The Benefits of Lowering Sharpness?

Peter Marlowe · 08-23-2008, 01:46 AM

Would bringing the sharpness level down reduce the amount of "noisy, grainy dithering" I'm seeing on Blu-rays? I know it would probably help on poorly compressed DVDs; but many Blu-rays have something that's just beyond "film grain" when played on my Panasonic 'BD10A and Sony KDS-50A2020...it's like a "twitchy noise" that's in the background of many scenes on almost all my discs -- could lowering the sharpness level from where I have it now, at Sony's default of "50", clear some of this up, or at least reduce it to make the picture look "smoother"?

Loves2Watch · 08-23-2008, 08:49 AM

Have you calibrated your TV? On most TV's the best rule of thumb is to reduce sharpness to 0 (some newer Panasonic models it would be 50 because lower than that actually removes sharpness and information). Sharpness adds artificial contouring, artifacts and actually makes the picture look worse of different than intended.

So my answer to your question would be YES if it is above 0 it needs to be reduced. Try 0 and see what it looks like, it will take some getting used to but it does improve picture quality and definition. If 0 is just too soft then try 20.

**PFC5** · 08-23-2008, 01:21 PM

As L2W stated, many displays add artificial info not on the source with a sharpness setting above zero. However, my DLP & my Panasonic plasmas (newest year model) seem to remove info when lowered below 50, so it not only depends on the brand, technology used in the display for that brand, and the model year.

The best thing to do is look for other owners of SXRD displays and see if they have the sharpness at zero or 50 or somewhere in between. You can also look here:

http://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/c...s-50a2000.html

These are the settings recommended for the SXRD display closest to your display. I would bet they are close to what you SHOULD use for the best picture.

When I checked the settings, the sharpness is set at 25 instead of your 50 setting. Now keep in mind from previous discussions I know you are using the Standard mode which limits the effect of this setting and that they recommend using the Custom Mode like I suggested to you previously.

I am now beginning to believe that given your issues with SD DVD playback, BD playback, etc, that the Standard Mode on your display is a junk mode and should not be used EVER. I know you wanted it simple with that mode but it is almost guaranteed to be a lot of the issues you are having with PQ.

There really is ZERO reason not to try using the settings from that link above and using CUSTOM MODE as your mode. If you choose not to change to custom mode, I believe you will NEVER be happy with your PQ. If you refuse to use Custom Mode, then no one will be able to help you improve your PQ IMO.

Mfg make certain modes basically crippled for some reason. I think it is partly so they can achieve higher Contrast Ratios for their specs but that would not be a usable CR and your PQ issues proves this IMO. I have also seen this with my HDTVs also and many others have reported this with various mfg in regard to some of the Modes available. I do not think ANYONE with a history of experience with HDTVs has said the Standard Mode, was the better mode for your display. That alone says something.

Another thing to remember is that when you change the picture settings on one input, you must change them on EACH input because most HDTVs have independent memory for each input to adjust for the different types of sources.

Loves2Watch · 08-23-2008, 01:25 PM

Well said.

Peter Marlowe · 08-23-2008, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loves2Watch

Have you calibrated your TV?

Yes; I have calibrated it with a "DiscWasher" brand DVD setup disc, and all basic parameters -- Contrast (Sony calls it "Picture"), Brightness, Color, Hue, Color Temp and Sharpness -- have been adjusted according to what that disc revealed. The issue is with the sharpness, which I'll get to now:

Quote:

On most TV's the best rule of thumb is to reduce sharpness to 0 (some newer Panasonic models it would be 50 because lower than that actually removes sharpness and information). Sharpness adds artificial contouring, artifacts and actually makes the picture look worse of different than intended.

When I reduce sharpness below the midway "50" point (Sony's default setting for all picture modes on the SXRDs), I do not see any changes taking place to the sharpness patterns on these calibration discs (the standard DVD setup disc I used, as well as the "HD Basics" Blu-ray disc which I also ran)...even when I drop sharpness when watching the cable box input (Video 5, component feed) the noisy, ghosty channels don't seem to improve any.

Quote:

So my answer to your question would be YES if it is above 0 it needs to be reduced. Try 0 and see what it looks like, it will take some getting used to but it does improve picture quality and definition. If 0 is just too soft then try 20.

