Is there any disadvantage to setting contrast at its maximum if the TV doesn't seem to crush whites at this level?

The TV is a Sony KDL40V3000.

I'm using THX Optimizer for calibration.

Greetings

If you do not crush/clip ... then move to the next part of the contrast equation ... discoloration.

If the near whites still look white to you ... then say the second parameter is now met.

Now onto #3 ... eye fatigue factors. If you can maintain 1 & 2 while at max ... and you do not find the image to be fatiguing to look at ... then

Yes ... there is no disadvantage to setting it to max contrast. :)

I have to doubt that all 3 conditions can be met on this Sony set. I have the 46V version and the calibrated state has the contrast much lower than 100.

Regards

Is there any disadvantage to setting contrast at its maximum if the TV doesn't seem to crush whites at this level?

The TV is a Sony KDL40V3000.

I'm using THX Optimizer for calibration.
That's some mighty fine LCD panel you've got there, and you're letting factory settings come between you and letting this set perform it's best! Here's the 411:

There are only four reasons to keeping/setting contrast at maximum on that TV or any other:

1. You live on the planet Mercury where the sun is a hundred times brighter than it is on Earth.

2. You are a manufacturer or retailer of TV sets whose aim is to get them out the door.

3. You enjoy having to squint to see the picture or you enjoy experiencing eye strain a half-hour to an hour into a regular length movie.

4. You have no light fixtures, whatsoever, in your living room or other viewing area to read by or conduct other activities in addition to TV viewing.

Do yourself a favor: Since as you said manipulating contrast did not produce any crushing or other effects while displaying a pattern, get yourself a light meter. Put up a 100%/100IRE white window on the LCD.

Next, learn how to convert the readings off that light meter into footLamberts. There are plenty of ISFrs and calibrators more advanced than I who can lay out the formula here.

Finally, set the contrast level to produce one of two SMPTE(Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) standard levels: 12-16 ftL for cinema, or, 30ftL for video. I'd bet a five-legged horse the final contrast setting won't need to be past the midpoint to achieve either one of these....

By the way, did you check on this particular model where the backlight is set to? Most likely it too was set to Max at the factory. If you're not sure where to set it too, or the manual does not specify - adjust the backlight to the midpoint, or 50. Again, review the four reasons above - they apply to backlights on flat-panel displays too!

That's the low down - Me out!

Greetings

If you do not crush/clip ... then move to the next part of the contrast equation ... discoloration.

If the near whites still look white to you ... then say the second parameter is now met.

Now onto #3 ... eye fatigue factors. If you can maintain 1 & 2 while at max ... and you do not find the image to be fatiguing to look at ... then

Yes ... there is no disadvantage to setting it to max contrast.

I have to doubt that all 3 conditions can be met on this Sony set. I have the 46V version and the calibrated state has the contrast much lower than 100.

Regards

On the test pattern the near whites always look gray to me. I can't really tell; everything else seems to look gray alongside the brightest white. I'll see about the eye fatigue.

That's some mighty fine LCD panel you've got there, and you're letting factory settings come between you and letting this set perform it's best! Here's the 411:

There are only four reasons to keeping/setting contrast at maximum on that TV or any other:

1. You live on the planet Mercury where the sun is a hundred times brighter than it is on Earth.

2. You are a manufacturer or retailer of TV sets whose aim is to get them out the door.

3. You enjoy having to squint to see the picture or you enjoy experiencing eye strain a half-hour to an hour into a regular length movie.

4. You have no light fixtures, whatsoever, in your living room or other viewing area to read by or conduct other activities in addition to TV viewing.

Do yourself a favor: Since as you said manipulating contrast did not produce any crushing or other effects while displaying a pattern, get yourself a light meter. Put up a 100%/100IRE white window on the LCD.

Next, learn how to convert the readings off that light meter into footLamberts. There are plenty of ISFrs and calibrators more advanced than I who can lay out the formula here.

Finally, set the contrast level to produce one of two SMPTE(Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) standard levels: 12-16 ftL for cinema, or, 30ftL for video. I'd bet a five-legged horse the final contrast setting won't need to be past the midpoint to achieve either one of these....

By the way, did you check on this particular model where the backlight is set to? Most likely it too was set to Max at the factory. If you're not sure where to set it too, or the manual does not specify - adjust the backlight to the midpoint, or 50. Again, review the four reasons above - they apply to backlights on flat-panel displays too!

That's the low down - Me out!

The backlight is at 2 or 3 (out of 10). I'm pretty sure everything else is set ok except for the contrast.

I don't see a huge difference with the image between around 85 (what I have it to now) and max (100). I'm fairly sure the correct contrast isn't below 70. When looking at a normal image (rather than a test pattern) I could only really recognize the max contrast being more than at 85 was when I turned down color saturation to make it black and white. Full white stuff looked much whiter of course.

Isn't eye strain caused by high backlight rather than contrast? My eyes feel fine watching it now but when backlight was at max they got a bit strained.

From what I've seen, as well as the backlight, what makes the factory settings so hard on the eyes isn't so much the max contrast but more so the "advanced contrast enhancer" enhancement which I have turned off.

Wouldn't putting contrast to max give me the highest contrast ratio I can get from the TV? As long as there's no crushing isn't this ok? Also with the service settings the contrast could be set lower. So max contrast wouldn't actually be max but just high.


