Anyone with an HDMI Xbox 360 and a Samsung 61/65/69/71/81 series is not getting the correct quality picture, please read this!

I remember a time just before I bought my Xbox 360 Elite... I was using the 360 VGA cable with my Samsung LNT4661. Microsoft updated the 360 dashboard to included "reference level settings", and I found that reference level "expanded" coupled with the Samsung "Home Theatre PC" mode set to "ON" fixed the washed out image VGA produced, very rich picture, but didn't kill my shadow detail.

I got my HDMI 360, and was expecting a very similar picture, maybe better black level control and shadow detail, and maybe a sharper image without ghosted text, etc. I dialed in the infamous "1499 settings", looked good, but not what I remember, and definitely not the picture IQ that I received from my PS3 over HDMI. Fast forward 6 months.... I figured it out, and you should too!

I knew something wasn't right and tried to probe AVS, Samsung, Microsoft for some answers about which combo of reference levels, and HDMI black levels, the general consensus was HDMI black level "Low" + Reference Level "Normal" was acceptable, and the same was true about the opposite (HDMI black level "normal" + reference level "expanded") produced the same black levels. The picture quality difference between the PS3 and 360 over HDMI got me thinking... Shouldn't HDMI "Low" coupled with 360 "Expanded" produce full RGB? NO. It looks rich, but your shadow detail will suffer big time...

Anyway, for Xbox 360 if you want the image quality to look outstanding, NO COMBINATIONS OF SETTINGS BESIDES THESE ARE CORRECT, it is the only way to use RGB colorspace with 360 and a Sammy LCD, giving you rich colors, great black levels, and accurate shadow detail:

ON YOUR 360:
-Plug your 360 into HDMI 1
-Set the reference level on the purple tab to "Expanded"

ON YOUR SAMSUNG LCD:
-Label HDMI 1 "PC" on the "inputs" tab along the left side of your TV menu
-Go to picture settings and reset them (last option), then use the following settings:

Picture mode: Standard
Contrast: 90
Brightness: 44
Sharpness: greyed out
Color: greyed out
Tint: 50/50 (may be greyed out)
Backlight: 3-6
HDMI Black Level: greyed out (normal)
Black Adjust: off
Dynamic Contrast: low or medium
Gamma: 0
Color Gamut: Auto
Home Theatre PC mode: On (this tells the TV to look for true RGB)
DNIE: On (I think it is greyed out)
DNR: off
White levels: default, all 15
color levels: default, all 15

You may have to power cycle your TV, but I found resetting your picture settings had the same effect, but the important things to note are:

-HDMI 1 is named PC
-Home Theatre PC "ON" (and NOT greyed out anymore)
-Xbox 360 reference levels Expanded
-some options get greyed out when correctly activated (sharpness, etc.)

PLEASE TRY THIS, YOU CAN PLAY WITH THE ACTUAL PICTURE SETTINGS, BUT THE 3 ABOVE ARE CRUCIAL.

I am surprised it took this long to figure it out, but I am confident I am correct, and you will immediately notice how amazing the picture is, no compromises.

I think this should be a sticky... Very important, easily overlooked.

Nothing else is true RGB.;)

I suppose that does not apply to the Sammy DLP's?

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you setup the 360 to output 0-255 levels by choosing "expanded" reference level and then setup the TV to "Home Theatre PC" mode so that it would expect 0-255 levels just like a PC would output. Then a lot of other settings to get colors just right.

How does this differ with what you did for the PS3? Did you use YCbCr out for the PS3. I'd expect that to use 16-235 video standard levels by default, but perhaps it can be over-ridden. I'd think that the Samsung would automatically expect 16-235 levels when receiving YCbCr colorspace.

P.J.

Valid points and that is fine for gaming but keep in mind that you don't want to use 0-255 (expanded) for HD DVD/DVD playback . Games are 0-255 but movies are 16-235 .

--- Jason

Valid points and that is fine for gaming but keep in mind that you don't want to use 0-255 (expanded) for HD DVD/DVD playback . Games are 0-255 but movies are 16-235 .

--- Jason

It would make sense to me, if you set the 360 to "expanded" that it would stretch the 16-235 levels from DVD/HD-DVD to the 0-255 range. Since that makes sense, I suppose that is not what is done? Do they do this stuff, just to confound the user?

P.J.

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you setup the 360 to output 0-255 levels by choosing "expanded" reference level and then setup the TV to "Home Theatre PC" mode so that it would expect 0-255 levels just like a PC would output.
EXACTLY!

I think this information is very important, the average user wouldn't name their HDMI input (that their 360 is hooked up to) "PC" by accident (AND set the 360 to "expanded")...

Setting the Xbox to expanded does let it output 0-255, but because samsung and microsoft worked so closely on some specs of the TV's game mode supposedly, the Samsung HDMI firmware might recognize it as a 360 specifically, and as a multi-purpose video device (16-235), instead of a PC-like 0-255 full RGB colorspace.

I'm pretty sure this would apply to all Samsung/360 combos, and not just for HDMI either, VGA too, which ironically was the reason I remember how good it could look, playing around when MS released the VGA updates, "expanded" paired with "home theatre PC" mode (which made sense to me because it was a VGA connection from my 360...) produced excellent picture IQ

the HDMI input has to be named/flagged "PC" from the drop-down preset names on any Samsung so that it looks for full RGB colorspace (and so that "Home Theatre PC" won't be greyed out anymore), and Xbox 360 has to output full colorspace (Expanded). Anything else is wrong, but you lose the ability to set a few things like color+ (maybe a good thing if the RGB is PC accurate to begin with)

Note that when you have these settings enabled correctly, there will only be 2 picture size options to choose from, 16:9, and 4:3, but you will still get 1:1 pixel mapping like "just scan" allows, as evidenced by the 360's music visualizer (screensaver) having a small black border when set to full screen in 1080p (the black border normally wouldn't be seen in overscanned "16:9" size, only "Just Scan"). For example if your dashboard was set to 720p instead of 1080p, the image wouldn't fill the whole screen (even though "16:9" picture size usually stretches everything to fill the screen), because it is pixel-mapped 720p, and your TV is 1080p natively

Hope this helps...
gamertag: Bacon and Aids

I'm guessing this wouldn't work with my Samsung since it is a 720p model from last year, the 92D.

I'm guessing this wouldn't work with my Samsung since it is a 720p model from last year, the 92D.

I had a 4096 a couple years back that had the "Home Theatre PC" mode, I think the 92 series is just like the 96, except for the 720p panel and a different sound deflector. If yours does have the HTPC (greyed out unless selecting PC as the input name) in the advanced options menu, then you can activate RGB mode. You don't need 1080p to do this.

I had a 4096 a couple years back that had the "Home Theatre PC" mode, I think the 92 series is just like the 96, except for the 720p panel and a different sound deflector. If yours does have the HTPC (greyed out unless selecting PC as the input name) in the advanced options menu, then you can activate RGB mode. You don't need 1080p to do this.

Do you mean game mode on the 4096?

no, game mode has something to do with image processing (or the lack thereof), "Home Theatre PC" mode tells the TV to look for 0-255 scale gradients of color.

Should I try this with my Sammy LN-T3253H (720P)? I don't have an HDMI cable yet, but I was planning to switch my Wii from Composite to Component and my 360 from Component to HDMI. Thanks.

Should I try this with my Sammy LN-T3253H (720P)? I don't have an HDMI cable yet, but I was planning to switch my Wii from Composite to Component and my 360 from Component to HDMI. Thanks.

absolutely, as long as you have "Home Theatre PC" mode in your "setup" menu (as shown below)

Picture

Sound

Channel

Setup--
--Home Theatre PC
--ON

Input--
--Edit Name
--HDMI 1
--"PC" (from dropdown list, NOT named manually!)

Sweet. I'll give it a try. My picture looks great now (to me) but I'll try this out.

absolutely, as long as you have "Home Theatre PC" mode in your "setup" menu (as shown below)

Picture

Sound

Channel

Setup--
--Home Theatre PC
--ON

Input--
--Edit Name
--HDMI 1
--"PC" (from dropdown list, NOT named manually!)


I do have that mode. Will have to try it out when I get my new cables. Thanks.

I have a LN-S4095d and I don't think I have a home theater PC mode option. I believe it's the same as the 4096 minus a few small options (cable card, etc..) Hmm.. Thanks for the heads up. I'll see if I have that option. Can anyone else with a 95 series confirm whether or not this applies to us?

it should have that option, check under the menu structure I posted above

What were your settings using the VGA cable?

absolutely, as long as you have "Home Theatre PC" mode in your "setup" menu (as shown below)

Picture

Sound

Channel

Setup--
--Home Theatre PC
--ON

Input--
--Edit Name
--HDMI 1
--"PC" (from dropdown list, NOT named manually!)



I have an older 360...it only has component port.....will this work?

I have an older 360...it only has component port.....will this work?

Buy the VGA cable for the xbox 360

component no good?

component no good?

Component's fine.

so whats the big deal then? whats the fuss all about over VGA?

so whats the big deal then? whats the fuss all about over VGA?

Depends on your tv, VGA gives a sharper picture then component

For Samsung DLPs at least, using VGA eliminates a lot of lag for gaming. Unfortunately, even choosing "expanded" on the 360 with VGA doesn't totally fix the black level.

Cary

Is there any way to get similar PQ on HDMI 2 or 3? I have a 4066 and I'm using HDMI 1 for my PC (set to home theater pc mode); I want to avoid getting a switcher. I've been struggling w/ getting a good balance of contrast/color saturation while maintaining black level detail.

component doesn't support RGB as far as I know, and I think any of the 3 HDMI ports would work with this. (ONLY HDM1 APPARENTLY) I need some feedback though, my set looks superb, and I want to hear from others.

My friend has the 4671f sammy lcd and he tried these and says the shadow detail is amazing. I however have the 4671f and I did not like the effect it had on PQ, but I think I need to retest.

ah, we lost some posts due to the website issues earlier, boo.

I need some feedback though, my set looks superb, and I want to hear from others.
I have the 61 series and honestly I don't notice a big difference. I did everything you said correctly but for me it does not look much different. The only thing different was DNR was set to auto because it was greyed out.

it should have that option, check under the menu structure I posted above

Thanks a lot Zero. I'll definitely try it out :D

-Label HDMI 1 "PC" on the "inputs" tab along the left side of your TV menu
-Go to picture settings and reset them (last option), then use the following settings:


Does changing the input label on Samsung HDTVs change the settings or the properties of the input in some way?