Do you REALLY recommend leaving it at PURE ZERO?

Thanks, Watch, for all your help...

Peter Marlowe · 08-23-2008, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

As L2W stated, many displays add artificial info not on the source with a sharpness setting above zero. However, my DLP & my Panasonic plasmas (newest year model) seem to remove info when lowered below 50, so it not only depends on the brand, technology used in the display for that brand, and the model year.

The best thing to do is look for other owners of SXRD displays and see if they have the sharpness at zero or 50 or somewhere in between. You can also look here:

http://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/c...s-50a2000.html

These are the settings recommended for the SXRD display closest to your display. I would bet they are close to what you SHOULD use for the best picture.

When I checked the settings, the sharpness is set at 25 instead of your 50 setting. Now keep in mind from previous discussions I know you are using the Standard mode which limits the effect of this setting and that they recommend using the Custom Mode like I suggested to you previously.

I am now beginning to believe that given your issues with SD DVD playback, BD playback, etc, that the Standard Mode on your display is a junk mode and should not be used EVER. I know you wanted it simple with that mode but it is almost guaranteed to be a lot of the issues you are having with PQ.

There really is ZERO reason not to try using the settings from that link above and using CUSTOM MODE as your mode. If you choose not to change to custom mode, I believe you will NEVER be happy with your PQ. If you refuse to use Custom Mode, then no one will be able to help you improve your PQ IMO.

Mfg make certain modes basically crippled for some reason. I think it is partly so they can achieve higher Contrast Ratios for their specs but that would not be a usable CR and your PQ issues proves this IMO. I have also seen this with my HDTVs also and many others have reported this with various mfg in regard to some of the Modes available. I do not think ANYONE with a history of experience with HDTVs has said the Standard Mode, was the better mode for your display. That alone says something.

Another thing to remember is that when you change the picture settings on one input, you must change them on EACH input because most HDTVs have independent memory for each input to adjust for the different types of sources.

There are a couple of problems with the values they stated for this set:

User Menu Settings
Picture Modes
Picture Mode : Custom
Color Temperature : Warm 2
Aspect Ratio : Full
Advanced Iris : Medium

Let's start with the Advanced Iris -- I have always found Medium to be too low; Auto 1 gives the "punch" we like in every mode...

Picture Settings
Contrast (Picture) : 70
Brightness : 48
Color : 52
Hue : R1
Sharpness : 25
Noise Reduction : Mid

Well, looking at "Picture" (Contrast) first, my calibration DVD claimed this should be at "80 percent of maximum" which would equal "80" out of Sony's max of "100"...next, the Brightness setting my calibration discs came up with finalized on a setting of "53" based on the Pluge Pattern black bar test...ALL tests, including the THX Optimizer, confirmed this...the Color setting was spot-on at Sony's default of "50" to me, as well as the Hue at midway of "0"...sharpness, well...we gotta work on that one as you know...

And the most disturbing setting they suggest here is the NOISE REDUCTION -- this is the first site suggesting to keep noise reduction on anything other than OFF or possibly LOW...I have been keeping ours on LOW...

Advanced Settings
Black Corrector : Off
Gamma : Off
Clear White : Off
Live Color : Off
White Balance : Factory Default

Where is the DETAIL ENHANCER option? Or the EDGE ENHANCER, both of which my set offers? What do I keep those on? As for the White Balance, is it okay to keep these on the factory defaults of all zero?

Video Options
Motion Enhancer : Off
Motion Enhancer : Off
Cinemotion : Auto

Some problems with these...my set has no "Motion Enhancer" nor does it allow adjusting for "Cinemotion"...

What about Color Space settings? Should they be on STANDARD? What about Game Mode? There are other options on my set that aren't listed here...

**PFC5** · 08-24-2008, 03:09 AM

I fail to understand why you won't use the Custom Mode that virtually EVERYONE with knowledge about these SXRD displays uses. Without using that mode you are going to have a lesser PQ from all I have read. Plain and simple. I believe you will find an improved PQ with all sources if you use that mode instead of the "broken" Standard Mode. AS I said, Many mfg have "broken" modes that are likely only designed to get higher contrast ratio specs but are unusable if you want the best PQ. My Panasonic plasma has this same thing with a few of the modes also.

Without changing over to the Custom mode, I don't think you will have ANY chance of getting the PQ that you want. Why won't you try it?

