I watched the Lost Boys on Saturday night and saw some disturbing things in the dark scenes. The reviews as a whole give the video anywhere from 4-4.5 stars out of 5. I couldn't disagree more. I saw flashing (wavering) blacks in some black scenes but not all. Further, I saw the same thing in the UK import of Sweeny Todd. Sweeny Todd was worse but good grief it's bad. Did anyone else notice this? What is the technical term for flashing, wavering blacks. Could it be a television problem? I have a new Samsung 650 LCD. I have watched many BDs on this television with great blacks. What gives on this title and Sweeny Todd (occassionally I see it on other titles)? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Terrible stuff.

Do you have any timecodes? I haven't checked out my "Lost Boys" copy yet, but I'll check.

And what is your Blu-ray playback device?

Panny BD-30. Flashing is isoloated and only in certain dark scenes. I always thought it was the transfer but with these rave reviews, I wonder.

Do you have any timecodes? I haven't checked out my "Lost Boys" copy yet, but I'll check.

Honestly, I can't remember but several dark scenes while other dark scenes held up quite nicely. The daylight scenes are great, generally. Sweeney Todd was astounding at how many flashing or wavering dark scenes there were. Again, I always thought it was the transfer but I saw a rave review on the import at dvdtalk.com (?).

Emulsion issues? Wouldn't suprise me on an older title like The Lost Boys but Sweeney Todd?

Didn't see any flashing the two times I watched this one, on my Sony 300 through the bedroom plasma or on my PS3 via HT projector.

Didn't see any flashing the two times I watched this one, on my Sony 300 through the bedroom plasma or on my PS3 via HT projector.

This is cause for concern. Technically, what is the flashing called in dark scenes?

I watched the Lost Boys on Saturday night and saw some disturbing things in the dark scenes. The reviews as a whole give the video anywhere from 4-4.5 stars out of 5. I couldn't disagree more. I saw flashing (wavering) blacks in some black scenes but not all. Further, I saw the same thing in the UK import of Sweeny Todd. Sweeny Todd was worse but good grief it's bad. Did anyone else notice this? What is the technical term for flashing, wavering blacks. Could it be a television problem? I have a new Samsung 650 LCD. I have watched many BDs on this television with great blacks. What gives on this title and Sweeny Todd (occassionally I see it on other titles)? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Terrible stuff.

Test the disc on other displays with the same player. If you dont see flashes on other displays, there is a chance that your display may have a "automatic contrast" that causes the trouble.

Or check your settings in the picture menu in your display. Turn off all "enhancement" modes you can see. Something in there may affect the brightness-fluctuation that you saw in the film.

I only scanned through mine thusfar. lookes amazing. No anamolies. Can you give some timestamps?

Didn't see any flashing the two times I watched this one, on my Sony 300 through the bedroom plasma or on my PS3 via HT projector.

+1, I did not notice any flashing during dark scenes on my copy either....

I watched the Lost Boys on Saturday night and saw some disturbing things in the dark scenes. The reviews as a whole give the video anywhere from 4-4.5 stars out of 5. I couldn't disagree more. I saw flashing (wavering) blacks in some black scenes but not all. Further, I saw the same thing in the UK import of Sweeny Todd. Sweeny Todd was worse but good grief it's bad. Did anyone else notice this? What is the technical term for flashing, wavering blacks. Could it be a television problem? I have a new Samsung 650 LCD. I have watched many BDs on this television with great blacks. What gives on this title and Sweeny Todd (occassionally I see it on other titles)? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Terrible stuff.

Will be watching my copy tonight and report to see if there is any flashes.

No flashes on PS3 to an 50A2000.

Do you have some kind of automatic brightness adjustment setting on the TV?

Do you have some kind of automatic brightness adjustment setting on the TV?


I will go back and check the settings on the tv. Like I stated earlier, most dark scenes in movies do NOT have this problem. Last night I spot checked it and at 30:40 before they go on the bridge I noticed it in the left side (corner). I watched it on my LCD in my bedroom 32" and it was there but less noticeable. Maybe my main display is exaggerating the brightness or contrast. Still Sweeney Todd is riddled with this problem. Why on a handfull of BDs and not on others...and it is not random. It can be recreated in all instances at the exact same places. It just doesn't make sense with all of these great reviews.

