Let me start by saying I think the picture on my JVC-RS1 w/ a 100" screen is sensational. With BRs, HD-DVDs, and even HD DishNet content, it looks so good, I have trouble imagining how it could be improved, other than getting somewhat more accurate color, which is a limitation I've learned to live with.

I received my Spears and Munsil BD last night. I popped it into my PS3 slim and enjoyed the amazing opening video montage. When I got to the test patterns, however, things got a bit ugly.

Most prominently, my system seems to utterly fail all the white crush patterns. In the contrast test, I could not see any of the light colored bars, even if I turned my contrast all the way down. That was very surprising and, frankly, disheartening. In the clipping test, I had to turn my contrast down from +1 to -5 to get the results they said I would want on the blue, red, and yellow boxes. The white boxes remained a totally solid square, no matter what I did.

What gives? Could I have some setting wrong somewhere? Is it just a matter of certain imperfections in the system that actually have little real world impact? I do think turning down my contrast, as the disc suggested, is a good change and has improved detail a bit.

Let me start by saying I think the picture on my JVC-RS1 w/ a 100" screen is sensational. With BRs, HD-DVDs, and even HD DishNet content, it looks so good, I have trouble imagining how it could be improved, other than getting somewhat more accurate color, which is a limitation I've learned to live with.

I received my Spears and Munsil BD last night. I popped it into my PS3 slim and enjoyed the amazing opening video montage. When I got to the test patterns, however, things got a bit ugly.

Most prominently, my system seems to utterly fail all the white crush patterns. In the contrast test, I could not see any of the light colored bars, even if I turned my contrast all the way down. That was very surprising and, frankly, disheartening. In the clipping test, I had to turn my contrast down from +1 to -5 to get the results they said I would want on the blue, red, and yellow boxes. The white boxes remained a totally solid square, no matter what I did.

What gives? Could I have some setting wrong somewhere? Is it just a matter of certain imperfections in the system that actually have little real world impact? I do think turning down my contrast, as the disc suggested, is a good change and has improved detail a bit.


Post your video settings on the PS3

My HD1 does not have a clipping problem. I suspect your source.

"What gives? Could I have some setting wrong somewhere?.................................................. ......................
The problem could likely be your projector is set for PC level input and not video level. Check your JVC's menu. It's been awhile since I owned the RS-1 and I forget what they call this setting. Standard /enhanced possibly ??

You need to use "enhanced" on the JVC for video levels not to be clipped, then adjust black level down and white level up appropriately, I believe it is about 6 steps on each end.

Also, you need to have settings correct on the PS3, superwhite on, YCbCr out (I think if I remember right. These settings are buried in the ps3 menu, it took me a while to find them!)

For clarity: the Standard setting is for video levels, but it clips at 16 and 235, but white and black level will be properly aligned. Enhanced is supposed to be for PC levels, it aligns black to 0 and white to 255, and doesn't clip anything. To have video levels properly aligned but clipped, use standard. To have video levels not clipped, you have to manually use enhanced(which should be for graphics levels rather than video) then adjust the white and black levels to be properly aligned to the video range, which would be 16 and 254 to maintain all the peak whites. Other white level settings may be chose for a compromise between CR and peak whites if you feel that peak whites are less critical.

Thanks all.

The first problem was, since I bought my PS3 slim a month ago, I forgot to turn superwhite to "on." Doing that made the setup perform much better on S&M. Right now, the main problem I see is that if I set brightness using the pluge patterns, on the contrast pattern, I can only see through bars 20 or 21 in the dark space, whereas the disc says I should be able to see 17. To see 17, I have to sacrifice too much black level.

I need to check that setting on my JVC. It was installed by an ISF certified installer, but it was a brand new unit then, and I think he would have been guessing.

Chris - in your reference to bringing black levels down and white levels up on the RS1, what menu are you referring to?

Overall, I am now very happy with the S&M disc. I feel like it's done a better job helping me tweak contrast and brightness than any of the other discs I tried. I also like the RGB allignment pattern, which suggested some good changes for me.

Jeff, after you turn on HDMI enhanced so it doesn't clip, then it's just white and black level in the picture menu. It should be labaeled contrast and brightness respectively on the JVC. I am also assuming the RS1 is the same as the RS20 that I am using, which if I recall correctly is so, though somebody jump in if I'm wrong about that.

I see. I should have translated into "contrast" and "brightness" instinctively.

Thanks.

Jeff, after you turn on HDMI enhanced so it doesn't clip, then it's just white and black level in the picture menu. It should be labaeled contrast and brightness respectively on the JVC. I am also assuming the RS1 is the same as the RS20 that I am using, which if I recall correctly is so, though somebody jump in if I'm wrong about that.
The RS10/RS20 have more controls than the RS1/RS2 do, but your advice is still pretty much spot-on.

I just got the Spears and Munsil disk myself, using it on a Panasonic 50S1.

Mine failed the contrast test initially as well, but as I read the S and M user's guide I figured out about turning on Superwhite on the PS3. Now my only issue is getting the Color and Tint right. I emailed them today and received some info I didn't know, on the Color Bar test using the blue film, adjusting Color on the menu sets the 2 outside bars, while adjusting Tint sets the 2 inside bars. I was trying to set all 4 with the Color setting and couldn't get them all to show correctly. The user guide didn't do a real good job of explaining that aspect.

ChrisWiggles: you wrote "YCbCr out." What does that do, does that affect color? I think I had mine on Automatic (not home right now so I'm not totally sure). I also had issues with Clipping, after setting the contrast correctly on one of the previous screen tests I would have to lower it to see the different squares within squares on the clipping test screen.

Helpful thread, I assume all the info applies generally to different TV's.

I just got the Spears and Munsil disk myself, using it on a Panasonic 50S1.

Mine failed the contrast test initially as well, but as I read the S and M user's guide I figured out about turning on Superwhite on the PS3. Now my only issue is getting the Color and Tint right. I emailed them today and received some info I didn't know, on the Color Bar test using the blue film, adjusting Color on the menu sets the 2 outside bars, while adjusting Tint sets the 2 inside bars. I was trying to set all 4 with the Color setting and couldn't get them all to show correctly. The user guide didn't do a real good job of explaining that aspect.

ChrisWiggles: you wrote "YCbCr out." What does that do, does that affect color? I think I had mine on Automatic (not home right now so I'm not totally sure). I also had issues with Clipping, after setting the contrast correctly on one of the previous screen tests I would have to lower it to see the different squares within squares on the clipping test screen.

Helpful thread, I assume all the info applies generally to different TV's.

I belive you have to go YCbCr out to get full range with superwhite on on the PS3. I do not recall exactly however, you'll have to read through the PS3 threads on that topic. You do get high bitdepth out this way though, I don't know if RGB is supported in higher bitdepths on the PS3. I haven't tested it.