I stated that your direct model was not listed and this was the closest model. With you STILL in Standard Mode you will not be able to try out those settings, but I bet they are close to what will provide you with a better PQ than you have now.

I guess if you insist on staying in Standard Mode, then there is nothing left to help you with.

Good luck!

Peter Marlowe · 08-25-2008, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

I fail to understand why you won't use the Custom Mode that virtually EVERYONE with knowledge about these SXRD displays uses. Without using that mode you are going to have a lesser PQ from all I have read. Plain and simple. I believe you will find an improved PQ with all sources if you use that mode instead of the "broken" Standard Mode. AS I said, Many mfg have "broken" modes that are likely only designed to get higher contrast ratio specs but are unusable if you want the best PQ. My Panasonic plasma has this same thing with a few of the modes also.

Without changing over to the Custom mode, I don't think you will have ANY chance of getting the PQ that you want. Why won't you try it?

I stated that your direct model was not listed and this was the closest model. With you STILL in Standard Mode you will not be able to try out those settings, but I bet they are close to what will provide you with a better PQ than you have now.

I guess if you insist on staying in Standard Mode, then there is nothing left to help you with.

Good luck!

Why won't you respond to the individual settings I clipped from the site YOU directed me to and answer my questions about each of them? I am trying to have a civilized conversation back and forth here and try to make you understand my reasons for being suspicious about Custom and its various suggested settings...why are you so dead-set on telling me this mode MUST be the one that will eliminate my jaggies, noise, etc. when you don't even OWN this TV? I told you in the other thread that I have run the set on Custom before and the upscaled DVDs still looked like shit...doesn't this point to the PLAYER rather than the screen?

Peter Marlowe · 08-25-2008, 12:31 AM

Anyone else have any suggestions based on the values TweakTV gave for my set in Custom mode, and the "issues" I questioned about them?

If leaving the set in Custom, I would need to set values for White Balance -- but this can't be achieved without proper measuring tools and such, so what would be the benefit of my using Custom mode? And then there are offbeat settings such as "Gamma" and "Live Color" to worry about...

Does any other Sony rear projection or LCD owner in here use Sony's Standard picture mode during home theater viewing?

Peter Marlowe · 08-25-2008, 12:33 AM

Quote:

I stated that your direct model was not listed and this was the closest model.

Right...I know...and then I specifically indicated, piece by piece, which areas of those settings they found for that model bothered me or made me question them because some just didn't exist on my model...

Loves2Watch · 08-25-2008, 07:55 AM

Peter, everyone here is attempting to be helpful but you return with questions and rebut what has been suggested. At this point in time, the only way you are going to get your TV to it's maximum viewing potential is to purchase a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials or Avia (I recommend the former because of the extra explanations and settings) put your TV in custom mode and adjust away.

That will give you the optimal settings for your TV. If you stay in the other modes of your TV and therefore do not have a full range of settings to tweak, you will never be satisfied with the picture. My neighbor has a TV just like yours and after we tweaked it using the disc mentioned above, it looks excellent.

We can only help so much, you have to step up to the plate and attempt to correct the deficiencies you are complaining about. If you are unwilling to do that, we can't help you anymore.

Nikopol · 08-25-2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

[...]

Do you REALLY recommend leaving it at PURE ZERO?

Thanks, Watch, for all your help...

If you care about accurate reproduction, than the advice is indeed to disable sharpness. For many displays this means "zero". Some disable sharpness at a value like e.g. 50 and then start to soften the image.

The point is to eliminate as much unneeded processing as possible.

**PFC5** · 08-25-2008, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

There are a couple of problems with the values they stated for this set:

User Menu Settings
Picture Modes
Picture Mode : Custom
Color Temperature : Warm 2
Aspect Ratio : Full
Advanced Iris : Medium

Let's start with the Advanced Iris -- I have always found Medium to be too low; Auto 1 gives the "punch" we like in every mode...

Punch in a picture is nice, but many of these settings are based on other settings ALSO being set properly. Sometimes what is thought of as "punch" is actually altering what the source material actually has, so it is altering it artificially. I have also seen on displays that too much "punch" can create the video noise issues you have complained about. Again, punch is nice but only to a point. I think if you try it for a while with not so much "punch" you will get use to a more natural picture which is in the source material.

