HDTV - shows too dark and murky, inconsistent?
10-20-03, 02:02 PM
#1
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
HDTV - shows too dark and murky, inconsistent?
It seems to me that the nicely lit sitcoms are the shows that look the best in HDTV.
Otherwise, shows like:
Alias
Angel
CSI
Joan of Arcadia
Karen Sisco (in some scenes)
are pretty dark and obscure a lot of the detail otherwise apparent with HD resolution.
Smallville seems too oversaturated.
The Handler is okay in day scenes, somewhat better in the night/dark scenes
Everwood looks a bit overly grainy (as does Alias)
Without a Trace is usually too blue (by choice).
One Tree Hill is a little too bland in color
CSI: Miami is too red/orangish
L.A. Dragnet is too purplish/bluish
Otherwise, shows like:
Alias
Angel
CSI
Joan of Arcadia
Karen Sisco (in some scenes)
are pretty dark and obscure a lot of the detail otherwise apparent with HD resolution.
Smallville seems too oversaturated.
The Handler is okay in day scenes, somewhat better in the night/dark scenes
Everwood looks a bit overly grainy (as does Alias)
Without a Trace is usually too blue (by choice).
One Tree Hill is a little too bland in color
CSI: Miami is too red/orangish
L.A. Dragnet is too purplish/bluish
10-20-03, 02:11 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Wow. I think CSI looks incredible. Watching it in HD is the only way I can tolerate it. 
Alias is definitely too grainy in HD. Along with Angel, they're just naturally dark. Not an HD thing.
CSI: Miami is sickeningly orange in general. Also not an HD thing. Rah ... it's Miami ... we get it.
das
Alias is definitely too grainy in HD. Along with Angel, they're just naturally dark. Not an HD thing.
CSI: Miami is sickeningly orange in general. Also not an HD thing. Rah ... it's Miami ... we get it.
das
10-20-03, 03:59 PM
#4
DVD Talk Legend
It wasn't until MNF that I understood the "shock and awe" of HD. I don't find Alias and a lot of other stuff to be all that great.
To add to the list, Cold Case is also too washed out and bluish.
To add to the list, Cold Case is also too washed out and bluish.
10-20-03, 04:07 PM
#6
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by das Monkey
Spoken like a man who doesn't have HDNet.
das
• Quoth Chew •<HR SIZE=1>It wasn't until MNF that I understood the "shock and awe" of HD.<HR SIZE=1>
Spoken like a man who doesn't have HDNet.
das
10-20-03, 04:23 PM
#7
Moderator
I've noticed that The Handler and Lyon's Den HD picture is not as good as other shows. Not quite sure why...
IMO, CSI: Miami looks the best of all of them. Largely due to the fact that it is a bright show with vibrant colors.
However, the best looking channel has got to be Discovery: HD Theater hands-down!
IMO, CSI: Miami looks the best of all of them. Largely due to the fact that it is a bright show with vibrant colors.
However, the best looking channel has got to be Discovery: HD Theater hands-down!
10-20-03, 06:47 PM
#8
DVD Talk Legend
Alias has never been a particularly impressive-looking HD picture, for whatever reason (the DVDs look pretty good, but the HD broadcasts lack the "Wow" factor), but this season in particular the show's photography has taken a turn for the dark and grainy. They've got a new director of photography this year and I'm not really caring for his work so far.
Karen Sisko's last episode was a little murky, but I'm hoping that was just an anamoly because the first two looked incredible.
Any show on the WB is guaranteed to have substandard HD mastering quality. That's just the way it is.
Carnivale on HBO is a pretty impressive picture, despite the show being very dark and stylized. It has a nice sense of depth to the image.
In general, content shot on HD video (like sports events or travelogue documentaries) will have more of the "Wow" factor than content that has been transferred from film. There is debate about which people prefer. Personally, I still like the film look, even if it doesn't pop out as much.
Karen Sisko's last episode was a little murky, but I'm hoping that was just an anamoly because the first two looked incredible.
Any show on the WB is guaranteed to have substandard HD mastering quality. That's just the way it is.
Carnivale on HBO is a pretty impressive picture, despite the show being very dark and stylized. It has a nice sense of depth to the image.
In general, content shot on HD video (like sports events or travelogue documentaries) will have more of the "Wow" factor than content that has been transferred from film. There is debate about which people prefer. Personally, I still like the film look, even if it doesn't pop out as much.
10-21-03, 09:07 AM
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
CBS usually does a better job on HD shows for now. I paid attention to CSI: Miami last night, and its HD performance/quality is actually pretty solid, with less grain than I remembered of older episodes.
FOX's EDTV broadcasts tend to be oversaturated, but perhaps that's what they think their demographic wants (the bright vivid colors). Skin looked pretty good for EDTV, though some detail is lost in the dark scenes.
FOX's EDTV broadcasts tend to be oversaturated, but perhaps that's what they think their demographic wants (the bright vivid colors). Skin looked pretty good for EDTV, though some detail is lost in the dark scenes.
