Toshiba HDTV Brightness/Contrast (1 Viewer)

[ozar]

Hey guys - I've been practicing with my AVIA DVD to get my new 57H81 settings tweaked a bit. I think I have it the way the people at AVIA say it's supposed to be, but when I watch DVD's with the AVIA settings, scenes that are clearly filmed out in the direct sunlight look more like they were filmed on a cloudy day. Night scenes are often so dark that you can barely see the actor's faces.
Is it supposed to be set that way, or shouldn't sunny scenes actually look somewhat sunny?
My current settings as obtained from the AVIA DVD are:
Function...DVD Player
Contrast:35
Brightness:42
Color:50
Tint:-13
Sharpness:22
Flesh Toneff
DNRff
Mode:film
Temp:warm
Thanks in advance for any help...

 

[Allan Jayne]

When you have tweaked your TV for the first time using AVIA, you will probably think the picture is dull looking compared with before, especailly if the room is quite brightly lit. This takes getting used to, after you have made the tweaks, the picture is actually more correct.
The vivid vibrant pictures most of us are used to are that way because the TV sets in the store are set with contrast so high to catch the customer's attention. Such high contrast also results in shorter set life.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Roy H]

Hey Bob,

The settings you have sound about right. Here is what looks good for me on my Tosh 50" RPTV. Keep in mind I have the analog 50A61 and it is not HD!

Contrast= 30 (KEEP IT @ 30 OR BELOW) MAX @ 33. (BURN IN)

Brightness= 50

Color= 40

Tint= 0 -> (Looks great to me with fleshtone ON)!

Sharpness= 10

Fleshtone= ON

Temperature= COOL (remember the red push issue with the TOSH models). That is unless you had yours ISF calibrated.

Roy.

 

[Steve_AA]

Remember, AVIA will get you in the ballpark, but you may have to adjust. I have a 50HX81, and got similar results as yours using AVIA. I, and others over at the Spot have found pumping up the Brightness setting to the 60-70 range produces a better overall DVD picture(HD too).

 

[ozar]

Allan, Roy, and Steve - thanks for the feedback on this. I do understand the theory behind each step of the AVIA tweaks, but it certainly does seem odd that a scene which was obviously shot in bright sunny daylight should look like it was shot in the shade. For instance, in an old western scene, it seems odd that any director would want the prairie lands to look like the sun never comes out.
Anyway, I'm still playing around with it and things are improving with each tweaking session.
Thanks again!

 

[JohnnyG]

In my experience, a contrast of 35 on that set is likely to be too low. Try 40 or even 45.

 

[Andrew s wells]

SO .....just to be sure.......its the higher contrast settings as opposed to the higher brightness that causes burn in ...correct?...please respond a.s.a.p.

i do have my set about maybe 2 feet off the ground (no choice for the room situation because it (the entertainment center) is the only place to put my equipment. i have the contrast around 35 but i could lower it a little more if i have the brightness around 60... i've never owned (until now) a RPTV---It's the 50H81) so i want to learn as much as possible.thanks in advance.

 

[HuynH]

Bob,

your setting per Avia is like someone said...it will get you in the ball park. Adjust it to your liking from there. A video image is very subjective, what others consider nice may be to bright or too dim for you. And not all tv sets are alike, one's settings on their set may not be right for you. That said, I think your contrast settings are good, just pump up the brightness a little. Even with a "perfect" setting, you'll find yourself fiddling with the settings because the source image may not be as calibrated as they should be.

Don't worry about contrast being over 33 as some stated, it will cause burn in but over a LONG time, and only if a static image (station logo)is on you screen for the majority of your view time.

 

[JohnnyG]

Andrew, there's no need to panic! I've calibrated a handful of 50H81's and I would probably find that a contrast setting of 35 was too low (I calibrate contrast by aiming for about 15 foot lamberts in a 100 IRE window). Anywhere in the 35-50 range is probably well within 'safe' territory.

As a rule though, never leave a stationery image on your screen for a prolonged length of time (many hours) and use 'Normal' mode as little as possible.

 

[Brian Glaeske]

Using an Avia test pattern with plain gray scale bars, turn the contrast down until the pure white isn't white. Then turn it up until it is white again.

Don't turn your contrast down and then use the brightness to compensate. These controls control different aspects of the picture.

Contrast controls how bright the white is (by increasing the intensity of electrons on the phosphors) and Brightness controls how black the black areas look.

Unless you don't watch your TV, you will always be "wearing" the phosphors. The trick is to not wear some and not others by not displaying static images. In the end, you're going to replace the TV anyway.

Brian