Quote:

Picture Settings
Contrast (Picture) : 70
Brightness : 48
Color : 52
Hue : R1
Sharpness : 25
Noise Reduction : Mid

Well, looking at "Picture" (Contrast) first, my calibration DVD claimed this should be at "80 percent of maximum" which would equal "80" out of Sony's max of "100"...next, the Brightness setting my calibration discs came up with finalized on a setting of "53" based on the Pluge Pattern black bar test...ALL tests, including the THX Optimizer, confirmed this...the Color setting was spot-on at Sony's default of "50" to me, as well as the Hue at midway of "0"...sharpness, well...we gotta work on that one as you know...

And the most disturbing setting they suggest here is the NOISE REDUCTION -- this is the first site suggesting to keep noise reduction on anything other than OFF or possibly LOW...I have been keeping ours on LOW...

Again. On most displays, each individual mode can have different gamma settings, so what needs to be set at 80 in one mode will not be correct in another mode which is part of the reason WHY you need to try the settings in the correct mode and not compare them.

On my Panasonic plasma I can set the basic settings to exactly the same settings with the same source but the picture is much different because of this. THIS is WHY you need to trust someone sooner or later and the help they give. It all works together or hurts the PQ based on the mode being used.

How could you get the color "spot-on" without the color filters that I know do not come with these calibration discs you have? Without the filters to look through, you cannot even use this test screen with them.

Quote:

Advanced Settings
Black Corrector : Off
Gamma : Off
Clear White : Off
Live Color : Off
White Balance : Factory Default

Where is the DETAIL ENHANCER option? Or the EDGE ENHANCER, both of which my set offers? What do I keep those on? As for the White Balance, is it okay to keep these on the factory defaults of all zero?

I would leave the Detail Enhancer and Edge Enhancer OFF as a starting point. This will almost always turn film grain into what looks like excessive noise which is one of your complaints and likely is defaulted to ON with the Standard mode. As for the White Balance the site says to leave it at the Factory default so just leave it there.

Again. Trust the settings as a starting point at the least since many settings effect the other settings. If you do not start at the complete matching settings, then you cannot get the best settings possible.

Quote:

Video Options
Motion Enhancer : Off
Motion Enhancer : Off
Cinemotion : Auto

Some problems with these...my set has no "Motion Enhancer" nor does it allow adjusting for "Cinemotion"...

What about Color Space settings? Should they be on STANDARD? What about Game Mode? There are other options on my set that aren't listed here...

If your display doesn't have them, then don't worry about them right now. If your display does have some settings not listed here, then leave them on the default for a starting point and then you can experiment with them one at a time to see what looks best to YOU.

I don't own your display as you know, so I cannot spend 50+ hours reading everything I can on each individual setting and how they interact. All I can do is give you the best advice I can with what I have read about your display. Number ONE is that your display should be set to Custom Mode from all I have read. Without using that mode nothing can be solved IMO.

If you chose to continue to use the Standard Mode, then please let me know so I will stop trying to help find a solution with you.

If you DO decide to try the Custom Mode again, then please try the settings as they are from that link as I outlined above, and test some SD & BD movies to see how they look and if any of your issues (i.e. noise, etc) with PQ have disappeared. Only THEN should you change any of the settings at all.

I really hope this helps you, but again, if you don't trust someone who is trying to help you, then the only remaining solutions I can see, is to spend the money on a pro calibration or live with the results YOU get doing it your way.

Good luck!

Peter Marlowe · 09-10-2008, 07:59 PM

Sorry for the delay in getting back to both of you on this subject, L2W and PFC; I've been so swamped with my home based business...

Okay, so for now -- and I appreciate all your assistance and opinions with this; I have indeed taken them all into consideration -- I have decided to keep the picture mode for my Blu ray player input (HDMI, Video 6) on STANDARD because me and the ol' lady feels that for whatever reason -- if it's that Sony enables "Live Color" boost for this mode, etc. -- the "punch" of Standard makes it look better to our eyes than Custom does. If I indeed decide to go back to Custom, I will definitely reach out to PFC once again, as requested in a response I will get to after yours, L2W...

