darqleo

Hi all, I have this problem that I don't know how to properly explain, so bear with me.

Recently I've noticed when watching my DVDs that in scenes where the camera is scanning across scenery or just scanning across things in general, anything with sharp lines (stuff like gates, brick walls, long fields of grass, etc.) start "rippling" or "shimmering". Sometimes small images, like a person way in the background, looks pixelated. It looks likes it's caused from the TV's "lines" (like you know when you look really close at the TV and you can see rows and rows of horizontal "light bars"?)
I kind of noticed it before, but it seems to have gotten worse after I recently THX Optimized my TV. This only happens with DVDs, not while watching cabler TV or videotapes... and I don't remember it happening with laserdiscs.

Is it because the Sharpness is set to high?

Does it have anything to do with Progressive Scan? (My DVD player doesn't have it)

My set-up:
Toshiba 2200 DVD Player (no firmware upgrade)
Toshiba 36" TV with ColorStream model CZ736V51
I have them connect via component video

Thanks for any and all help!

waskydiver

It is my limited understanding that the symptoms you are discribing are a symptom of either too high of sharpness or perhaps too much edge enhancement in the production of the DVD.

neale

Sounds like your sharpness is set too high. It should be set VERY low. Sharpness can add unnatural artifacts to the picture. You may not be noticing on tv or vcr becuase those are different inputs with different settings(?)

The THX thing is okay, but you really should rent (or buy) Avia Guide To Home Theater or Video Essentials. You'll be amazed how much better your picture can look.

darqleo

Thanks all, I'll try dropping the Sharpness on my TV.

Josh Z

There may be more to it than the picture sharpness. What you are seeing sounds just like a side effect of the 16:9 downconversion the DVD player performs to adapt the anamorphic content on the disc for your 4:3 television. What basically happens is that it drops every fourth scan line, are the gaps between them cause the shimmer artifact that you are seeing.

Different DVD player brands perform this downconversion through different processes, and some mask it better than others. Toshiba chose a downconversion process that retains as much picture sharpness as possible (most of the others soften the picture), but the downside is the shimmer.

darqleo

Hmm my Sharpness level was already at around 25%, I dropped it to 0, I don't know if that is a good idea, but maybe that will fix it next time I watch a DVD. Damn Toshibas, maybe it is time to get a new DVD player.

X

I would go with this answer too.