Okay, I tried this today and I can confirm that it does not work with the 92D series. After selecting "PC" as the input name, I did not find the Home Theatre PC mode and all calibration settings were still available (color, sharpness, etc). This must work on the newer F models.

The picture looks great with similar settings to the one in the first post so thanks!

does this work for my sammy FPT-5084 plasma also?

Turning on Home Theater PC mode completely messes up your colors. It turns on DNIe. Look at something that is color full. Turn off all the extra crap that adds things thats not there. Movie mode would be ideal. Then turn on the Home Theater PC mode and turn it back off. Watch your color pattern change to completely different colors when that mode is set to on.

I just noticed that Home Theater PC is always on for me but is greyed out. I dont even have to name it.

Does changing the input label on Samsung HDTVs change the settings or the properties of the input in some way?

yes, it expects RGB when named HDMI 1 is named PC, 16-235 otherwise no matter what you feed it.

What do you have color temperature set to? Normal or Cool?

cool gives more vibrant colours but is a little blue, normal is a good choice.

Try the infamous 1499 settings for white balance when using "Normal"

I did a quick search, but it's a bit too broad. Do you mind explaining to me what the 1499 settings are?

Thanks in advance.

So, when using the PS3, I hear that setting the PS3 to RBG "FULL" as opposed to "LIMITED" will make the PS3 output the 0-255 range... similar to the Xbox 360's "EXPANDED" mode. Does all this stuff apply then to the PS3 as well? I've been struggling with my 4661 and PS3 to get great contrast and maintain black detail, and this might fix it. I'll try tonight I guess.

Is it confirmed that only HDMI1 will allow you to use the Home Theater PC mode? I'm not sure I can get to HDMI1 because a bar from my wall mount is covering it up.

Okay, I tried this today and I can confirm that it does not work with the 92D series. After selecting "PC" as the input name, I did not find the Home Theatre PC mode and all calibration settings were still available (color, sharpness, etc). This must work on the newer F models.

The picture looks great with similar settings to the one in the first post so thanks!

My sammy you have to have hdmi in hdmi one. If you look in the manual it says if you have pc hooked up to the tv you have to be on hdmi 1. Thats just if you using hdmi, if you using vga your tv is messed up

guys for the same results that this gives you, simply put the HDMI black level on Normal (this is what PC mode does) for the same shadow detail results. This way you still control your setttings.

ok, so I know this thread is about the Xbox and HDMI, but I don't have an elite so I did some testing with my PS3

I officially see no difference between using HDMI1 in PC mode as described in this thread from using HDMI2 with Black Level set to "Normal". If there's a difference, it is miniscule enough that I can't see it. In both cases, I have my PS3 set to RGB "Full" mode which I assume is similar to the Xbox's Expanded setting.

One thing that was really weird on my PS3, is when starting a game, or a blu-ray, the TV would kick out of the PC mode, and PC Home Theater would be grayed out. I could access it on the XMB, playing demos, or playing videos off the hard drive, but when the machine was running a disk, it would revert back to normal (non-pc) mode.

Kinda strange I thought.

My sammy you have to have hdmi in hdmi one. If you look in the manual it says if you have pc hooked up to the tv you have to be on hdmi 1. Thats just if you using hdmi, if you using vga your tv is messed up

I used HDMI 1 but I have an older model from last year so this method might not work with my set.

ok, so I know this thread is about the Xbox and HDMI, but I don't have an elite so I did some testing with my PS3

I officially see no difference between using HDMI1 in PC mode as described in this thread from using HDMI2 with Black Level set to "Normal". If there's a difference, it is miniscule enough that I can't see it. In both cases, I have my PS3 set to RGB "Full" mode which I assume is similar to the Xbox's Expanded setting.

One thing that was really weird on my PS3, is when starting a game, or a blu-ray, the TV would kick out of the PC mode, and PC Home Theater would be grayed out. I could access it on the XMB, playing demos, or playing videos off the hard drive, but when the machine was running a disk, it would revert back to normal (non-pc) mode.

Kinda strange I thought.

The PS3 has no problems switching between RGB and 16-235 for Blu-Ray. The Xbox/TV is the problem. My theory is that Samsung and Microsoft worked together on the "game mode" and because of that partnership, the TV recognizes the 360 as a 360 specifically, and it seems that all combos of "HDMI Black Levels" (Low/Normal) and "360 Reference Levels" (Normal/Expanded) end up in a sort of happy medium between video game black levels, NTSC black levels and HD-DVD black levels, but never tailored to a specific colorspace range so it looks "good enough" for Joe Consumer no matter what he is doing with his 360.

I could be wrong, but I know my 360 games and Dashboard now look just as good as PS3 does using RGB over HDMI, no light haze, no shadow detail loss, looks like a computer monitor does (as it should, 0-255)

Hard to explain, but if you're able, and do enable RGB on your 360 correctly, you'll know.

Hi, I've renamed HDMI to PC from the drop-down menu, reset my settings and powered on and off, but Home Theatre PC remained greyed out and set to 'off'. I have a LE19R88BDX, any reason this isn't working? Thanks.

On my tv, home pc is only available in hdmi 1.

OK, below is the PQ problem i am having w/ my 360 and sammy lcd.
will this trick fix the below problem, and if i have my pc connected via VGA can i still connect the xbox via hdmi and use the hometheaterPC mode?

OK, has anyone noticed a checkerboard type effect in the blacks with the add-on.

I have my addon with a newer elite connected via hdmi to my samsung lcd. i can't help but notice some little boxes or like a thick window screen pattern over the blacks and other darker colors. it seems to be the xbox, because i hooked up my old vizio and saw the same problem(just less detail which is to be expected). My hd-dvr and computer show none of the similar distortion. I also tried different hdmi cables and inputs and no change. please help. thanks.

Okay, I have a LNS3251, which is a couple years old, so I'm not sure if this applies to me or not. I'm connected through VGA. I see lots of discussion of HDMI, but what specifically do I need to do to enable this broader spectrum (if anything)?

I did a quick search, but it's a bit too broad. Do you mind explaining to me what the 1499 settings are?

Thanks in advance.

+1

I did a google search and found it easy here you go-

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11287410&postcount=1499

Hi, I've renamed HDMI to PC from the drop-down menu, reset my settings and powered on and off, but Home Theatre PC remained greyed out and set to 'off'. I have a LE19R88BDX, any reason this isn't working? Thanks.
Any help with this? Re: HDMI 1, as my TV only has one HDMI port, I presume that is what I am using.

Is your TV UK? I'm not sure, but if Home Theatre PC mode is greyed out, it is not active even if it says "ON" while greyed out. You need to be using HDMI 1 for sure.

I did a google search and found it easy here you go-

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11287410&postcount=1499


thanks

So, if I want to have both a PC and a 360 connected, what's the best option?

PC via VGA and XBOX 360 via HDMI 1?
PC via HDMI 1 and XBOX 360 via VGA?
PC via HDMI 1 and XBOX 360 via HDMI 2/3?

I'm planning on picking this TV up tonight specifically for a PC / 360 gaming monitor.

Does anyone know of any recommended settings w/ expanded for the Sony KDL46S3000?

I'm gaming on on a Samsung LN-S4051D right now - It's a 2006 model and doesn't have the HTPC option; If I can get full RGB on the Bravia, I might have to switch to the bedroom set.

the 4051D does have "Game Mode" which looks nice with the 360 set to standard via HDMI. I tried using expanded and though the black levels improved dramatically, the color became way oversaturated and I lost a ton of shadow detail. I've been playing around with it - turning down color and boosting the brightness. I usually play w/ low or medium "energy saving".

Or I could go VGA; does anyone know if the old 51D models support full RGB via VGA? It does say "PC mode" for VGA and has a few picture options greyed out.

guys for the same results that this gives you, simply put the HDMI black level on Normal (this is what PC mode does) for the same shadow detail results. This way you still control your setttings.

See the problem is you get banding with HDMI black level on Normal. I tested myself with 2 different patterns and I found it is best to just turn up the brightnes and turn black adjust OFF to compensate. I haven't tried the PC input on my 360 yet but for my PS3 I have Y/Cb/Pb/Pr for BD movies and for games I have RGB det to FULL and HDMI black level at LOW. At 1st it is extremely dark but if you turn up brightness to about 58 and contrast to 83 you get almost NO banding. I wouldnt use RGB for movies at all. Stay with Y/Cb/Pb/Pr.

The PS3 has no problems switching between RGB and 16-235 for Blu-Ray. The Xbox/TV is the problem. My theory is that Samsung and Microsoft worked together on the "game mode" and because of that partnership, the TV recognizes the 360 as a 360 specifically, and it seems that all combos of "HDMI Black Levels" (Low/Normal) and "360 Reference Levels" (Normal/Expanded) end up in a sort of happy medium between video game black levels, NTSC black levels and HD-DVD black levels, but never tailored to a specific colorspace range so it looks "good enough" for Joe Consumer no matter what he is doing with his 360.

I could be wrong, but I know my 360 games and Dashboard now look just as good as PS3 does using RGB over HDMI, no light haze, no shadow detail loss, looks like a computer monitor does (as it should, 0-255)

Hard to explain, but if you're able, and do enable RGB on your 360 correctly, you'll know.

I want to know if Banding does occur when the 360 is et to PC mode. Has anyone used a banding pattern to determine? Im gonna try it out later on.

Okay, I have a LNS3251, which is a couple years old, so I'm not sure if this applies to me or not. I'm connected through VGA. I see lots of discussion of HDMI, but what specifically do I need to do to enable this broader spectrum (if anything)?

I'm in the same boat. 3251 series, using VGA cable. Anyone want to clarify? Seems like enabling Home Theater PC & Setting the 360's reference level to expanded will give better picture quality?

Does it matter whether it's VGA or HDMI used?

So, if I want to have both a PC and a 360 connected, what's the best option?

PC via VGA and XBOX 360 via HDMI 1?
PC via HDMI 1 and XBOX 360 via VGA?
PC via HDMI 1 and XBOX 360 via HDMI 2/3?

I'm planning on picking this TV up tonight specifically for a PC / 360 gaming monitor.

Alright, since nobody bothered to answer, I've ordered a manual 2-way HDMI switch from monoprice. HDMI 1 produces a sharper image from my PC than VGA, so I assume it will do the same for the 360, regardless of the color issue.