Here's the current status of my "Sharpness dilemma"...I re-ran the DVE HD Basics/Joe Kane Blu-ray calibration disc and stopped at the sharpness pattern...it seems that as I lowered sharpness in Standard mode, it's just what Tweaver and others have confirmed -- SOMETHING changes in those patterns IF I GO DIRECTLY UP TO THE SCREEN TO SEE IT (it's SO subtle) proving that sharpness can indeed change in Standard, but very, very little -- and the edge enhancement is probably engaged to a degree, which doesn't help. Okay, so all this has been semi-confirmed; based on this, I just dropped the sharpness to "15" and then popped in 30 Days of Night on Blu...the image appeared SLIGHTLY softer than usual, so I upped the sharpness to "20"...but I'm not comfortable just "guessing" at a setting like this...the sharpness patterns weren't much help in this Standard mode...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loves2Watch

Peter, everyone here is attempting to be helpful but you return with questions and rebut what has been suggested.

I'm not rebutting; I'm just sharing opinions, viewpoints, etc. back and forth with y'all...

Quote:

At this point in time, the only way you are going to get your TV to it's maximum viewing potential is to purchase a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials or Avia (I recommend the former because of the extra explanations and settings) put your TV in custom mode and adjust away.

But I've already calibrated with a DVD setup and enhancement disc; the steps were ridiculously easy with their system, as a vocal prompt tells you exactly what you're looking for -- according to the instructions and patterns on that disc, I got these results:

Picture/Contrast: 80
Brightness: 53 (based accurately on a pluge pattern test)
Color: 50
Hue: 0
Sharpness: I've discussed this already...

Quote:

That will give you the optimal settings for your TV. If you stay in the other modes of your TV and therefore do not have a full range of settings to tweak, you will never be satisfied with the picture. My neighbor has a TV just like yours and after we tweaked it using the disc mentioned above, it looks excellent.

Is your neighbor running the KDS-50A series in CUSTOM mode as you suggested to me? Can you give me an idea of the kinds of tweaks you made to his set in the ADVANCED SETTINGS menu, such as Gamma, Live Color, Detail Enhancer, etc? Did he even attempt to see what the set would look like in Standard?

Quote:

We can only help so much, you have to step up to the plate and attempt to correct the deficiencies you are complaining about. If you are unwilling to do that, we can't help you anymore.

I tried -- just the other day -- to calibrate within Custom mode, using ALL the suggestions made to me here...I left all Advanced Settings OFF and the picture just wasn't to our liking; it's hard to describe...it just didn't have "punch" even with Auto Iris set to 1...in the end, we gravitated back to Standard because I just don't know what to do with the White Balance settings in Custom and don't know if they're right on factory defaults...plus, I'm not sure if I should dial in LIVE COLOR to make the picture pop, or Detail Enhancer...and I don't know what to do with Gamma...some say OFF, some say LOW...

So I WAS willing to try; we just ended up going back to Standard mode...is there a way I can "tone down" the artifacts Standard may be introducing with the edge enhancing, etc? Should I drop Sharpness down to absolute zero?

Peter Marlowe · 09-10-2008, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

Punch in a picture is nice, but many of these settings are based on other settings ALSO being set properly. Sometimes what is thought of as "punch" is actually altering what the source material actually has, so it is altering it artificially. I have also seen on displays that too much "punch" can create the video noise issues you have complained about. Again, punch is nice but only to a point. I think if you try it for a while with not so much "punch" you will get use to a more natural picture which is in the source material.

When I was discussing "punch" I was referring to the added "wow!" effect that the Auto 1 Iris setting provides on these SXRDs as opposed to the Auto 2, which is the default for most of the modes; I understand this Iris change affects other settings, but the contrast wasn't really "mucked up" by this Auto 1 mode, it just made the picture more "fiery" for lack of a better term. No matter what, my standard DVD calibration disc's prompt always says "Reduce contrast to approximately 80 percent of maximum, and proceed to the next chapter..." with the white box contrast test, so my results seem fine at "80" for Contrast.

Quote:

Again. On most displays, each individual mode can have different gamma settings, so what needs to be set at 80 in one mode will not be correct in another mode which is part of the reason WHY you need to try the settings in the correct mode and not compare them.

Okay; I understand this. I'm just saying that I always leave the contrast at 80 on any mode I calibrate because the disc says to if the geometry of the white box in the test doesn't change shape -- which it doesn't on my set.

