I am assuming that is my problem here. but how do i fix it? i have an SBRT in my service menu but not sure if that is all it takes. (Ive tried raising SBRT and flipped thru channels but things didnt quite look right) Can i tweak SBRT and the brightness setting to improve my picture? or is SBRT no different than adjusting the brightness? i am new to all this so im not sure what all the service menu items do if there happens to be black level adjustments available to use. there is definitely too much black on my screen though. if anyone can help id appreciate it as i cant find an online guide/manual for my service menu.

Sony FD Trinitron Wega KV-32FS120

is there a reason you're not just using the brightness control in the user menu...? Align that correctly and you're good to go.

SBRT is I assume sub brightness. This sets the lowest point on the brightness control slider. If the brightness control is working correctly anyway you shouldn't need to adjust sub-brightness unless you want to equalize all your inputs for multiple sources.

( I once had a panasonic tau CRT that had a ridiculously high pedestal black point that benefitted from a bit of sub-brightness tweakery other than that is rarely necessary.)

You should not go tweaking service menu settings unless you know what they actually do.

is there a reason you're not just using the brightness control in the user menu...? Align that correctly and you're good to go.

Also you must use a pluge pattern to set blacker than black and then set the contrast (since they are interactive). You can't tell if your levels are correct by flipping through channels.

is there a reason you're not just using the brightness control in the user menu...? Align that correctly and you're good to go.

um......that was the first thing i tried. by the time i raise brightness so that theres no black crush then it seems theres no black at all and picture just looks weird. the screen has always been ridiculously dark to begin with, wtf was sony thinkin? anyways i currently watch tv on vivid mode cuz theres still blacks on screen even tho i raised brightness, other modes look crappy when brightness is raised

SBRT is I assume sub brightness. This sets the lowest point on the brightness control slider. If the brightness control is working correctly anyway you shouldn't need to adjust sub-brightness unless you want to equalize all your inputs for multiple sources.

( I once had a panasonic tau CRT that had a ridiculously high pedestal black point that benefitted from a bit of sub-brightness tweakery other than that is rarely necessary.)

You should not go tweaking service menu settings unless you know what they actually do.

im not tweaking unless i know if itll help, hence why i asked about SBRT. like i stated if i raise brightness then the screen winds up looking weird and "not right". i had to raise brightness near max to be able to see anything on Jabba's Palace on Star Wars Battlefront 2. and PS3 seems way dark as well.

i would check the video settings of your PS3 ( I don't have one myself but it does have different settings for video and PC level I seem to recall).

Also use a proper test pattern to see where black is. I suspect you are maybe trying to judge whether the picture is crushing from game content ...never a good move.

Also you must use a pluge pattern to set blacker than black and then set the contrast (since they are interactive). You can't tell if your levels are correct by flipping through channels.

pluge pattern?

i would check the video settings of your PS3 ( I don't have one myself but it does have different settings for video and PC level I seem to recall).

Also use a proper test pattern to see where black is. I suspect you are maybe trying to judge whether the picture is crushing from game content ...never a good move.

its not the PS3 thats the problem as the dvd player and PS2 have had problems with dark screen. i rented that last Underworld movie and on the default settings for tv there were lots of parts of the movie where the screen was almost all black and you couldnt see hardly anything. cable tv is also way dark without adjusting brightness and once again, if i turn it up then the screen just kinda looks weird (almost no blacks).

This wouldn't apply to your situation unless that set has digital processing, but I had an issue with a digital flat panel that would not display blacks less than 16 (on a scale to 255) no matter what the brightness was brought up to. 16 is "standard" black for video, but many sources nowdays, especially videogames, are designed to use the whole luminance scale all the day from 0 to 255.

If you set is designed similarly, you might just be SOL if you have sources that use luminance levels below it's floor. I returned my set that crushed off 16 and down, and got one that could show the full range.

Are you connected via HDMI? My Sony's HDMI port kinda "died" and has the same black crush issues you describe here. There are no adjustments that correct it, I've tried.

But you said both the PS3 and dvd player, so either you have an HDMI splitter or you have one connected via component. In that case, there seems to be some settings that are incorrect. Whether it is in your players or in the set will take some more info to determine...

Are you connected via HDMI? My Sony's HDMI port kinda "died" and has the same black crush issues you describe here. There are no adjustments that correct it, I've tried.

But you said both the PS3 and dvd player, so either you have an HDMI splitter or you have one connected via component. In that case, there seems to be some settings that are incorrect. Whether it is in your players or in the set will take some more info to determine...

no HDMI, im on a standard tv, not hd. i got everything hooked up usin component cables into one of those boxes that let you hook up multiple things to one tv.

Try connecting directly to the TV instead of going through the AV switchbox (probably won't make a difference, but worth a try). Also, if you have any THX mastered DVDs, look in the extras on the disc for the THX Optimizer. It contains a black level/brightness test which should give you a better idea what's going on.

The Vivid picture mode is usually the most artificially enhanced and least accurate on Sony TVs. So I recommend using a different mode if you want less enhancement and greater accuracy.