I've reread the thread and am still confused though. The thread title is talking about a problem specifically between Samsung and 360. Something about Samsung recognizing the 360 and taking middle of the road settings. But if a PC connected via DVI-HDMI *must* use HDMI 1 with the input labelled as PC, so that the TV knows to look for RGB, then how is this specific to the 360? Aren't we really saying that HDMI 1 as PC is the only way that the Samsung will accept RGB, regardless of source? If I want to later add a PS3 with RGB for gaming, wouldn't I also be limited to HDMI 1 as PC, if I'm after the best possible PQ? It sounds like HDMI 2 and 3 are not ideal for any RGB source... unless I'm misreading something here.

I'm in the same boat. 3251 series, using VGA cable. Anyone want to clarify? Seems like enabling Home Theater PC & Setting the 360's reference level to expanded will give better picture quality?

Does it matter whether it's VGA or HDMI used?

RGB-wise, should be the same.

On my set, though, HDMI is sharper than VGA.

Connected my PC with VGA, thought it looked good, but had to turn off ClearType as it looked like it wasn't quite in focus with ClearType on. I've read a lot of people talk about turning off ClearType when using a large LCD, so I didn't think anything of it.

Then I tried DVI-HDMI and the difference was surprising. I was able to turn ClearType back on and still be razor sharp. I suppose it could be the cable, but it's a Belkin Pure AV 12 ft, so it's pretty decent. I ordered a monoprice 2-way switch so I can have the PC and 360 both connected to HDMI 1 as PC.

This isnt very color accurate. I checked it with a DVE test pattern and color filter.

What is the consensus on this? The color isn't accurate?

still using PC mode, never been happier with my 360 picture quality.

But the actual color isn't accurate, correct? It just appears to look better?

I checked it with DVE calibration disc, and color filter, and it's wrong.

you could at least give an opinion on adjustments if you have any.

Anyway, the color accuracy is not in question, although I have changed my colorspace to "Auto" instead of "wide" in my calibration in the first post of this thread. If you read through the thread I have discovered when using a VGA or HDMI connection on a 61/65 series Samsung; the only way to get proper HDMI black level AND utilize 0-255 RGB (which is what GAMES are rendered in) is to label HDMI1 "PC" and turn on "Home Theatre PC" mode. The color accuracy can be adjusted after, and I'd value your input.

One thing to note is that DVE is not designed for either PC-like inputs or HD signals or colorspace (unless you have DVE HD or AVIA HD) It is designed for NTSC DVD signals which aren't RGB 0-255.

I used DVE HD, I'm fairly sure that it still does not use the full colorspace through the hd-dvd add-on, that might be the reason why.

I have a samsung 5084 plasma and have all the same settings that you do. I do agree that it did produce a better picture with these settings than to what I had set it to before, I just cant get the color right. I dont have the proper tools or knowledge to calibrate deeper than setting the tint and color which PC mode does not allow me to do. I can confirm though, that it is not correct, but the PQ is better than I had it.

Also, the settings in movie mode (DVE disc) will be different when in game. I found a brightness calibration image in COD4, and used this instead of the one that was on my DVE disc since they differed.

I think the PC mode will be the best mode once I get an ISF cert tech to calibrate it for me. I will also try game mode paired with this later to see if that makes it any better *may be grayed out, I havent checked).

awesome, that's a much better post ilivas, and shows that you know what you're talking about and have played with your settings extensively. Cheers.

Thanks for these posts guys. I have an HD DVD player (and soon Blu-ray?) hooked up to my Xbox 360, and I also use the Xbox 360 to watch movies from my Mac, so it's a tough decision. I would give anything to know how to perfectly calibrate things, haha. That is my dream. I'm going to try "HDMI1 PC" and these other settings with the famous #1499 post in the 65F calibration thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11287410&postcount=1500).

WOW! It looks amazing now.

The reds are actually red...

the black level is amazing too. I would highly recommend doing this

good, good. Did you use the 1499 settings in conjunction with the tricks I found that'll allow RGB for 360?

Yes, well, these are basically the same settings, but this is what I used in conjunction with your HDMI1 PC, Home Theater PC On, and Expanded Reference Level settings. If anyone else is reading this, those three things are KEY to make it look good.


Standard
Contrast 88
Brightness 43
Sharpness 20
Color 50
Tint G 50 / R 50
Backlight 3

Color Tone Normal
Digital NR Auto
DNIe On

Black Adjust Off
Dynamic Contrast Low
Gamma -1
Color Space Auto

White Balance
R-Offset 21
G-Offset 22
B-Offset 24
R-Gain 17
G-Gain 18
B-Gain 5

My Color Control
Pink 15
Green 15
Blue 15
White 15

Edge Enhancement On

Those settings are EXTREMELY similiar to what I have my samsung plasma set to.

I'd turn off DNR and edge enhancement since it is already a clean and sharp signal and most likely 1:1 pixel-mapped depending what you've set your 360 to output, otherwise looks great.

One thing I found with the "1499" white balance is that it seems like the white cuts are jacked up and the gamma turned down to compensate, ending up similar to what you'd get with a higher gamma and lower white balance. The Blue Gain @ 5 seems to be the only major adjustment.

Kerplunknet is right when he says that enabling full RGB is a good baseline for a decent 360/Sammy calibration.

This tip was the best thing i have done to match the "flawless" look they give in the kiosks at stores for HD movies. Great find i would of never thought of doing this. The colors are 100 times more vivid and not washed out and the clarity is great and my blacks are BLACK! I thought the tv had grat blacks before but this just took it over the top. great find! **of topic kinda, but has anyone tried the setting with their PS3 or is it not necessary?**

PS3 has no issues switching between blu-ray and games from what I gather. Like I said earlier, the great picture quality of the PS3 using HDMI (and my experience of great picture quality using VGA on the 360) was the reason I knew something was off with my calibration of the 360 over HDMI. The picture always looked like it had a light haze to it, but would crush shadow detail if I changed the HDMI black level on my 4661F. Neither "low" or "normal" were correct was the problem, PC mode needed enabling for RGB.
Surprisingly, I find HD-DVDs look fine with these settings too, no crush or haze on the few I have watched so far.

Glad some people have tried this, didn't seem to garner too much interest in the Elite/HDMI sticky thread, but I'm sure a TON of people are using Samsungs with their 360s.

I have a 4095 and there is the option to name the HDMI 1 to PC but the PC option under setup is still grayed out. I did however set the HDMI 1 to Game and saw the colors pop. I rechecked my picture settings to see if change it to Game some how reset them and it didn't. So this might be the option for 4X95/4X96 owners.... See for yourself and let me know of the results...

EDIT* 360 was set to Extended...

i have the LNS3251 and i don´t see all these option you mention, i guess this thread doesn´t apply for this tv... or i´m missing something?¿

i have the LNS3251 and i don´t see all these option you mention, i guess this thread doesn´t apply for this tv... or i´m missing something?¿

Can you edit the name of your inputs?

hmmm i can edit Component to Game for example, if that is what you mean...
anyways i´m using vga and it´s already on named PC, actually if i choose PC on the controller it goes to VGA input.. so i guess this don´t apply if you are using VGA.

posted a screenshot to show you my options.

hmmm i can edit Component to Game for example, if that is what you mean...
anyways i´m using vga and it´s already on named PC, actually if i choose PC on the controller it goes to VGA input.. so i guess this don´t apply if you are using VGA.

posted a screenshot to show you my options.

I am using HDMI so if your using VGA you just need to set the Xbox to Expanded...

I am trying to see if my brother's Sharp D64 is set correctly. Anyone have any advice there? He has a 360 and a PS3.

Yes, well, these are basically the same settings, but this is what I used in conjunction with your HDMI1 PC, Home Theater PC On, and Expanded Reference Level settings. If anyone else is reading this, those three things are KEY to make it look good.


Standard
Contrast 88
Brightness 43
Sharpness 20
Color 50
Tint G 50 / R 50
Backlight 3

Color Tone Normal
Digital NR Auto
DNIe On

Black Adjust Off
Dynamic Contrast Low
Gamma -1
Color Space Auto

White Balance
R-Offset 21
G-Offset 22
B-Offset 24
R-Gain 17
G-Gain 18
B-Gain 5

My Color Control
Pink 15
Green 15
Blue 15
White 15

Edge Enhancement On


This is pretty similar to the OT, no?
I just paused my game on my 360 and tried to edit to these settings. I noticed that Sharpness, Color, Tint were greyed out. Any idea as to why? Do I have to not be using the 360 to change these?

bump

Hi boodean,

It is similar, yes, but the true magic is in the color accuracy settings. :)

Also, sharpness, color, and tint are grayed out for me too. Not a huge loss, I suppose.

p.s. The settings I posted are perfect for other inputs too. It's what I use for cable, HD DVD, etc.

Thanks. Wondering why my settings default sometimes, especially the White Color settings, seem to always default to 15's

Hey Zero or any others,

You guys all seem much more knowledgable than myself, so I thought you could give me some ideas.
I have the 4661 as well, and I have a older gen 360 (so no option for the HDMI, so I don't know which of these settings I don't have access to). What is my best option? I have both the Component and VGA, which should I use to pull 1080p from my games? I think I would prefer the VGA cuz I believe I get better upconversion for my normal DVDs.
So which settings on my brand new, factory default 4661 should I tweak to get the best out of my TV?

Component will give you 1:1 1080p for games only, videos won't get upscaled and HD-DVDs will only run @1080i (not a problem as long as the 4661 de-interlaces properly... doubt it).

VGA coupled with Home Theatre PC mode on your Sammy and an expanded reference level on your 360 will produce the best results in my opinion. Component looks rich and not too soft, but VGA will let you run anything at your panels native resolution.

i thought the expanded black on the xbox only effected a 480p resoulution?

Colors aside, this fails the BTB test on DVE. It clips the lower end of the black spectrum so you are losing detail here too. I am still experimenting, but set to "intermediate", it displays BTB

so, does HDMI or VGA look better? i don't have an HDMI 360 and I'm currently running component, but want to go VGA for upconverting on my hd-dvd player. Is VGA a good picture, better than component?

Colors aside, this fails the BTB test on DVE. It clips the lower end of the black spectrum so you are losing detail here too. I am still experimenting, but set to "intermediate", it displays BTB

DVE HD? or regular DVD?

so, does HDMI or VGA look better? i don't have an HDMI 360 and I'm currently running component, but want to go VGA for upconverting on my hd-dvd player. Is VGA a good picture, better than component?

