What's the point of edge enhancement in HD? (1 Viewer)

[Duncan]

I was at Circuit City looking at the Pan TH-42PX60U plasma, and I found it practically unwatchable due to the edge enhancement. It looked like someone applied a photoshop watercolor filter to the image. I thought it was strange on such a highly regarded TV.

So my questions are:

1. What exactly is the point of this feature? I can see how it might be perceived to help standard def, but isn't HD already sharp enough?

2. Is this an adjustable, or better yet, switchable feature on this set?

Thanks very much,
Duncan

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I am going to ask a related question.

I went from a 32" Toshiba HD CRT that I had Avia'ed. Like most people, I had sharpness almost all the way down.

Now, I have a Panny 37pwd8uk. So to get the equivalent sharpness on the Panny as what I had on the Toshiba, I have it about 2/3 of the way up. (Easy to tell with the DVR menu text.) But maybe that is too high. In other words, I had a great picture on the Toshiba, and that was my frame of reference for calibrating the Panny. But now I don't understand sharpness at all. Even using test patterns and stuff...

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Edge enhancement when done well at the display's resolution for a particular viewing distance can add a little bit of an increase in edge visibility and perceived depth.

However, I am STRONGLY and thoroughly opposed to any implementation of EE in the source content, because then you are irreversibly stuck with that subjective choice in the strength and type of frequency enhancement, and also with it at that particular resolution and not at the final display resolution.

Many inexperienced viewers don't know good images, so they just like the oversharpened images for the same reason they like very oversaturated images.


You want to ensure that the frequency response is flat and that you are avoiding ringing etc.