Quote:

How could you get the color "spot-on" without the color filters that I know do not come with these calibration discs you have? Without the filters to look through, you cannot even use this test screen with them.

How did I do it? First, on MY calibration DVD (not the HD Basics BD) the color setup is so simple -- they ask you to reduce the color to zero for a black and white image and then there's a picture of a female model...they ask you to raise the color until fleshtones appear natural and lifelike -- not sunburned or bleeding. On my set, this is exactly at "50" -- Sony's default. The Hue and Color were confirmed on every single THX Optimizer test I run too -- on the THX Optimizer, it says if you don't have glasses or filters to set the color, move ahead on the menu and follow the instructions on that SMPTE color bar pattern -- on that screen, the instructions say adjust color so red is red but not bleeding (which it is at "50") and for tint, make sure Magenta and Cyan are truly those colors -- which they ARE on the Hue being at Sony's default of "50"...

Quote:

I would leave the Detail Enhancer and Edge Enhancer OFF as a starting point. This will almost always turn film grain into what looks like excessive noise which is one of your complaints and likely is defaulted to ON with the Standard mode. As for the White Balance the site says to leave it at the Factory default so just leave it there.

Okay, a couple of things here...YES, that "excessive noisy film grain" I'm complaining about IS probably because of the detail and edge enhancement -- no doubt. But I think if I go back and recalibrate in Custom mode, some things like "Live Color" or whatever it is that's making the Standard picture look so punchy, will be disabled and I'll be dissapointed...as for the White Balance, this concerns me too -- just because Tweak TV said leave these at factory defaults, is this what I should really do? I don't have the instruments to properly set these myself...perhaps it's the factory settings here that make Custom mode's picture look so "dull" to me?

Quote:

If your display doesn't have them, then don't worry about them right now. If your display does have some settings not listed here, then leave them on the default for a starting point and then you can experiment with them one at a time to see what looks best to YOU.

Well, two Sony things -- CineMotion and Game Mode -- are both "greyed out" on that menu, not allowing me to set them...

Quote:

If you DO decide to try the Custom Mode again, then please try the settings as they are from that link as I outlined above, and test some SD & BD movies to see how they look and if any of your issues (i.e. noise, etc) with PQ have disappeared. Only THEN should you change any of the settings at all.

I don't think -- in the small time I had the display calibrated in CUSTOM mode the other day -- that the settings eliminated the crummy DVD performance from this Blu-ray player...I mean, no matter how these settings are made, there's just no way to make up for a shitty scaler/deinterlacer in this player...

08-23-2008, 01:46 AM	#1
Peter Marlowe Blu-ray Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,257	The Benefits of Lowering Sharpness? Would bringing the sharpness level down reduce the amount of "noisy, grainy dithering" I'm seeing on Blu-rays? I know it would probably help on poorly compressed DVDs; but many Blu-rays have something that's just beyond "film grain" when played on my Panasonic 'BD10A and Sony KDS-50A2020...it's like a "twitchy noise" that's in the background of many scenes on almost all my discs -- could lowering the sharpness level from where I have it now, at Sony's default of "50", clear some of this up, or at least reduce it to make the picture look "smoother"? __________________ ONKYO TX-SR605B HDMI 1.3a; Onboard Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Panasonic DMP-BD10A SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio R20 Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: polkaudio R15 Sub: polkaudio PSW10 marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL PROFESSIONAL Technics SL-QD33 (due for replacement) APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER Last Review:

08-23-2008, 08:49 AM	#2
Loves2Watch SPAM Police Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: AZ, NM, TX, MX Posts: 13,967	Have you calibrated your TV? On most TV's the best rule of thumb is to reduce sharpness to 0 (some newer Panasonic models it would be 50 because lower than that actually removes sharpness and information). Sharpness adds artificial contouring, artifacts and actually makes the picture look worse of different than intended. So my answer to your question would be YES if it is above 0 it needs to be reduced. Try 0 and see what it looks like, it will take some getting used to but it does improve picture quality and definition. If 0 is just too soft then try 20. __________________ Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player. Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.

