SD DVDs on LCD monitors: Is it just me?

Re: SD DVDs on LCD monitors: Is it just me?

Let me ask one question. Have you adjusted the set? Or are you watching it right out of the box. I have a Sony LCD, and it looks pretty sweet. But if i were to leave it at factory settings, aka, torch mode, it would look like crap. Even with Blu-ray it will look bad, if you dont adjust the picture settings.

Re: SD DVDs on LCD monitors: Is it just me?

About the worst place to actually judge an HDTV is in a big box store like Best Buy. All the TVs are misadjusted to make the colors pop more than they should and have the brightness and contrast turned up too high. ("Torch mode" mentioned above.) These settings distort even HD material, but they especially make SD cable and DVD look like hell.

That's why it is so important to buy (or rent) a calibration disc like Avia II: Guide to Home Theater or Digital Video Essentials to correctly adjust whichever set you buy. Unfortunately, you can't usually run these discs on the TVs you're examining in a store (even if you have access to an attached DVD player, you'd never have the time to do a proper set-up.)

Lots of people have the experience of getting their first HDTV home - whether plamsa, LCD or some other technology - and being so horrified by the picture on SD material that they wonder if they're going to have to return the thing. (That was my initial reaction and I knew that I would have to calibrate the set to get the best picture.) But 20 to 30 minutes with one of these discs and you'll find your SD DVDs generally look great.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: How good any given SD DVD (or cable channel) looks on your set will depend on the source material. HD sets magnify the flaws of bad discs as well as bringing out the best in good ones.

Your set will deinterlace and upscale your SD DVDs to its native resolution, interpolating the extra lines from the existing data. It isn't the same thing as Blu Ray, but depending on your equipment it can be impressive. (My CSI sets look almost as good as the new episodes on HD cable.) But there are limits. I have a couple of documentary series from the 70s, neither of which has ever been adequately remastered, The Ascent of Man and The Adams Chronicles. Neither is going to win any awards for picture quality. OTOH films like Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz look better than I have ever seen them.

Of course, I'm also watching these films on an LCoS rear projection set, which does a better job of producing a true black, but the best of today's LCDs are much improved in this area (and they have a wider viewing angle - there are always trade-offs. )

Anyway, I wouldn't panic over the way things looked in Best Buy. But if there's a high end HT store in your area I'd do a little window shopping to get a better idea of how sets and brands compare.

Regards,

Joe

Re: SD DVDs on LCD monitors: Is it just me?

I would also check the sony dvd player. There are much better options for an upscaling DVD player than Sony. This too will help the viewing pleasure.

And when you upscale the widescreen version of "Lawrence of Arabia" you will be truly impressed.

...gene

Re: SD DVDs on LCD monitors: Is it just me?

Don't really know any (unless it's some snooty highend audio shop perhaps ).

Which Best Buy did you check? You might be better off just learning to adjust the TV yourself. Afterall, you're gonna have to do it again when you get the set home.

For starters, I'd turn down/off whatever extra video processing the set does -- that should help alleviate the pixelation problem. Turn down/off stuff like sharpness and whatever Sony proprietary/branded video processing, especially if it's on "auto" or "dynamic". Turn down the contrast and brightness settings some (maybe as much as 1/2 way down).

Personally, I'd pass on LCD and maybe go w/ plasma, if I were you. But if you plan to watch a whole lot of old films/programming that need 4x3 format, then plasma's probably not good for you (due to potential image burn).

_Man_

Re: SD DVDs on LCD monitors: Is it just me?

Does your player output your choice of 480i (native; unaltered) and 480p (already de-interlaced; partially upconverted if you insist)?

Try both of these kinds of output to your TV using component video (or HDMI).

Poor de-interlacing still exists and at least you can see if the TV does a better job than the player.

DVD material must be de-interlaced somewhere on the way to the LCD or plasma screen.

Video hints: Line Doublers and De-Interlacers