Any suggestions on ideal color settings? (1 Viewer)

[Thik Nongyow]

I own a 27" HDTV-ready TV for now two weeks and I need some suggestions on ideal color settings. Here are the settings I need some suggestions on:

a) Contrast 1-100
b) Brightness 1-100
c) Sharpness 1-100
d) Color 1-100
e) Tint; green and red

Ever since the second day, I had set up the color settings as follows according to my preferences:

Contrast: 24
Brightness: 80
Sharpness: 60, now 70
Color: 45
Tint: G 50 R 50

However, I noticed that the picture has a grayish look, and look washed up. Blacks are not blacks. I now that I need help on finding the desirable color settings.

Any suggestions?

 

[Dave_Olds]

Do you have many DVD's? If so, you may be able to find one with the "THX optimode" Video calibration....You can use that to effectively dial in the proper settings to an acceptable level....

Purchasing Video Essentials or Avia are better solutions, but the THX calibration does work and gets things headed in the right direction

Dave

 

[Brian S]

As Dave suggested, you really need some sort of defined point of reference (as provided by the mentioned sources) if you really want to maximize your settings.

However, the washed out grayish picture you describe sounds like the result of high Brightness (black level) and possibly low Contrast (white level). You want to set black level so that pure black is as black as possible without diminishing shadow detail.

White level is typically set low enough so as to avoid problems such as: clipping, blooming, distortion, etc. while hopefully still allowing for decent "whiteness" of white.

 

[GeorgeAB]

Please get a copy of Joe Kane's 'Video Essentials' or 'Avia Guide to Home Theater' and work the tutorials. You will then understand how to use the 'THX Optimode/Optimizer' section on some DVDs as well as the basic video test patterns from any source. You will likely also be able to astound and annoy your family and acquaintances when you go to their house and gag at how lousy their TV looks. Once you understand the fundamentals, you will be able to get a decent looking picture on any TV, even without test patterns.
No two TVs are the same, no two video signal sources are the same. Copying the settings from the same brand/model/year of TV as yours will not give you the best picture unless by accident. It might get you close but there are so many other variables there is no way to predict.
TV manufacturers do not tell the consumer how to get the best picture on their products. They think you are too lazy or stupid to understand basic rules of adjusting a TV properly.
Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
Insist on HDTV!