extreme, you need sun glasses to watch. But the dark areas are too black and the light area are burn your retinas. The user adjustments don't give enough latitude to correct it, and every source (ATV, DTV, SAT, DVD, VCR) requires complete readjustment to look good. Even show to commercial to show exhibits so much change in picture quality that you spend lots of time readjusting for each show. AAARRRRGH!
Nope..robert you have to adjust it down.All sets now come that way cause there setup for retail stores not your home.They crank the contrast all the way up and the brightness half way.If you set them like you would at home you would barely see them in the stores and you would say there not dark and dull because they will not stand out.
When you adjust down the contrast, the grey level also drops so that the image darkens too much. To compensate for this, you increase the brightness, but the overall white level always stays on an extreme, as does black. If you are familiar with photoshop, its like the TV picture automatically adjusts itself (like photoshop auto levels) deciding the lightest area is to be pure white, and the darkest area pure black. This produces an unrealistic contrast level, because most images should NOT have full white or black. In addition, when viewing the picture in a dimly lit environment, when the picture is dialed in at the best compromise, the picture is just too bright and contrasty (is this a word?). The worst case is digital broadcasts. The image looks great is bright sunlight, but there is not an effective way to tone down the contrast without making the image too dark.
It might help if you purchase an Avia calibration disc which will walk you through a fairly good calibration procedure. The best thing is to hirs an ISF technician and have your display professionally calibrated.
If you do not want to go to any additional expense try turning off the Black Level Expansion and changing the color temperture setting in your menu screen.
It's been my observation that the Samsung models provide a bright, vivid, colorful display and excellent grey scale with the following settings.
Mode = Standard Contrast = 90-95 seriously! It's proper! Brightness = 52-55 depending on room light. Color = 43-48 to balance with brightness. Sharpness = 20 or less according to THX & Avia. Tint to suite if not greyed out.
I like "Normal" Color Tone for better whites, but the best grey scale is obtained with "Warm 1" per ISF techs.
Many owners are accessing the Service Mode and making small changes to "Gamma", "Index Delay", and "Actuator Gain". Some even turn off the DNIE because it can over-do edge enhancement. Write down existing settings before making adjustments. Never use the "Factory Reset" option. It's not what you would think it is. To access SM with power off, using the remote, push mute, 1, 8, 2, power. Comes on saying "Factory Loading" and displays first menu. Arrow up and down to highlight selection in red. Push "Enter" to select. Use right arrow to adjust up and left arrow to adjust down. Push "Menu" to return to the menu screen. Arrow down to "Service" and push Enter to see a different menu screen. "Option" will show another menu that has lamp hours and lamp meter reset. Power off for 1 second and back on to exit the SM with no lamp compromise. Some folks are lowering the Index Delay to reduce macro-blocking backgrounds in standard def with digital compression. Factory setting may be in the high 50s or low 60s. I've heard of adjustments as low as 42, but I like 54. Folks are lowering the "Gamma" by 1 or 2 for better grey scale. Actuator gain can be set in the mid 70s to low 80s. If you're really picky you can enter the CCA settings and make adjustments to the color standards. I found Cyan and Magenta to be way off from SMPTE CCIR 601 and sRGB CCIR 709 color calibration standards. Everything else was pretty close. Here is what Cyan should be. X=225 Y=330 Y=315. Here is what Magenta should be. X=395 Y=195 Y=100. Outside of a professional ISF calibration folks are very satisfied with these settings. If you're not up to all this you can call 1-800-SAMSUNG prompts 2, 1, 3, 1 and tell them you feel your set is out of adjustment and they will send a tech to run signal generators and test patterns and calibrate things to an extent. Keep at it until your happy or get rid of it. You deserve the best picture.
Scooby Doo: Do the calibration discs come with instructions to access the controls beyond those in the normal menus? There is no user adjustment for black level expansion. Only a dynamic gama control On/Off.
Do IFS technicians have a service remote to gain access to non-user picture control?
What is the key sequences and instructions for the standard remote to gain a higher level of control?
Kano: I wasn't aware of different settings for HD and SD. How do you access the 2 settings for SD and HD. Mine only has 4 moderately adjustable presets (standard, dynamic, theater, game), and theater is the lowest contrast, and I have to further adjust the "Picture" (contrast) setting to -30, "Color" -10 and "Brightness" +10.
FYI: Are the detailed instructions for accessing the special menus for Samsung or JVC? It sounds like the Samsung engineers are better then JVC when it comes to user picture control. JVC had (key word is "had") always allowed mass user customization on their products, and consumer reports always slammed them that they were too complex. Now it appears they have taken the other view, and we are all idiots not capable to adjust the picture on our sets.
JVC (all ALL others), if you are listening (reading): 1. Include in the user controls a way of making Source dependent customer tailored presets. 2. Include a variable gamma adjustment. 3. Include seperate controls for picture height and width user presets, so you can "correct" the aspect ratio to your own liking. 4. Include intensity adjustments for each color (RGB), not just a tint control (how 1975). 5. Variable color temperature, not just 2 presets. 5. Learn something from computer monitor manufacures. They have their act together.
Robert, you just have to have either a HD or SD picture on the screen, there are two different pre-sets for each mode. I use Standard for everything.
To access the service menu press the sleep timer button, with the 0 min on screen press the display and video status button at the same time. You must press the mute button to save any changes. I used the service menu to adjust the G DRIVE value down 15 notches, helps the greens not glow as much.
Kano, you are quite savy with the conrols. Is there a way to change the gray bars to black when a 4:3 format is input to the TV? Is it possible to adjust the default image width for 4:3 images?
I will try to answer your questions in the order you asked them:
1. The calibration discs walk you through user acccessible adjustments only. 2. Yes there is a user on/off for Black Level Expansion in the user menu of your display. 3. ISF techs can adjust 100% of the service menu controls for the best picture possible. 4. You didn't ask me this but if I was you I would stay out of the Service Menu, nothing but trouble can come of it if you make the slightest mistake. Only ver savy and careful owners should fool around in there. But it is your TV so go for it if you like.
PS:A computer monitor is nothing like a TV monitor and is not designed to be similar.
Although a computer monitor is nothing like a TV, they allow the user full access to everything from temp, pincushion, rotation, height and widths adjustments, overscan, underscan ..... If only a little bit of this rubbed off on TV makers. (I can dream)
Access the service adjustment mode: (SLEEP then VIDEO STATUS + DISPLAY simultaneously), Select 1. ADJUSTMENT MODE then scroll to S006 (SD Black Level) and change from 001 to 010 and S007 (SD Contrast) and change from 45 to 35. These 2 changes greatly improves the definition in darker areas of the screen when viewing standard definition sources (DISH).
While your in this menu, adjust S030 (Red Drive) to 120, S031 (Green Drive) to 100, and S032 (Blue Drive) to 110. This helps the overall colors.
Success!!!! (I could not find any adjustments for HD signals, but they were able to correct with the normal user controls)