If anyone has this TV or one from the same range here are my settings:

Picture Mode: Standard
Backlight: 2
Contrast: 84
Brightness: 58 (this seems high compared to others but it's correct according to test patterns and it looks fine; if it's much lower I lose details)
Colour: 45
Colour Temp: Warm1
Sharpness: Min
Noise Red: Off
MPEG Noise: Off

Advanced settings: All off
Colour space: Standard


Thanks for the help.

With today's digital displays most have the ability to exceed the recommended standard for maximum viewing brightness. So setting the contrast level to the displays max capability although not detrimental will not give the optimal picture a display is capable of.

To really zero in requires some measurement equipment unless you have been doing calibrations for years on a professional level.

Not only do you want your display to match the luminance levels of the broadcast material you also need to match the characteristics of the device connected to the display.

With a minimum of investment (calibration DVD and Light meter) you would set black level using visual patterns and then set the maximum white based on the measured luminance from the light meter. Then work on your color saturation using the blue filter and test pattern.

If you want to step it up a bit then invest in colorimeter or better and some calibration software to work on you grey scale levels.

Before you know it you will be spending as much on meters and software as the price of your display. All in the pursuit of video perfection. :)

But shouldn't you try to get the max contrast ratio out of the TV without any crushing?

I have a follow up question/statemanet about Picture setting

On my panasonic plasma, picture level has a huge effect on my black level. The higher I put the put picture up, the lower I have to put the brightness according to my test disk (Ovation and Sound & Vision test disk).

Also, when I put my color setting to warm I can't ever really get a pure white like the way I can when it is set to Normal. White always has a slight yellow tint to it.

I've had the set serviced, so I know it is in working order.

On my panasonic plasma, picture level has a huge effect on my black level. The higher I put the put picture up, the lower I have to put the brightness according to my test disk (Ovation and Sound & Vision test disk).

This is not unusual.

Contrast/picture and brightness usually interact to a certain degree.

This is not unusual.

Contrast/picture and brightness usually interact to a certain degree.

Thanks! On my Sony 34 HS420, I didn't notice this but it's also a CRT display.

How about the dirty whites? I understand Warm is close to 6500K, but why does it push the whites to look a little yellowish or redish?

If your whites are looking discoloured then you have set contrast too high.

But shouldn't you try to get the max contrast ratio out of the TV without any crushing?

Think of it as setting a camera for proper exposure for the scene at hand. If your brightness and contrast are set correctly then your display will directly reflect the scene that was shot. If your contrast is to high or low still without reaching the displays limit you will start to get the effect of overexposure or underexposure of the scene the lighter it gets. If your brightness is off you can under or over expose the dark or low end of the scene. It is actually alot more complicated than this as color saturation is also impacted as well by these adjustments being off. But this is the general effect.
Thanks! On my Sony 34 HS420, I didn't notice this but it's also a CRT display.

How about the dirty whites? I understand Warm is close to 6500K, but why does it push the whites to look a little yellowish or redish?

Possible that your grey scale is not tracking properly. Some sets track warm on high contrast some cool and some right on.

So is there any easy way to set contrast with a test pattern if the TV doesn't crush whites? I don't really want to buy all that other stuff.

EDIT: I tried the test pattern and checked for eye fatigue. And with higher contrast I got the eye fatigue when looking at the brightest part. So I lowered it to where it didn't give me too much eye fatigue. But if you lower it too much it doesn't look too bright or white. Is eye fatigue a good way to tell if contrast is along the right lines?

So is there any easy way to set contrast with a test pattern if the TV doesn't crush whites? I don't really want to buy all that other stuff.

Since every display brand differs as well as model line. I would say to search AVS and see if there is a settings forum for your display. If there is see if some one has posted some of their settings after they had the display calibrated. Just be forwarned that there are differences that could affect the final outcome. Such as different devices connected to the display as well as display to display tolerance.

If you have a calibration disk then find the white limit of the display and try 75% of that setting. The important point to rember is once you find a contrast setting you like go back to your brightness and verify you have not changed your black level since brightness and contract interact with each other.
Then check it with some real world material. "Underworld" or similar for black level and "Eightbelow" or similar for white level performance.

Greetings

You need to realize that the best TV in the world that gives you a headache watching it is not the best TV in the world.

Regards.

Greetings

You need to realize that the best TV in the world that gives you a headache watching it is not the best TV in the world.

Regards.

But is that grounds to declare it inaccurate?

And if the test pattern gives you a headache does that necessarily mean that watching actual stuff will give you a headache?

Greetings

If it doesn't give you eye fatigue ... then don't worry about it. Keep it where it is at as long as the rules are met.

Regards

Are there any test pattern images I can use to set contrast? THX Optimizer doesn't help too much...

Greetings

Fifth Element ... scene with guy in white jacket entering the room full of the mangalores. Freeze on the jacket ... and play with contrast to see what happens to the detail on the jacket.

regards

A correct contrast setting will never be all the way up. Typically it should be 60 or 70 %. Check out this podcast and listen to the latest one http://www.dolby.com/dolbycast/ .

A correct contrast setting will never be all the way up. Typically it should be 60 or 70 %. Check out this podcast and listen to the latest one http://www.dolby.com/dolbycast/ .

Do you have any time reference to when there is some discussion about contrast setting?

Edit: I think I found it at about 10 minutes or so...