I was wondering what opinions on this were as well. Also...I have a 4254 plasma. Has anyone tried/tested different settings for each, and found one to look better than the other?...

DVE HD? or regular DVD?

Just Regular dvd....are you implying that it matters for contrast clipping?

Just a quick question/comment folks. I've got a PS3 and an Xbox 360 (launch console). My PS3 is connected via HDMI but my 360 is only connected via VGA (this on a 5265F Samsung). I've noticed that I stay away from the Xbox 360 just because it doesn't seem as sharp as my PS3, picture wise. Is this because one is running a pure digital signal (HDMI) and one is a digital --> analogue --> digital connection (I think that's how VGA works) or is it simply my settings are not set correctly? I'm using the same settings for both the 360 (where I can, since it's set to Home Theatre PC) as I am with my PS3.

I would like to have the 360 just as sharp as when I am deciding which console game to purchase I lean towards the PS3 just because of this.

Vga is blurry on my Sammy lcd as well. If using Movie mode. Which is the only mode I use. It tends to be blurry. Its the way the sharpness is set. Why Samsung locked it in at 20 using vga is beyond me. If you put yours in Standard or Dynamic mode. You notice how much more sharper it looks? Thats because they locked the sharpness in at 75. 2 things you can do. Go into the service menu and adjust your sharpness in Movie mode to 75 or stick to component.

Just a quick question/comment folks. I've got a PS3 and an Xbox 360 (launch console). My PS3 is connected via HDMI but my 360 is only connected via VGA (this on a 5265F Samsung). I've noticed that I stay away from the Xbox 360 just because it doesn't seem as sharp as my PS3, picture wise. Is this because one is running a pure digital signal (HDMI) and one is a digital --> analogue --> digital connection (I think that's how VGA works) or is it simply my settings are not set correctly? I'm using the same settings for both the 360 (where I can, since it's set to Home Theatre PC) as I am with my PS3.

I would like to have the 360 just as sharp as when I am deciding which console game to purchase I lean towards the PS3 just because of this.

Whoa, I just tried these settings. But I used Movie, and turned off dynamic contrast and the picture is phenominal. I also I put game mode on and it also looks amazing!

OK, below is the PQ problem i am having w/ my 360 and sammy lcd.
will this trick fix the below problem, and if i have my pc connected via VGA can i still connect the xbox via hdmi and use the hometheaterPC mode?

OK, has anyone noticed a checkerboard type effect in the blacks with the add-on.

I have my addon with a newer elite connected via hdmi to my samsung lcd. i can't help but notice some little boxes or like a thick window screen pattern over the blacks and other darker colors. it seems to be the xbox, because i hooked up my old vizio and saw the same problem(just less detail which is to be expected). My hd-dvr and computer show none of the similar distortion. I also tried different hdmi cables and inputs and no change. please help. thanks. This is EXACTLY the problem im having on my 360s hdmi with my westy tv and my sony wega. So ur samsung has this issue also? maybe the 360's hdmi is just made like this? It would be nearly impossible to see this problem unless u looking at light blacks or light blues so most people prob dont even notice it. Maybe because its 1.2 hdmi and my tv is more in likely 1.3? my ps3 has zero issues using the same hdmi cord and input. My 360 recently died and bb is sending my a gift card to buy another maybe the newer models dont do this I HOPE!. Did you get ur problem fixed bflip?

Man I am so confused now. I have a Samsung 5264f with Cable in HDMI1, Xbox 360 in HDMI2 and PS3 in HDMI3. From what I have read, shoudl I swap the cable and 360 ports? And then set hdmi1 to HTPC? What will this do when watching movies on the 360?

Man I am so confused now. I have a Samsung 5264f with Cable in HDMI1, Xbox 360 in HDMI2 and PS3 in HDMI3. From what I have read, shoudl I swap the cable and 360 ports? And then set hdmi1 to HTPC? What will this do when watching movies on the 360?

it should enable full RGB for 360 games, and it doesn't seem to affect HD-DVDs, I watched plenty and there isn't black crush or a wishy washy haze, so it looks fine. When your 360 dash says that expanded reference levels affect games and movies, it does: games get the full 0-255 RGB, but DVD's regular 16-235 get stretched out to full 0-255, and can lead to bad results, any games or HD content will be fine.

Zero HD-

First off...great post!

I wanted to ask you...my xbox 360 does not not have hdmi input...would the settings below work the same if I'm using VGA? Or do you suggest anything else? Thanks!

Picture mode: Standard
Contrast: 90
Brightness: 44
Sharpness: greyed out
Color: greyed out
Tint: 50/50 (may be greyed out)
Backlight: 3-6
HDMI Black Level: greyed out (normal)
Black Adjust: off
Dynamic Contrast: low or medium
Gamma: 0
Color Gamut: Auto
Home Theatre PC mode: On (this tells the TV to look for true RGB)
DNIE: On (I think it is greyed out)
DNR: off
White levels: default, all 15
color levels: default, all 15

You may have to power cycle your TV, but I found resetting your picture settings had the same effect, but the important things to note are:

-HDMI 1 is named PC
-Home Theatre PC "ON" (and NOT greyed out anymore)
-Xbox 360 reference levels Expanded
-some options get greyed out when correctly activated (sharpness, etc.)

it should enable full RGB for 360 games, and it doesn't seem to affect HD-DVDs, I watched plenty and there isn't black crush or a wishy washy haze, so it looks fine. When your 360 dash says that expanded reference levels affect games and movies, it does: games get the full 0-255 RGB, but DVD's regular 16-235 get stretched out to full 0-255, and can lead to bad results, any games or HD content will be fine.5265 owner using HDMI Input 1 from an Onkyo 605 for the PS3/HD DVR/Wii/DVD Recorder. Thursday, when I get the 360 I'll try this. I can't wait to go change every Harmony 880 activity to switch from HDMI 1 to 2.:) I'll use a direct connection for the 360 into HDMI 1 as I'll be out of HDMI inputs on the AVR.

Thanks for the settings.

I'm currently using 1499 settings on HDMI. I'll try applying your applicable settings to those.

Samsung LN-T3253H and just got a pro system last night. Using hdmi now. My other 360 did not have it and I was using vga. In summary. Are you saying for games and hd movies. It should be set to Expanded? Then for regular dvd movies it should be set to Standard?

***EDIT***

I have tried this pc method for hdmi. No go with the Sammy LN-T3253H. Wonder why it does not work. Since I left the black level alone for hdmi on my tv to low. What setting do I need to choose to match things up with the reference levels in the 360's settings? Another thing I came across. I also have a hd-dvr box connected to my Samsung via hdmi. HDMI black level is grayed out and set to low. I noticed in my Samsung manual it says the following:

HDMI Black Level

> This function is active only when the an external device (DVD player, STB etc.) is connected to the TV via HDMI with RGB signal.

Now I am going out on a limb and could be completely wrong. But, since I can choose hdmi black level within the tv settings when using the 360. I am assuming the tv is in fact picking up the 360 as a RGB device. Which is why it should be set to Extended within the 360 settings. But, it goes back to the tv. Should the hdmi black level be set to low or normal? It says in the manual the following for the tv:

Normal: The screen gets brighter.

Low: The screen gets darker.

As I said earlier. Since I cant get this pc mode going on my model of tv. What settings do you suggest?

it should enable full RGB for 360 games, and it doesn't seem to affect HD-DVDs, I watched plenty and there isn't black crush or a wishy washy haze, so it looks fine. When your 360 dash says that expanded reference levels affect games and movies, it does: games get the full 0-255 RGB, but DVD's regular 16-235 get stretched out to full 0-255, and can lead to bad results, any games or HD content will be fine.

I have a 46a550, and am using an Xbox via HDMI. The "Hone Theatre PC" option is not available, even greyed out. Does anyone know if there is an equivalent setting on these newer Tvs? I set all the other settings as suggested and used the 1499 calibration, but dark DVD scenes are much too dark.

Any updates with getting this to work with the LN-T series of the Sammy lcds?

**EDIT**

It does work. I got things rolling and just WOW! Looks awesome. Thanks so much for your finding!

Zero HD,

Questions for ya. 1. I found I had to set hdmi black level within my tv settings to Normal. It was set to low. Then I set it up for RGB after that with your methods. Is this normal?

2. Since I use my 360 for standard dvd's for upscaling. Am I suppose to change the level within the 360's settings to Standard and leave Expanded for games only?

3. With those settings. For the black level within the tv settings. When you say greyed out. And you say (Normal) is that what you mean to change it to that instead of Low? I just want to confirm that. Thanks.

ON YOUR SAMSUNG LCD:
-Label HDMI 1 "PC" on the "inputs" tab along the left side of your TV menu
-Go to picture settings and reset them (last option), then use the following settings:

Picture mode: Standard
Contrast: 90
Brightness: 44
Sharpness: greyed out
Color: greyed out
Tint: 50/50 (may be greyed out)
Backlight: 3-6
HDMI Black Level: greyed out (normal)
Black Adjust: off
Dynamic Contrast: low or medium
Gamma: 0
Color Gamut: Auto
Home Theatre PC mode: On (this tells the TV to look for true RGB)
DNIE: On (I think it is greyed out)
DNR: off
White levels: default, all 15
color levels: default, all 15

These still good settings or has anyone tweaked them a bit?

I made this change last night and it definitely makes a difference. It's not so dark in COD4 when you run into a bldg or something.

I am also curious about the standard DVD issue. I have both a PS3 and 360 so maybe I should just use the PS3 for standard DVD's.

I have a 46a550, and am using an Xbox via HDMI. The "Hone Theatre PC" option is not available, even greyed out. Does anyone know if there is an equivalent setting on these newer Tvs? I set all the other settings as suggested and used the 1499 calibration, but dark DVD scenes are much too dark.

on the 550 series, use HDMI2, not HDMI1 (use the one thats meant for DVI) and you'll get the desired results. Then, use the post 1499 settings with "exanded" on the xbox and you are golden for games... not sure about the whole movie debate though. TBD

It does work. I got things rolling and just WOW! Looks awesome. Thanks so much for your finding!


How did you get this to work? I have the same tv and Home Theater PC is greyed out. And the other settings that are suposed to be greyed out are not. :confused:

How did you get this to work? I have the same tv and Home Theater PC is greyed out. And the other settings that are suposed to be greyed out are not. :confused:


Make sure you name the input 'PC'.