I will go back and check the settings on the tv. Like I stated earlier, most dark scenes in movies do NOT have this problem. Last night I spot checked it and at 30:40 before they go on the bridge I noticed it in the left side (corner). I watched it on my LCD in my bedroom 32" and it was there but less noticeable. Maybe my main display is exaggerating the brightness or contrast. Still Sweeney Todd is riddled with this problem. Why on a handfull of BDs and not on others...and it is not random. It can be recreated in all instances at the exact same places. It just doesn't make sense with all of these great reviews.

Will try to soon.

I watched the Lost Boys on Saturday night and saw some disturbing things in the dark scenes. The reviews as a whole give the video anywhere from 4-4.5 stars out of 5. I couldn't disagree more. I saw flashing (wavering) blacks in some black scenes but not all. Further, I saw the same thing in the UK import of Sweeny Todd. Sweeny Todd was worse but good grief it's bad. Did anyone else notice this? What is the technical term for flashing, wavering blacks. Could it be a television problem? I have a new Samsung 650 LCD. I have watched many BDs on this television with great blacks. What gives on this title and Sweeny Todd (occassionally I see it on other titles)? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Terrible stuff.

I noticed the same thing following the scene after the big vampire reveal; the "now you know what we are, now you know what you are" shots are pretty bad looking

Panny BD-30. Flashing is isoloated and only in certain dark scenes. I always thought it was the transfer but with these rave reviews, I wonder.

Turn of DNR & reduce sharpness level and see how that goes.

Turn of DNR & reduce sharpness level and see how that goes.

where is DNR located?

Turn of DNR & reduce sharpness level and see how that goes.

I don't have any noise reduction device enabled on the tv. I'll try the sharpness suggestion although I'm not sure how that would affect it. Thanks.

I noticed the same thing following the scene after the big vampire reveal; the "now you know what we are, now you know what you are" shots are pretty bad looking


Great. I'm not crazy. I'll try that scene this evening. There may be ways to reduce the effect but the flashing, wavering dark scenes are definitely there.

I'm not completely sure but I believe what you are referring to might be what they call "black level retention" on CNET IIRC. This might be a particular artifact of your television set. Essentially, it would have to do with how your TV dynamically adjusts the backlighting to try to achieve better black levels. The problem should occur most when going between bright and dark scenes as well as scenes where there is a lot of darkness but just a portion of the screen is bright. Try posting in the thread dedicated to your particular television in the LCD forum.

This, of course, assumes it has nothing to do with those particular disks per se and rather is just a commonality between those scenes.

I'm not completely sure but I believe what you are referring to might be what they call "black level retention" on CNET IIRC. This might be a particular artifact of your television set. Essentially, it would have to do with how your TV dynamically adjusts the backlighting to try to achieve better black levels. The problem should occur most when going between bright and dark scenes as well as scenes where there is a lot of darkness but just a portion of the screen is bright. Try posting in the thread dedicated to your particular television in the LCD forum.

This, of course, assumes it has nothing to do with those particular disks per se and rather is just a commonality between those scenes.

This explanation might be ok but there is noise flashing, wavering in the blacks and only on isolated scenes. Lost Boys has it happen multiple times.

Great. I'm not crazy. I'll try that scene this evening. There may be ways to reduce the effect but the flashing, wavering dark scenes are definitely there.

No you're not crazy, same effect here............similarly with all the rave reviews I thought I had a defective disc....

No you're not crazy, same effect here............similarly with all the rave reviews I thought I had a defective disc....

What is your display device? I'm curious as it appears in both of my LCDs. Again, it may be the way the LCDs are displaying but I believe there is something in the transfer. A weakness of sorts.

Just finished watching mine no flashing either.

What is your display device? I'm curious as it appears in both of my LCDs. Again, it may be the way the LCDs are displaying but I believe there is something in the transfer. A weakness of sorts.

Runco front screen projector

Runco front screen projector

Good. Then it's not necessarily my LCDs.

I noticed the same thing following the scene after the big vampire reveal; the "now you know what we are, now you know what you are" shots are pretty bad looking

You must have defective discs because that scene was perfect.