08-23-2008, 01:21 PM	#3
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,385	As L2W stated, many displays add artificial info not on the source with a sharpness setting above zero. However, my DLP & my Panasonic plasmas (newest year model) seem to remove info when lowered below 50, so it not only depends on the brand, technology used in the display for that brand, and the model year. The best thing to do is look for other owners of SXRD displays and see if they have the sharpness at zero or 50 or somewhere in between. You can also look here: http://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/c...s-50a2000.html These are the settings recommended for the SXRD display closest to your display. I would bet they are close to what you SHOULD use for the best picture. When I checked the settings, the sharpness is set at 25 instead of your 50 setting. Now keep in mind from previous discussions I know you are using the Standard mode which limits the effect of this setting and that they recommend using the Custom Mode like I suggested to you previously. I am now beginning to believe that given your issues with SD DVD playback, BD playback, etc, that the Standard Mode on your display is a junk mode and should not be used EVER. I know you wanted it simple with that mode but it is almost guaranteed to be a lot of the issues you are having with PQ. There really is ZERO reason not to try using the settings from that link above and using CUSTOM MODE as your mode. If you choose not to change to custom mode, I believe you will NEVER be happy with your PQ. If you refuse to use Custom Mode, then no one will be able to help you improve your PQ IMO. Mfg make certain modes basically crippled for some reason. I think it is partly so they can achieve higher Contrast Ratios for their specs but that would not be a usable CR and your PQ issues proves this IMO. I have also seen this with my HDTVs also and many others have reported this with various mfg in regard to some of the Modes available. I do not think ANYONE with a history of experience with HDTVs has said the Standard Mode, was the better mode for your display. That alone says something. Another thing to remember is that when you change the picture settings on one input, you must change them on EACH input because most HDTVs have independent memory for each input to adjust for the different types of sources. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

08-23-2008, 01:25 PM	#4
Loves2Watch SPAM Police Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: AZ, NM, TX, MX Posts: 13,967	Well said. __________________ Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player. Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.

08-24-2008, 03:09 AM	#7
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,385	I fail to understand why you won't use the Custom Mode that virtually EVERYONE with knowledge about these SXRD displays uses. Without using that mode you are going to have a lesser PQ from all I have read. Plain and simple. I believe you will find an improved PQ with all sources if you use that mode instead of the "broken" Standard Mode. AS I said, Many mfg have "broken" modes that are likely only designed to get higher contrast ratio specs but are unusable if you want the best PQ. My Panasonic plasma has this same thing with a few of the modes also. Without changing over to the Custom mode, I don't think you will have ANY chance of getting the PQ that you want. Why won't you try it? I stated that your direct model was not listed and this was the closest model. With you STILL in Standard Mode you will not be able to try out those settings, but I bet they are close to what will provide you with a better PQ than you have now. I guess if you insist on staying in Standard Mode, then there is nothing left to help you with. Good luck! __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

08-25-2008, 12:31 AM	#9
Peter Marlowe Blu-ray Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,257	Anyone else have any suggestions based on the values TweakTV gave for my set in Custom mode, and the "issues" I questioned about them? If leaving the set in Custom, I would need to set values for White Balance -- but this can't be achieved without proper measuring tools and such, so what would be the benefit of my using Custom mode? And then there are offbeat settings such as "Gamma" and "Live Color" to worry about... Does any other Sony rear projection or LCD owner in here use Sony's Standard picture mode during home theater viewing? __________________ ONKYO TX-SR605B HDMI 1.3a; Onboard Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Panasonic DMP-BD10A SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio R20 Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: polkaudio R15 Sub: polkaudio PSW10 marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL PROFESSIONAL Technics SL-QD33 (due for replacement) APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER Last Review:

08-25-2008, 07:55 AM	#11
Loves2Watch SPAM Police Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: AZ, NM, TX, MX Posts: 13,967	Peter, everyone here is attempting to be helpful but you return with questions and rebut what has been suggested. At this point in time, the only way you are going to get your TV to it's maximum viewing potential is to purchase a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials or Avia (I recommend the former because of the extra explanations and settings) put your TV in custom mode and adjust away. That will give you the optimal settings for your TV. If you stay in the other modes of your TV and therefore do not have a full range of settings to tweak, you will never be satisfied with the picture. My neighbor has a TV just like yours and after we tweaked it using the disc mentioned above, it looks excellent. We can only help so much, you have to step up to the plate and attempt to correct the deficiencies you are complaining about. If you are unwilling to do that, we can't help you anymore. __________________ Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player. Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.

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