Make the changes for your 360 first. Then turn it off and switch your tv to another input. While in that input. Edit HDMI 1 name to PC. Power tv down. Now turn on the 360 first. Then power your tv on. Go into setup within your tv settings. Change hdmi black level to "Normal". Go into 360 settings and set it to optimal resolution. Then go into setup for your tv and turn on home theater pc mode. Sounds tricky but it really it is not.

How did you get this to work? I have the same tv and Home Theater PC is greyed out. And the other settings that are suposed to be greyed out are not. :confused:

Make the changes for your 360 first. Then turn it off and switch your tv to another input. While in that input. Edit HDMI 1 name to PC. Power tv down. Now turn on the 360 first. Then power your tv on. Go into setup within your tv settings. Change hdmi black level to "Normal". Go into 360 settings and set it to optimal resolution. Then go into setup for your tv and turn on home theater pc mode. Sounds tricky but it really it is not.

I've done exactly as you said(twice) and its still greyed out. :(

Very weird. I know I had some trouble at first getting it to work as well. But, what I told you. Thats how I got it going. When you go into display settings for the 360. And after you done his steps before turning on HTPC. Optimal Resolution should be an option up top. Now one thing I did do. Which is some thing to do at first and this might be preventing you from setting it up right the first time. When booting the 360. I left it on for about 15 seconds or so and then turned on my tv. Try that and see if it helps.

I've done exactly as you said(twice) and its still greyed out. :(

Very weird. I know I had some trouble at first getting it to work as well. But, what I told you. Thats how I got it going. When you go into display settings for the 360. And after you done his steps before turning on HTPC. Optimal Resolution should be an option up top. Now one thing I did do. Which is some thing to do at first and this might be preventing you from setting it up right the first time. When booting the 360. I left it on for about 15 seconds or so and then turned on my tv. Try that and see if it helps.

Got it working. Giving it a test drive right now. Looks good/great in some parts but others look bland. I'll keep playing with the settings.

Thx

Glad you got things going. You are probably just use to bright colors and what not. It looks exactly like a pc monitor when using hdmi or dvi. Warm 2 is the closest to 6500k. So, I use Movie mode. I avoid Standard and Dynamic mode all together because of that. It all comes down to preference though and what you like. Once your eyes adjust though. You will probably be pretty happy. I used bbudisin settings for Contrast 95, Brightness 51 and BackLight 2. It looks freakin awesome!

Got it working. Giving it a test drive right now. Looks good/great in some parts but others look bland. I'll keep playing with the settings.

Thx

Glad you got things going. You are probably just use to bright colors and what not. It looks exactly like a pc monitor when using hdmi or dvi. Warm 2 is the closest to 6500k.

See i like warm 1/2 better too but i cant select it anymore when doing the above(original post) steps. Only cool and normal are selectable. I also cant turn DNR off . :confused:

Yeah thats why he pretty much said you can adjust the picture to your liking after you get it rolling. Thats the whole beauty of this. Every thing is accurate and all you gotta do is set your contrast, brightness and back light. Cant really mess up on those. Not sure about the DNR. I will have to look at that and see if its set to Auto as well grayed out. I imagine you can try going back to 720p turn it off and then hit optimal resolution again. That might do the trick.

See i like warm 1/2 better too but i cant select it anymore when doing the above(original post) steps. Only cool and normal are selectable. I also cant turn DNR off . :confused:

what is your other settings at koRn?

Okay I tried Warm 2, put dynamic contrast on high, and put super white on. and it looks AMAZING!

Gonna have to recalibrate. Does anyone know of a good test pattern for rgb? I just need to calibrate my contrast, brightness and back light.

what is your other settings at koRn?

Ok I am using these settings now and my games look liquid dreams!! I have the 4061f model btw.

Contrast - 100
Brightness - 64
Backlight - 4
Warm2
Dynamic Contrast - High
Gamma - 2
Color Space - Auto
White Balance - 17,15,11,4,14,30
My Color Control - 30,30,30,25
xvYCC - ON

With this HTPC method to enable full rgb. With in the actual tv settings. For hdmi black level. Does it matter which one you choose either Normal or Low? Or do you have to choose a specific one with enabling full rgb properly?

er
nevermind about the xvYCC - I tried it in Sonic and the colors got messed. It does make Call of Duty 4 seem more real though.

HDMI black level should be "normal", but may get grayed out. Xbox should be "expanded", HDMI input 1 should be named PC on the TV, this will unlock "Home Theatre PC" mode and enable RGB for games.

On a side note, I tried playing an original Xbox game tonight, 480p 16:9 upscaled to 1080p, and the black levels were fine using these tips.

Got it. I use my 360 for upscaling regular dvd's. Do I select Standard? And just use Expanded for hd games and hd movies? Also since I am using a hd-dvr with hdmi. Its a Motorola dch-6416. I would want to set that to RGB as well correct? Since for hdmi black level with in the tv settings. Normal is for RGB right?

HDMI black level should be "normal", but may get grayed out. Xbox should be "expanded", HDMI input 1 should be named PC on the TV, this will unlock "Home Theatre PC" mode and enable RGB for games.

On a side note, I tried playing an original Xbox game tonight, 480p 16:9 upscaled to 1080p, and the black levels were fine using these tips.

When I changed withing the XBox 360 Gui to 'Expanded', the screen went blank. Then I made configuration changes to the 5265, powered everything off and on and I was pleased with the PQ. Thanks a lot.

Running the latest firmware on my tv, a few of us running it have come up with the conclusion that The gamma curve is no longer linear causing blacks to be too dark. This is with using the settings in the original post. Hopefully one of us can come up with a solution soon to make the 360 not so dark.

Running the latest firmware on my tv, a few of us running it have come up with the conclusion that The gamma curve is no longer linear causing blacks to be too dark. This is with using the settings in the original post. Hopefully one of us can come up with a solution soon to make the 360 not so dark.

Do you have a trident or cortez? I am running 1008/1032. Firmware 1037 seemed to have a green push for me, can't remember about 1035

Not sure. Are you able to tell by my sig? I believe its a Cortez

How do I find which firmware I have? I have the 4061F.

You guys have a green push? Try using movie mode with these settings.

Warm1
White Balance - 21,20,21,0,21,26
My Color Control - 30,30,30,25

Correct me if Im wrong... since you say we are losing shadow details with this. Cant we just trun up the brightness? I have my contrast at 85, brightness 61, and backlight at 2, I dont think im losing detail.

Ok so I went into Call of Duty 4's brightness control, set it at middle and adjusted my tv to make the best black/gray/white senario. Here is what I came up with.

Contrast - 95
Brightness - 37
Backlight - 5
Black Adjust - High
Dynamic Contrast - OFF
Gamma - 3

It seems to have done the trick. Feed is appreciated.

Can any one confirm this stuff if its right or wrong? I would really appreciate it. I did notice. Playing a dvd and setting it to Standard. The screen has a gray approach. Blacks are pretty much gray. When leaving it on Extended. It looks fine. But, I don't know if its giving me black crush or not.

Got it. I use my 360 for upscaling regular dvd's. Do I select Standard? And just use Expanded for hd games and hd movies? Also since I am using a hd-dvr with hdmi. Its a Motorola dch-6416. I would want to set that to RGB as well correct? Since for hdmi black level with in the tv settings. Normal is for RGB right?

Can any one confirm this stuff if its right or wrong? I would really appreciate it. I did notice. Playing a dvd and setting it to Standard. The screen has a gray approach. Blacks are pretty much gray. When leaving it on Extended. It looks fine. But, I don't know if its giving me black crush or not.

Expanded on the 360 is correct setting, with HDMI1 set to PC. As for the setting in the original post...like I said, they worked great, then I updated to the latest firmware on my tv. They still look great, although the picture is a lot darker (ie. Rainbow 6 Vegas 2, its difficult to see guys in dark areas.)

Hoping I can find out what setting needs to be tweaked. As for the other poster who posted his settings, muusicguy, what reference did you use to come up with those numbers?

Expanded. Or by reference do you mean where I got the White Balance/Color Control from? White Balance, I got from Searching for "warm1" I found a post which said they had a 61f so I used those and it looked fine. As for Color Control I just came up with those myself, because I wanted the reds/greens/and blues to be vibrant and pop. Also setting the white level high makes the whites pop. So now that Ive anwsered your questions...you can anwser mine! :P How do I find out which firmware/board I have?

Thanks!

Go into your menu / setup
Go down to I think Function or on screen help, when you highlight "oN" click the info button on your remote.

ok i did that but all it says is what mode im using for picture and, sound, resolution, h freq, v freq.

Ok I gotta say. I switched back to regular HDMI, and it looks way better sharper smoother. Now I noticed the HDMI PC version had color locked to 55. So I just switched back to regular hdmi and put my color up there and I am more than satisfied with the picture.

Really? Interesting. I could never go back now as I absolutely love the pc monitor effect. The games look like screen shots you see in magazines. Simply awesome. But, yeah. It comes down to personal preference.

Ok I gotta say. I switched back to regular HDMI, and it looks way better sharper smoother. Now I noticed the HDMI PC version had color locked to 55. So I just switched back to regular hdmi and put my color up there and I am more than satisfied with the picture.

Try going back to regular HDMI put the color up to 55.

its weird everything seems smoother is pc hdmi mode. damn Im confused. More vibrant clors in regular hdmi.

Standard
94
30
0
50
50/50
3
Normal
Gamma 0
Color Space Auto
White Balance:
15
15
14
21
13
7
Make sure to turn Black Adjust and Dynamic Contrast to off.


Those are what I'm using now, however, some areas of games (ie Mass Effect) are very dark, and hard to make out dark objects. Not sure why, or what setting can tweak that.

So I set up my HDMI to 1the 1499 post. So I could compare colors with the HDMI PC. What I found out was HDMI regular was more vibrant but very choppy. HDMI PC was less vibrant but smoother. Blacks were also better. Also they were two different colors.
Anyway to make HDMI PC as vibrant as regular HDMI I turned on game mode. It worked like a charm. The colors are now the exact same as the 1944 post. Im using standard, and my brightness is at 51.

Your brightness is way too low

Gmae mode looks awesome with HDMI PC, just turn the backlight down though.

