Dr. DVD

Yesterday I had my new 46' Toshiba Regza installed, and it is working really well. I have played both regular DVDs and Blu-Rays on it and they all look great (especially Dark Knight, the BD of which I discovered reserves the IMAX portions in their format). The HD DVD attachment I have for my Xbox 360 looks great as well.

However, for some reason the BD I have of Watchmen doesn't seem to look as good as it should, at least compared to my other Blu-Rays. Whenever a dark lit scene plays, it looks VERY dark, and the resolution doesn't seem up to par as much as a BD should look. I would think it was the TV or player if it weren't for the fact that everything else looks so good. Is it just the way the movie was shot? If it was I don't recall it being this way when I saw it in theaters (though I did see it in IMAX).

mzupeman2

Seems to me like you need to calibrate your set. Have you done that yet? If you're using a 'standard' viewing mode that was preset into your TV, those settings seem to accentuate lighter aspects of the picture, oversaturate colors, and crush blacks. This could very well be the reason why such a dark film looks like it's too dark.

Dr. DVD

I would like to calibrate but I have googled my set's model # and gotten nothing.

Willh51

Do you have any dvds with a THX Calibrater on them? This isn't the absolute best tool, but it works pretty well for the basics. They are on a lot of big Fox dvds like Star Wars, Independence Day, etc.

mzupeman2

Can't even offer to help you find any info on this then if you can't supply us with a model #.

Try searching the avsforums for Toshiba Regza, or tweaktv even.

Dr. DVD

I have a Toshiba 46XV645U , and I have gone to TweakTV and it is not yet listed there, but I did post a thread requesting help.

mzupeman2

It depends though. For example, my Samsung television that I own has settings that intentionally make blacks darker and boost the gain on brights. There's different modes to choose the TV to display, like 'dynamic', 'standard', and 'movie'. Dynamic and Standard are there specifically for making the image look 'pretty' to those ignorant of how an image SHOULD look. You can't even access the warmer color settings that way. You HAVE to use 'movie' on my set to be able to utilize the full warmth range on the set so you can begin to even think about having a proper image without the TV crushing blacks or making people look like they're sunburned. He would need to figure out the proper setting for his TV first, and THEN use such a disc.

Josh-da-man

Yes, proper calibration is critical for HD sets.

I'm shocked how many people buy big screen HD sets and then leave them in torch mode.

It's really strange when someone has a HDTV and HD cable/satellite, but their picture is actually worse than my SD satellite image because the contrast/saturation is set too high.

(I still haven't upgraded to HD satellite yet. I primarily use my television for watching DVDs and Blus, and don't watch a whole lot of over-the-air programming. I can pick most of the local channels in HD with an antenna.)

LickTheABCs

This review actually starts with "The Toshiba 46XV645U is a perfect example of how calibration can be essential to picture performance.".. so, yeah.

It gives some quick calibration tips of what to put the settings at so try those.

Josh Z

The Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics calibration disc is $16 at Amazon. Buy it.

steebo777

+1. An absolute necesity for any HD owner.

Dr. DVD

I just got a note back from AVSForums and they don't have it up there yet either. I have heard those dvds are a rip-off, but I might give one a try.

Thanks to whomever gave me the quick calibration on the other page.

Josh Z

If you're referring to calibration discs, whoever told you they're a rip-off is a straight-up idiot.

You've just spent hundreds-to-thousands of dollars on a new TV. Don't cheap out now on the extra $16 for a calibration disc that will explain to you how to set it up properly.

Dr. DVD

Good point. I just placed the order and got a Blu-Ray of Apocalypto to boot.

Dr. DVD

FWIW, I used the calibration settings provided in the link from LicktheABCs. It seemed to make a bit of difference. Still getting the DVD for added help.

Dr. DVD

Okay, I can only find the calibration for the Movie settings, but nothing else. I got the DVD but it seemed to only service for the Movie setting, and it worked well in that regard, I cannot deny. However, what I need is a listing of the proper calibrations for each setting and can't find the complete listings anywhere.

steebo777

Calibrating a screen is not a general list for everyone, you have to do it yourself (or have a pro do it) on your screen. Usually what you want to do is take the DVD/BD/HD-DVD and use it for each input you're using. So calibrate it on HDMI1 using the DVD/BD/HD-DVD player and calibration disc, then plug the player into Component1 (assuming you are using the input) using the DVD/BD/HD-DVD player and calibration disc. Then use it on the next input you're using. Make sense?

K&AJones

I agree, I used one when we had a Mits RPTV and it did wonders. I am surprised that nothing is up over at AVS (settings). We've got a new Sony Z5100 and using posted settings over there made it look amazing. Even the normal DVD's look great. Check around and see otther Tosh sets and settings. Wouldn't hurt to try, just hit "reset to factory settings" button if it looks bad.