Reducing black levels on direct view CRT's, possible? (1 Viewer)

[Pep Guidote]

Hi All,

Are there any tweaks to improve (i.e. reduce) black level on direct view CRT TV's?

I've seen lots of tweaks for RPTV's, CRT projectors, and digital projectors. I haven't seen a lot of black level "tweaks" for direct view sets. Maybe there really isn't that much to tweak.

So far, I've installed black mattes and watch in complete darkness (Well, except for the TV.) I haven't tried backlighting yet but will do so soon.

BTW, I have a 34" Philips Powervision (PT-4822) direct view set.

Thanks for your time.

-Pep

 

[Guy Kuo]

You mentioned it yourself - backlighting. Don't watch in complete darkness with that size display. A good backlight will help a great deal. http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ has a nice one.

 

[Pep Guidote]

Hi Guy,

I tried a simple (read:cheap) daylight (9 watt, 6500K) lamp last night. I also put up several sheets of white illustration board (remnants of early matte projects) behind the TV to reflect the light. The backlight level was between 5% and 10% on AVIA's backlight slide.

Eye-strain was noticably reduced, black level just slightly so, and colors didn't really improve much. In other words, I wasn't blown away.

Also, the one thing I don't like about backlighting is that there's all sorts of distracting imagery (lighted objects and shadows) behind my TV. It looks messy.

The TV is not setup against a wall. Rather, it is against the side of a flight of wooden stairs. The walls of my room are brick, therefore colored brick red. Would I have to hang a much larger neutral colored "sheet" to achieve the desired effect of backlighting? Are we looking at 30° or greater "backlight viewing angle?"

As always, thanks for the advice.

-Pep

 

[Roger Kint]

My 36" WEGA is in a niche and flush with the wall. How do I get backlighting in there or is it a lost cause? If the goal is to light up the peripheral visual range w/o shining light onto the TV, then should I use ceiling track lighting, sconces, ???