It should be at least 42

Ok I gotta say. I switched back to regular HDMI, and it looks way better sharper smoother. Now I noticed the HDMI PC version had color locked to 55. So I just switched back to regular hdmi and put my color up there and I am more than satisfied with the picture.

the color does get locked in HDMI PC mode but there are ways around it, first: cycling through picture presets will give you different colors- Dynamic=65, Standard=55, Movie=50, or you can adjust 4 separate color controls under "detailed settings" if "Home Theatre PC" mode is enabled (under the advanced menu.)

The point of this is to get proper colorspace, black levels and the benefits that come along with a 1:1 1080p output using VGA or HDMI. It fixes the washout over VGA on 360 and "expanded" reference level can help with HDTV's that may not have an HDMI black level control option.

You touched on some thing interesting. I remember when using vga. Look a page back or so. I remember mentioning about the 2 different colors. This occurs when you turn on HTPC. Have some thing color full on and switch back and fourth. You can see the color patterns change. My thoughts and I could be completely wrong. It has to do with DNIe being set to on when enabling HTPC. If you notice. When you have HTPC off. DNIe is listed as off. I am using Movie mode btw. When leads me to Zero HD's method of truly unlocking rgb. If its picking up true rgb like he is saying. That is why the colors are changing. If I had another 360. I could hook it up to this monitor and run it side by side to see exactly what colors are right or wrong when enabling or disabling HTPC. Maybe some one can do that test that has 2 360's?

I know in the user manual its vague on HTPC. All it says is it unlocks extra enhancements when turned on. It says nothing when turning on the feature and DNIe being on/off.

So I set up my HDMI to 1the 1499 post. So I could compare colors with the HDMI PC. What I found out was HDMI regular was more vibrant but very choppy. HDMI PC was less vibrant but smoother. Blacks were also better. Also they were two different colors.
Anyway to make HDMI PC as vibrant as regular HDMI I turned on game mode. It worked like a charm. The colors are now the exact same as the 1944 post. Im using standard, and my brightness is at 51.

You touched on some thing interesting. I remember when using vga. Look a page back or so. I remember mentioning about the 2 different colors. This occurs when you turn on HTPC. Have some thing color full on and switch back and fourth. You can see the color patterns change. My thoughts and I could be completely wrong. It has to do with DNIe being set to on when enabling HTPC. If you notice. When you have HTPC off. DNIe is listed as off. I am using Movie mode btw. When leads me to Zero HD's method of truly unlocking rgb. If its picking up true rgb like he is saying. That is why the colors are changing. If I had another 360. I could hook it up to this monitor and run it side by side to see exactly what colors are right or wrong when enabling or disabling HTPC. Maybe some one can do that test that has 2 360's?

I know in the user manual its vague on HTPC. All it says is it unlocks extra enhancements when turned on. It says nothing when turning on the feature and DNIe being on/off.

good point, although I'm thinking HTPC mode just allows you to use options under detailed settings like dynamic contrast, and a wide color space, which normally wouldn't be a feature on a true computer monitor, making it more for "home theatre PC" content like video, obviously. I think naming HDMI1 to PC is the most crucial step in configuring full RGB for games.

It should be at least 42

What should be 42?

Brightness.

have you guys tried it with HDMI PC with game mode? It make the colors look like post 1499 settings.

Well I tried comparing my Sonic the Hedgehog game to screenshots online and they look spot on. Without game mode there is a green push I feel. Like ZERO HD said before... samsung + microsoft supposibly worked on game mode together. So maybe it makes the colors accurate. Comparing to what post 1499 found to be accurate colors; that seems to be the case. But we should still try to figure out a way to get accurate colors without game mode because it eats up alot of power. It also automatically sets the backlight to 10, so you should turn it down.(I have mine at 4)



You touched on some thing interesting. I remember when using vga. Look a page back or so. I remember mentioning about the 2 different colors. This occurs when you turn on HTPC. Have some thing color full on and switch back and fourth. You can see the color patterns change. My thoughts and I could be completely wrong. It has to do with DNIe being set to on when enabling HTPC. If you notice. When you have HTPC off. DNIe is listed as off. I am using Movie mode btw. When leads me to Zero HD's method of truly unlocking rgb. If its picking up true rgb like he is saying. That is why the colors are changing. If I had another 360. I could hook it up to this monitor and run it side by side to see exactly what colors are right or wrong when enabling or disabling HTPC. Maybe some one can do that test that has 2 360's?

I know in the user manual its vague on HTPC. All it says is it unlocks extra enhancements when turned on. It says nothing when turning on the feature and DNIe being on/off.

All I can control is the brightness and contrast. I calibrated with DVE, and I can confirm that it does not display BTB.

I also can confirm that the colors are spot on when set in normal mode and game mode is on. Do not put in warm or cool mode.

All I can control is the brightness and contrast. I calibrated with DVE, and I can confirm that it does not display BTB.

I also can confirm that the colors are spot on when set in normal mode and game mode is on. Do not put in warm or cool mode.

what is BTB?

Yes! I knew it! Thanks for finding out for sure! Whats BTB?

I read that game mode is primarily for component, could be bad information though.

On a side note, there is a glitch with game mode that always resets the backlight to full brightness even if it doesn't say 10 under backlight. I confirmed this by raising the brightness from 4 to 5, and the screen darkened significantly. This happens when you switch inputs or cycle the power. It is annoying and the reason I haven't tried game mode too much.

Zero HD,

Might want to update this pc method. I borrowed my neighbors 360 and hooked it up to my widescreen monitor. It was killing me. I just had to know! ;) I used dvi-hdmi cable for the pc monitor. Running both the tv and monitor side by side. I was able to confirm the color changes when turning on HTPC. It does mess them up and gives off 2 different color tones. The colors that matched up properly was when HTPC was set to off. Some how when on. It does in fact turn on DNIe and completely messes up the color pattern. Hope this helps. Another interesting thing to note. When leaving hdmi black level set to Low or Normal with in the tv settings. I noticed absolutely no difference when using optimal resolution with the tv and set to Expanded for black level with in the 360. But, that is just me. I can be completely wrong. But, to play it safe. Since Normal is for pc inputs basically. I went ahead and left it there.

what if you use game mode on with the hdmi pc mode?

I did not even bother to try that since the colors matched up between both monitors when running side by side with HTPC set to off.

what if you use game mode on with the hdmi pc mode?

So even when HTPC mode is off the TV looks for RGB?

I would imagine so since the colors matched up between the 2 side by side.

So even when HTPC mode is off the TV looks for RGB?

Weird. When you use Game mode+HTPC the colors are accurate. One without the other the colors are messed.

But thank KoRn, the picture is awesome even without game mode. Its definately RGB.

Exactly. But, they are not accurate. Thats why I ran the 2 monitors side and seen the colors match with HTPC set to off. It goes back to DNIe coming on. Now I just thought of some thing else that is possible. Maybe the 360 is not passing the pc levels correctly. Even when hooked up to a pc monitor directly. And by enabling HTPC. The Samsung tv passes it properly compared to a actual pc monitor. This can get interesting as we dig more into this. The damn Samsung manual is so vague. All it says is enabling HTPC. Lets you make adjustments in detailed settings. It does not mention any thing about DNIe coming on when you enable HTPC and it being off when HTPC is not enabled.

**EDIT**

I just noticed you was talking about game mode in the mix. Oops.

Weird. When you use Game mode+HTPC the colors are accurate. One without the other the colors are messed.

what is BTB?

Blacker Than Black

I'll use my DVE calibration disc to see if color is accurate, I'm not sure if it's displaying blacks properly since it cannot display BTB.

Would like to get to the bottom of this. I've always used game mode on my 360. When I turn game mode off, its a lot brighter. I noticed this with NHL08. Very bright. With game mode, looked darker and more crisp.

Someone who has a calibration disc, and has the same television I have came up with this conclusion however "" After playing a round of Tiger Woods 2007 on the 360 with the reference levels on expanded and brightness at 48 I soon realized that black backgrounds now had a grayish look to them. Picture looked washed out to me. DirecTV looked even worse.

In short, it's all about compromise. I'd rather lose 0-15 and 236-255 of Full RGB and have the rest look good. ""

I'm thinking game mode locks in certain "detailed settings" and cranks the backlight. "Home Theatre PC" mode just allows you to use "detailed settings" (dynamic contrast/gamma/wide color, etc) while in PC mode.
I'm also thinking PC mode ISN'T necessary to get RGB, it just automatically sets 1:1 pixel-mapping since "just scan" is greyed out in favor of "16:9", but still pixel mapped, confirmed with an overscan test, and a letterboxed PC image smaller than the native 1920x1080, not filling the screen, but 1:1 still.

Maybe "Normal HDMI black level" coupled with "Expanded reference level" on the 360 IS RGB.

Low(TV)/Normal(360) definitely looks different than Normal(TV)/Expanded(360), even though you'd think they were the same

Sounds about right. I came to the same conclusion. As you have been saying as well. HDMI 1 is the only one that can truly pass pc levels properly. As noted in the manual as well. So, yeah. HDMI 2&3 with the 360 is kinda crippled in some form. I have had to actually go back using HDMI 2 hdmi black level set to low and reference levels set to standard. Simply because of my hd-dvr box. I am running hdmi for video and optical for sound. So, I need hdmi 1 to use for just video with the hd-dvr box and use my optical cable to pass the sound. For video I have it set as DVI with hdmi black level set to Low on the tv. Since it will be looking for a video level. And then optical for sound. Am I happy going this route? Absolutely not. I really miss using the 360 with the pc levels on hdmi 1. But, since the tv is used more for watching actual tv. I have to find a happy medium and thats the only way to do it. :rolleyes:

I'm thinking game mode and Home Theatre PC mode just allow you to use "detailed settings" (dynamic contrast/gamma/wide color, etc) while in PC mode.
I'm also thinking PC mode ISN'T necessary to get RGB, it just automatically sets 1:1 pixel-mapping since "just scan" is greyed out in favor of "16:9", but still pixel mapped, confirmed with an overscan test, and a letterboxed PC image smaller than the native 1920x1080, not filling the screen, but 1:1 still.

Maybe "Normal HDMI black level" coupled with "Expanded reference level" on the 360 IS RGB.

Low(TV)/Normal(360) definitely looks different than Normal(TV)/Expanded(360), even though you'd think they were the same

So you're coming up with the conclusion that,having the 360 plugged into HDMI1, and setting the name to PC, and enabling PC, is an overkill for the 360? We should just have it set to HDMI one, and skip the whole pc thing?

