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Quick question - will high contrast be hard on my DLP Projector?

1238 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by MTyson, Jul 18, 2009

sdmfer

Discussion Starter · Jul 16, 2009

Not sure if I've actually asked this before on this forum, I cant remember. Also sorry if this is posted somewhere else that I missed.

Anyways, I have an HD65 and found that for my setup, I tend to like having a higher contrast setting (+10 to +15). It appears to give me more POP to my eyes.

I was wondering if this is "hard" on the life of the lamp/bulb etc. I've been wondering this for a while....

What do you pros think? I know it wont be reference level or how the flick was intended to be, but once in a while I find it looks really good (ie. on Blu-Ray version of Chicken Little the other night)

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Sheridan1952

· #2 · Jul 16, 2009

It would have no effect on the lamp. The output of the lamp is constant, no matter where the picture settings are. What changes is how the DLP Imager (or LCD panels) is driven. Think of it as opening your blinds to let in more light. You haven't done anything increase or diminish the light output of the sun. You're just controlling how much comes in.

If you don't know, the DLP DMD is a array of thousands of tiny mirrors, each one a pixel. The mirrors actually move to reflect more or less light, depending on the image. The image from it is B&W, what gives it color is the color wheel.

The only detriment to cranking up the contrast is increasing the white level to the point where it is too much and parts of the image "bloom" and detail is lost.

Remember, Contrast controls White level, Brightness controls Black level.

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sdmfer

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 16, 2009

Excellent, thanks a lot! Perfect explanation (as long as your right lol). Not get kinda off topic, but does this hold true for Plasma/LCD TV's as well?

Thanks again!

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MTyson

· #4 · Jul 18, 2009

Start looking at skies and bright highlights (such as scenes with bright white or whites on skin tones) on things/characters/clothing and you will notice by doing this it takes away details in the highlights and makes them blown out. Like for instance, if you have a sky scene the clouds will often be blown out and less detailed.

It's giving you more perceived pop, because you're making the image have more overall ansi contrast by crushing the brights at the high end. It takes a subtley slightly dimmer shade of white where you are supposed to be able to tell the difference between it and the whites at the highest intensity and makes it just as bright as the brightest white in the same scene, hence brightness elevates slightly, giving you more perceived pop, because there's no longer any subtle variations in bright white shading since it because all one shade, which is maximum intensity.

In reality, you are calibrating your projector do what cheaper business presentation projectors do naturally. They are generally much brighter since they have a white segment and blowout the highlights.

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sdmfer

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 18, 2009

hmmmmmm verrrrry interrrrestingggg sank you

I shalll screw around with it more

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gwlaw99

· #6 · Jul 18, 2009

instead of increasing contrast, try turning the briliant color setting up 2 notches. then recalibrate brightness and contrast with a thx certified movie.

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MTyson

· #7 · Jul 18, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by gwlaw99 /forum/post/16845555

instead of increasing contrast, try turning the briliant color setting up 2 notches. then recalibrate brightness and contrast with a thx certified movie.

BC on my DT-500 appears to do virtually nothing except blow out the highlights giving a perceived increase in brightness. Looks like a marketing gimmick to me. Seems like it just overexposes the highlights in the same way raising the contrast does. The question is, can you get back the lost highlight details by recalibrating with BC on and if so, are you back to square 1?

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