Picture Quality question?

Absolutely the picture depends on the source and all sources are different. On regular tv every channel is different, every program is different. There is no consistency so unless you are going to adjust your set with every change of source, program, and channel you're using an average setting.

Perhaps you are also experiencing boredom from your Aquos. You may be seeing some of it's limitations. It may be time to go shopping! Take a look at the new ones that are getting the high rating from AVS members and if I may give my opinion, plasma is the best quality picture at this point in time so dont forget to check some of those out.

What is the native resolution of your Sharp 46" and what resolution were you sending to it over HDMI?

Were you useing the same Picture Quality settings for the input from the BR over HDMI thay you use for TV or did you change them since you were using a differernt source?

Good call walford. Most TVs will hold any picture quality settings you make on a particular input (like TV), but will be totally different on a different input (the HDMI connection you used for your Bluray). I would compare the picture settings in the menu between the inputs you use for watching TV and Bluray, and see how different they are. Based on what you're describing, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the Sharpness adjustment is set too high. If the set has noise reduction adjustments, that might help too, so long as it doesn't make the picture look softer.

Do I understand correctly that you have had no problem playing any BR DVDs encoded in either 1080i/60 or 1080p/24 since 2007 with your configuration untill you got the "The Blind Side" BR DVD and nothing else has changed in 3 years?

How confident are you that the picture quality settings you're using when watching bluray are set appropriately. Are they the default settings, or did you or an installation tech adjust them?

It is important to note that actual film crew's abilities and training can make a big difference in the quality of movies due to their low 24fps frame rate. Therefore some low budget movies can have poor qualities that you can not correct with settings on a player or TV.

If that's the case you can probably expect some improvement once you mess with the settings a bit. I would suggest picking up a copy of DVE on bluray. You'll be able to use it for a long time to come and it's not that expensive. Can't say that it'll get it exactly where you want it to be but it should make a pretty significant difference. Try flipping through the different picture presets and see what kind of difference it makes in the grainy picture. If you're on the boldest, brightest mode I would expect there to be too much grain and noise in the image.

I'm surprised you had that level of difficulty with 'The Blind Side'. I own that movie on BD and found it to be one of the higher tier disks that I own. Maybe you need to play with your settings a bit and possibly calibrate the set.

So you've been happy with it other than watching the Blind Side? Simple, don't watch the blind Side.



Vipervick, maybe your tastes have changed.


Not all BD transfers are created equal, but supposedly the BD is one of the better ones. If you replay some of your older BDs, do they still look good?


This is never a good idea, and never results in the optimum performance of your display. As recommended, invest in a calibration disc, make a few adjustments, and come back and let us know your thoughts.

This appears to be the real reason behind your discontent. No matter what you buy, there will always be something else that comes out after that will be a little better. If you upgraded this year, in two years you'd want something else. However, if you calibrate your current display, you should see a big enough difference that might just be enough to keep you satisfied for a few more years, when you (and your wife), will be ready financially to upgrade.
-Best,
John