I'm sorry. I mis typed my previous post. I meant HDMI 2&3 being partly crippled.

So you're coming up with the conclusion that,having the 360 plugged into HDMI1, and setting the name to PC, and enabling PC, is an overkill for the 360? We should just have it set to HDMI one, and skip the whole pc thing?

Err... so no need to set the HDMI name HDMI PC? Just switch the Black level on the TV to Normal and reference level to Expanded on 360?

Actually your fine. Leave HDMI 1 named to PC hdmi black level set to normal and 360 black level set to expanded. That is the proper way of running things with the Sammy lcd/360 combo. :)

Err... so no need to set the HDMI name HDMI PC? Just switch the Black level on the TV to Normal and reference level to Expanded on 360?

and set HTPC to off. Correct?

Correct.

and set HTPC to off. Correct?

LN46a550:

- PC or Game mode
- HDMI Black Level : Normal
- Brightness: 44

Xbox 360:
- Reference Level : Standard


NOTE: The only way to allow full black levels and thus enable "blacker than black" is to use standard or intermediate on the xbox. This TV apparently WILL NOT DO 7.5 IRE (=expanded), at least not on HDMI.

Not sure what the diff. between Game and PC mode is, besides the fact that PC has many options unavailable to change.

I tried using standard reference levels on the 360 with standard hdmi black level on my 4661, and named HDMI-1 "PC", but it didn't do anything, "Home theatre PC" mode on my 4661 only seems to work (ungrayed, selectable) when the 360 dash is set to "expanded" reference level.:confused: Could be specific to the newer models (550/650).

I tried using standard reference levels on the 360 with standard hdmi black level on my 4661, and named HDMI-1 "PC", but it didn't do anything, "Home theatre PC" mode on my 4661 only seems to work (ungrayed, selectable) when the 360 dash is set to "expanded" reference level.:confused: Could be specific to the newer models (550/650).

foget about HTPC mode, you probably dont need it. Just use DVE to check your blacker than black levels and youll be all set.

If you have HTPC on, and xbox set to expanded, then it will not display blacker than black levels.

Where do you enable/disable HTPC at again?

Setup.

Where do you enable/disable HTPC at again?

Setup.

you think the colors are inaccurate with Home Theater Mode right? What about Game Mode? Do you have that on?

Colors are spot on with home theater mode, when I checked with DVE.

No they are not accurate with HTPC mode unless you have game mode on.

No they are not accurate with HTPC mode unless you have game mode on.

That doesn't seem to be true. All HTPC mode does is activate Detailed Settings, which I've since altered to make the picture look even better.

No they are not accurate with HTPC mode unless you have game mode on.


Yes they are according to my DVE calibration disc, and color filter.

Is your DVE disk meant for pc levels? Because its wrong. As I said earlier. I ran my widescreen pc monitor and the tv side by side with 2 360's. The colors matched up with HTPC set to off. With it on the colors changed completely from the tv. Notice DNIe coming on as well when you turn it on? I was using a hdmi-dvi cable as well for the monitor. The correct setting is HTPC set to off. If you want mixed colors and detailed settings enabled. By all means turn it on. Try it and see for yourself if you can get a hold of another 360. I wish I had a capture card to show you guys.

Yes they are according to my DVE calibration disc, and color filter.

Are you sure? I used the 1499 regular HDMI then switched to HDMI PC with HTPC mode on and the color is different. But with game mode it is the same.

I am 110% sure. Thats why I wish 1. I had a capture card to show you the results. Or 2. you guys can get another 360 then run them side by side and see the color changes with htpc on/off. I'm sure some people on here have 2 360's and with a Sammy lcd tv can confirm it when they have some extra time.

Are you sure? I used the 1499 regular HDMI then switched to HDMI PC with HTPC mode on and the color is different. But with game mode it is the same.

Is your DVE disk meant for pc levels? Because its wrong. As I said earlier. I ran my widescreen pc monitor and the tv side by side with 2 360's. The colors matched up with HTPC set to off. With it on the colors changed completely from the tv. Notice DNIe coming on as well when you turn it on? I was using a hdmi-dvi cable as well for the monitor. The correct setting is HTPC set to off. If you want mixed colors and detailed settings enabled. By all means turn it on. Try it and see for yourself if you can get a hold of another 360. I wish I had a capture card to show you guys.

I think you may be noticing some of the detailed settings kicking in when you turn HTPC mode on and off, such as wide color. When my DNIE is off and all my detailed settings are "off", "auto", or "0", HTPC does nothing when I activate it. Could be wrong if it is a small color shift.

Appreciate all the help, but I am more confused than ever. Wish Samsung would step up and help us with the correct xbox 360 HDMI/VGA settings, since they partnered with Microsoft for the game mode. For the moment, I am using Standard/Expanded, no PC or game mode, all enhancements off.

Yeah thats what Im saying! HTPC has inaccurate colors!

No problem. I am just reporting what I seen when running both at the same time with the same configurations.

I think you may be noticing some of the detailed settings kicking in when you turn HTPC mode on and off, such as wide color. When my DNIE is off and all my detailed settings are "off", "auto", or "0", HTPC does nothing when I activate it. Could be wrong if it is a small color shift.

Appreciate all the help, but I am more confused than ever. Wish Samsung would step up and help us with the correct xbox 360 HDMI/VGA settings, since they partnered with Microsoft for the game mode.

Does the 360 only do RGB with expanded on?

I think it does.

Guys try this. HDMI PC
Game mode with HTPC
Contrast 100
Brightness 30
Backlight 3
360 reference Standard

Its looking good to me.

The colors are popping like mad, and the blacks are black. And it seems to be RGB

or turn off game mode and htpc, and put your brightness to 27.

and backlight to 7.

oh wait set your xbox to intermediate, since someone said it shows BTB with that on. So TV brightness 38.

you can just edit your early posts if you have something else to add, saves space and makes conversations more coherent.;)

Is your DVE disk meant for pc levels? Because its wrong. As I said earlier. I ran my widescreen pc monitor and the tv side by side with 2 360's. The colors matched up with HTPC set to off. With it on the colors changed completely from the tv. Notice DNIe coming on as well when you turn it on? I was using a hdmi-dvi cable as well for the monitor. The correct setting is HTPC set to off. If you want mixed colors and detailed settings enabled. By all means turn it on. Try it and see for yourself if you can get a hold of another 360. I wish I had a capture card to show you guys.

I used reference images, not just judging a picture by eye.

I also tried the same thing on my ps3 with the same settings on my tv, and set output to RGB. Same results with the color filter.

To each of there own. I guess there is no right or wrong answer and its what you like. I would not call it judging really. It took me 2 seconds to see the changes and what was accurate.

Great to see a consensus in this thread:rolleyes::) I'm confused. I know you guys are trying to sort it out and I appreciate your efforts.

I turned off HTPC for now on the 5265 but kept it named PC and kept 'Expanded' on the 360. I'm still with Post 1499 for everything else.

I think you may be noticing some of the detailed settings kicking in when you turn HTPC mode on and off, such as wide color. When my DNIE is off and all my detailed settings are "off", "auto", or "0", HTPC does nothing when I activate it. Could be wrong if it is a small color shift.

Appreciate all the help, but I am more confused than ever. Wish Samsung would step up and help us with the correct xbox 360 HDMI/VGA settings, since they partnered with Microsoft for the game mode. For the moment, I am using Standard/Expanded, no PC or game mode, all enhancements off.

So you are no longer using your original post in this topic? You've changed your setup ? Has anyone called Samsung to ask them about this by the way?

Great to see a consensus in this thread:rolleyes::) I'm confused. I know you guys are trying to sort it out and I appreciate your efforts.

I turned off HTPC for now on the 5265 but kept it named PC and kept 'Expanded' on the 360. I'm still with Post 1499 for everything else.
Expanded is not correct, you sill not see "blacker than black" levels, and your shadowy areas will be washed out.

So you are no longer using your original post in this topic? You've changed your setup ? Has anyone called Samsung to ask them about this by the way?

I couldn't find a phone number and got a canned response when I emailed them.

Expanded is not correct, you sill not see "blacker than black" levels, and your shadowy areas will be washed out.



I couldn't find a phone number and got a canned response when I emailed them.

(1-800-726-7864), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If I have time tonight Ill try to call if no one else does.

OK... well guess what I found out... I set my 360 to 720p... now I can edit every setting in hdmi pc. HTPC is faded out but I can switch the hdmi balck level.

UPDATE you cant edit all the settings unless your hdmi black level is set to low.

OK... well guess what I found out... I set my 360 to 720p... now I can edit every setting in hdmi pc. HTPC is faded out but I can switch the hdmi balck level.

UPDATE you cant edit all the settings unless your hdmi black level is set to low.

that is extremely strange!

I though I was confused before! WTF!?! Can someone with a 5265 just give me the settings they are using so I can try them? Thanks.

I though I was confused before! WTF!?! Can someone with a 5265 just give me the settings they are using so I can try them? Thanks.
Did you try the ones I posted above?

Did you try the ones I posted above?

I tired the OP and it looked OK to me. then I tried turning HTPC off, then lowered the brightness, then messed with the black levels. The thing is settings keep going back and forth. I just want to be ablke to play COD and watch movies without having areas of complete darkness. In COD, there were times when I couldnt see people in dark rooms/corners.

I tired the OP and it looked OK to me. then I tried turning HTPC off, then lowered the brightness, then messed with the black levels. The thing is settings keep going back and forth. I just want to be ablke to play COD and watch movies without having areas of complete darkness. In COD, there were times when I couldnt see people in dark rooms/corners.I like the '1499' settings from the calibration thread. I keep my other HDMI that way also which has the run from the AVR for the other components. I guess the only difference here is naming it HDMI 1 PC and enabling Expanded on the 360. That setting seems to be in debate. I keep my backlight on 5 and it seems appropriate.

I tired the OP and it looked OK to me. then I tried turning HTPC off, then lowered the brightness, then messed with the black levels. The thing is settings keep going back and forth. I just want to be ablke to play COD and watch movies without having areas of complete darkness. In COD, there were times when I couldnt see people in dark rooms/corners.

That's as a result of the game, not your settings, as all games are different. In the game settings, there is a brightness control which you should set independently of your tv.

I called Samsung and they gave me a non-answer. It was some old lady who, while very pleasant, was particularly useless.