You must have defective discs because that scene was perfect.


I might agree with you if I hadn't seen the same thing on other discs. Seriously, Sweeney Todd is almost unwatchable at times because of the flashing, wavering dark scenes. I must clarify that most BDs do NOT have this. That's why I don't think it's the display but the transfers. I'm open to about any explanation.

I might agree with you if I hadn't seen the same thing on other discs. Seriously, Sweeney Todd is almost unwatchable at times because of the flashing, wavering dark scenes. I must clarify that most BDs do NOT have this. That's why I don't think it's the display but the transfers. I'm open to about any explanation.

It has to be because if you and dtsguy are experincing the same problem and other disc works fine on your panel and his Runco well what other explanation is there really.
The other thing is whats the odds of you getting 2 bad disc, Sweeney Todd and Lost Boys:eek: i

It has to be because if you and dtsguy are experincing the same problem and other disc works fine on your panel and his Runco well what other explanation is there really.
The other thing is whats the odds of you getting 2 bad disc, Sweeney Todd and Lost Boys:eek: i

Wow, almost none. Both are Warner BDs (Sweeney Todd is Warner in the UK, I believe). Maybe there is something to that.

I just got Lost Boys and didn't experience any radical changes in blacks as you've reported. I use a Sony BDP-S350 and watch on a Westinghouse W3213, and it passed muster (even on a TV as lowbrow as a W3213, no less).

30:40

Where are the other scenes timestamp-wise? I will check tonite!

DLP FP PS3

I might agree with you if I hadn't seen the same thing on other discs. Seriously, Sweeney Todd is almost unwatchable at times because of the flashing, wavering dark scenes. I must clarify that most BDs do NOT have this. That's why I don't think it's the display but the transfers. I'm open to about any explanation.

Rach,

Is this the US disc or an international disc? I'm seeing a Paramount logo on the beginning of mine so I want to know who to complain to and I hear WB made the International disc.

-H

seeing as it's a samsung TV, you wouldn't happen to have DNIe on would you?

this flashing happens on my TV with DNIe on.

seeing as it's a samsung TV, you wouldn't happen to have DNIe on would you?

this flashing happens on my TV with DNIe on.

No DNle. I do use that for animation on occasion but nothing else.

Rach,

Is this the US disc or an international disc? I'm seeing a Paramount logo on the beginning of mine so I want to know who to complain to and I hear WB made the International disc.

-H

The Sweeney Todd BD is the UK import which I could swear is Warner.

I have a Panasonic plasma, and I used to see that flashing occasionally in the black bars on 2.35:1 DVDs. I could never find a pattern to it, nor do I have any auto-contrast settings enabled. However, I haven't seen it for around 6 months. Maybe that's because I don't watch many DVDs anymore. Specifically, I remember it in Star Trek First Contact (2-disc). I'll try that disc again and see if it recurs. I don't recall seeing it in the side bars on 4:3 DVDs.

The symptom is that the black bars will randomly flash to a dark grayish color for a split second, then back to black.

Doug

what resolution are you with this problem running?
if you have 1080p try changing to 720p and see if that doesnt cure it.
its probably a software bug with 1080p material with grain.

I've always though grain could be part of the equation but not for sure. Thanks.

what resolution are you with this problem running?
if you have 1080p try changing to 720p and see if that doesnt cure it.
its probably a software bug with 1080p material with grain.

I'm not good with Yoda syntax, so I'll respond in English. ;)

If you're addressing me, as I wrote before, my problem was w/ DVDs, so it was 480i/p material. My set is 768p, but accepts 1080p. I was sending 1080i from my previous DVD player. I think you're on to something, though. Now I have an Oppo, and send 1080p. I can't remember if I saw the flashing using the Oppo or not. When I get a chance, I'll check a disc where I remember seeing the problem, and will report back whether I still see it or not.

Doug

Panny BD-30. Flashing is isoloated and only in certain dark scenes. I always thought it was the transfer but with these rave reviews, I wonder.

What firmware level do you have..
Panasonic just released 2.2.
Many reported Blu Ray issues are blamed on the disc when in fact the player is actually the culprit..

Just my $0.015.. :rolleyes:

I wasn't aware. Thanks.