Last night I was playing the new Halo maps using Standard/Standard, backlight4, brightness44. It looked great, but on a completely black screen, it looked "washy" and grey, especially from an angle. I still think Standard/Expanded is the way to go.

I think the terminology needs to be addressed. On the Samsung is standard 0-255 or 16-235, what does low mean? On the 360 is standard the opposite? Does expanded mean that it has an expanded range (0-255) or does it mean it expands the 16-235 to 0-255?

You'd think with the number of professionals that frequent AVS, we could get an answer. I'm hesitant to call an ISF calibrator because they may not be familiar with Xbox 360 or even my set. Call me jaded, but I think they show up with some expensive equipment, adjust the service menu cuts as deemed appropriate by their gear, but never really take into account device specific quirks, or multi-purpose devices like this whole Samsung/360/Games/Movies/HD/SD/HDMI/VGA crap.

Bottom line is Samsung AND Microsoft both marketed these 2 products as being very compatible with each other (they were using them in toronto at a press event I attended, FFS) and someone at one of these companies, needs to step up and just say what the proper selections are, none of this "turn on game mode for games" crap they feed you on the phone. As far as I can tell, all game mode does is max your backlight, dynamic contrast, black adjust, sharpness and color. You lose detail even in brighly lit scenes.

Thanks for the input guys, I still stick by my OP, but I wouldn't mind being proven wrong for finality's sake.

Im sorry. But does this tread relate to Sammy DLP's also. I have a 720P DLP.

Zero: You ever thought about updating to the latest 1019 firmware for your television?

Zero: You ever thought about updating to the latest 1019 firmware for your television?

no, i have a trident, the latest firmware for my TV is 1037

on the 550 series, use HDMI2, not HDMI1 (use the one thats meant for DVI) and you'll get the desired results. Then, use the post 1499 settings with "exanded" on the xbox and you are golden for games... not sure about the whole movie debate though. TBD

Someone asked before, but what is 1499 settings?
Seems like the the 1,499th post in a thread, but which one?

Someone asked before, but what is 1499 settings?
Seems like the the 1,499th post in a thread, but which one?Happy Friday. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11287410#post11287410

I called Samsung and they gave me a non-answer. It was some old lady who, while very pleasant, was particularly useless.

Last night I was playing the new Halo maps using Standard/Standard, backlight4, brightness44. It looked great, but on a completely black screen, it looked "washy" and grey, especially from an angle. I still think Standard/Expanded is the way to go.

I think the terminology needs to be addressed. On the Samsung is standard 0-255 or 16-235, what does low mean? On the 360 is standard the opposite? Does expanded mean that it has an expanded range (0-255) or does it mean it expands the 16-235 to 0-255?

You'd think with the number of professionals that frequent AVS, we could get an answer. I'm hesitant to call an ISF calibrator because they may not be familiar with Xbox 360 or even my set. Call me jaded, but I think they show up with some expensive equipment, adjust the service menu cuts as deemed appropriate by their gear, but never really take into account device specific quirks, or multi-purpose devices like this whole Samsung/360/Games/Movies/HD/SD/HDMI/VGA crap.

Bottom line is Samsung AND Microsoft both marketed these 2 products as being very compatible with each other (they were using them in toronto at a press event I attended, FFS) and someone at one of these companies, needs to step up and just say what the proper selections are, none of this "turn on game mode for games" crap they feed you on the phone. As far as I can tell, all game mode does is max your backlight, dynamic contrast, black adjust, sharpness and color. You lose detail even in brighly lit scenes.

Thanks for the input guys, I still stick by my OP, but I wouldn't mind being proven wrong for finality's sake.

Your original post can't be correct, because Dynamic Contrast crushes blacks no matter what. I've tested this out with lots of games and watched entire wall textures disappear into darkness switching from off to low.

Your original post can't be correct, because Dynamic Contrast crushes blacks no matter what. I've tested this out with lots of games and watched entire wall textures disappear into darkness switching from off to low.

So what calibration settings do you suggest?

I'm currently using:
HDMI1 set to PC,
HDMI
Movie
92
45
20
55
50/50
3
Warm2
Gamma +2
White Balance:
16
15
15
13
17
28

So what calibration settings do you suggest?

I'm currently using:
HDMI1 set to PC,
HDMI
Movie
92
45
20
55
50/50
3
Warm2
Gamma +2
White Balance:
16
15
15
13
17
28

I should correct myself, dynamic contrast doesn't blow out blacks, but contrast in general causing you to lose fine detail. But if you turn down your contrast a bit after turning on dynamic contrast, that can help. The OP settings make the blacks crushed imo which is evidenced by Condemned 2 for the 360. Check out the calibration for video on that game. In order to get the game to an acceptable playing level, you have to increase the brightness to a level where blacks go grey. Playing the same game on my PS3 the brightness is spot on right from the start. It's a shame because the OP settings do make most games look really good.

I should correct myself, dynamic contrast doesn't blow out blacks, but contrast in general causing you to lose fine detail. But if you turn down your contrast a bit after turning on dynamic contrast, that can help. The OP settings make the blacks crushed imo which is evidenced by Condemned 2 for the 360. Check out the calibration for video on that game. In order to get the game to an acceptable playing level, you have to increase the brightness to a level where blacks go grey. Playing the same game on my PS3 the brightness is spot on right from the start. It's a shame because the OP settings do make most games look really good.

You should not base a calibration around Condemned 2, it is horribly dark. Sure, you need a game with dark areas, but condemned 2 was cited in reviews for being unbelievably dark, whether it was a gameplay mechanic or not, Condemned 1 was more than playable using my settings, along with most other "dark" games like The Darkness, Bioshock, etc.

I realize that changing the input name on the 5265 to PC has now grayed out the sharpness setting at 0. Is there a way to change it back to 20?

You should not base a calibration around Condemned 2, it is horribly dark. Sure, you need a game with dark areas, but condemned 2 was cited in reviews for being unbelievably dark, whether it was a gameplay mechanic or not, Condemned 1 was more than playable using my settings, along with most other "dark" games like The Darkness, Bioshock, etc.

Even on BioShock your settings are too dark and need to be corrected by the in game calibration. I like your settings a lot, but you are losing detail if you don't bump up your brightness on dark games without an in-game calibrator. Personally, I think in most cases, it's worth the trade-off. I really like your settings and I'm using them for the most part.

Most games seem to be different, I have to change the brightness from game to game. I would not calibrate based on one game, as they all seem to be different standards.

Quick question. Is it worth using the Xbox 360 VGA Cable over Component? I'm currently using the 360 as my DVD player and want to be able to upscale DVDs (I don't have the HDMI Xbox 360) but I'm also worried about these "washed out" colors problems. I've got a new Samsung 550 and if I can't get it to look right, I may take it back for the Toshiba XF550.

Quick question. Is it worth using the Xbox 360 VGA Cable over Component? I'm currently using the 360 as my DVD player and want to be able to upscale DVDs (I don't have the HDMI Xbox 360) but I'm also worried about these "washed out" colors problems. I've got a new Samsung 550 and if I can't get it to look right, I may take it back for the Toshiba XF550.

Yes, use VGA, and set your XBOX to use "expanded" reference level. This will solve the washout problem on the 550. Play with your contrast ratio also and brightness. Also, remember that you are probably used to more contrast than normal, and what seems to be washout to you might actually be a more realistic picture.

Did anyone come up with a conclusion for dvd movies using this pc method? I know its good for games and hd movies. But, what about for upscaling dvds? I know setting it on Standard while using the pc method. Blacks are "grey". Expanded I get my blacks back. But, are they crushed?

I havent tried with standard dvds, as the 360 is the worst dvd upscaler I have ever seen.

Yeah certainly not the best. But, still suits my needs. Maybe if you have some extra time or some thing you could check things out as well? Would really appreciate it.

I havent tried with standard dvds, as the 360 is the worst dvd upscaler I have ever seen.

I havent tried with standard dvds, as the 360 is the worst dvd upscaler I have ever seen.

the 360 only upscales with the hd-dvd add on

False. It upscales w/out the add on. You can only get upscaling through using VGA or HDMI. Component will not work for upscaling.

the 360 only upscales with the hd-dvd add on

I tried sd-dvds, and same outcome as hd-dvd, and games.

Great. Thanks!

I tried sd-dvds, and same outcome as hd-dvd, and games.

So I guess it's safe to use the settings in the original post after all?

Honestly, I'd spend the $20 and pick up a DVE calibration hd-dvd.

I ended up just pluging my 360 and my cable box into my receiver, and the receiver's hdmi cable goes into my samsung's hdmi 1. Seems to work ok that way.

Current settings that I'm liking for my 360, with my current setup are:
HDMI
Movie
92
45
20
55
50/50
3
Warm2
Gamma +2
White Balance:
16
15
15
13
17
28

Everything else default. This is the best picture I could get while keeping RGB @ full.

Comments appreciated.

I rechecked it again, and you do needto have home theater pc off. If not, it crushes blacks.

I rechecked it again, and you do needto have home theater pc off. If not, it crushes blacks.

How do you turn it off? Its greyed out for me

I'm not sure, it was an option for me.

I also found out that changing from standard, intermediate, and expanded doesnt change the colors, it simply changes the range of black.

If its greyed out. Then your not using the pc method properly. When in proper use. HTPC becomes unlocked and you can turn it on/off. Keep in mind. As said earlier in the thread. HDMI1 and VGA are the only ones that can do pc levels properly.

How do you turn it off? Its greyed out for me

Well I have my xbox 360 and cable box plugged into my reciver. and from receiver i have an out going to hdmi1 on tv. Maybe that's why.

If you are using 720p on the 360 it will be greyed out. If 1080p it is an option that you can change.

Well I have my xbox 360 and cable box plugged into my reciver. and from receiver i have an out going to hdmi1 on tv. Maybe that's why.

that shouldnt matter

Funny...I made the changes to PC and everything looks smaller...or finer than before when using Just Scan Mode. I thought Just Scan was the same as 1:1. I notice now that the friends online notification is a lot smaller than before.

I gotta tell you...Dark Areas of the game was too dark before (Crushing Blacks). Now I can see what the developers meant for me to see. Especially in GTA 4! God...never noticed how the Moonlight reflected off of the water!!!

I did some more messing around. Game Mode causes black crush also.

I still use it anyways to try, and get rid of the lag.... but yeah, you lose alot of shadow detail.

Game mode removes lag on your 360? I've always left it off.