Sony Smearing - Blu-ray Forum

th3drap3ryfalls · 05-13-2009, 03:19 AM

I currently purchased a second television lately, the Sony kdl-40s5100. Awesome detail yet when i watch things, there is just a little smearing. It's not terrible that it ruins the tv, but its annoying at times.

For example, on the Dark Knight blu-ray, one of the last scenes where Gordon is on the roof of the building across the one with the "showcase" of the hostages dressed as clowns. When Gordon raises his gun to Batman to tell him not to go because "he has to save dent", his arms blur up and it is annoying. I owned a little crummy Vizio lcd before and it didnt smear like this Sony does.

So is there some setting i am not aware of? **AND JUST TO CLEAR UP** i do NOT have Noise Reduction on, all the extra features are OFF.

Thanks guys!

Nutty · 05-13-2009, 07:20 AM

Hello and I'm not sure I know that this is a similar issue or not, but I've noticed that when I set my Motion Enhancer from high to Standard these little smears seem to go away. I don't have any explaination for why it works, but it usually makes teh picture much more stable. It works on the following components.
PS3 when playing games of 720p

Well good luck finding a more definitive answer.
Directv when it's set to 1080p

RiseDarthVader · 05-13-2009, 11:38 AM

Nutty tone down the colour and font so it's not so hard to read. Could be because of a larger screen size and better colours making the TV have a higher response time. And yes Nuttys sugestion might help but I would turn off the motion enhancer completly.

wafi · 05-13-2009, 01:07 PM

To the OP: I have the older model K40V4100, will run the DK scene and see if it happens [when I get home from work]. But I have never seen any "smearing" on it and things like that would grab my attention.

Sonny · 05-13-2009, 01:29 PM

I don't own the set in question , but have heard different things about it having PQ issues... I'll look for some info for you, OP.

The only thing a quick search would bring up was a patch to correct the Auto-Dimming feature that can be DL'ed or you can call Sony for the updated. I don't feel this has anything to do with the smearing issue, but in case you don't like the screen going completely black during dark scenes (thats the way people were describing it), I hope this helps.

th3drap3ryfalls · 05-13-2009, 03:49 PM

Thanks for the quick response guys, and Sonny, i already downloaded the update to fix that auto dimming, so that is not the issue but thanks though! It really is a great TV but the smearing/blurring is just one of those nitpicky things that i wish didn't happen. I dont see any motion enhancement features on this tv by the way. Only thing i see is Cinemotion and Noise Reduction, which both are off.

Nutty · 05-14-2009, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiseDarthVader

Nutty tone down the colour and font so it's not so hard to read. Could be because of a larger screen size and better colours making the TV have a higher response time. And yes Nuttys sugestion might help but I would turn off the motion enhancer completly.

Sorry bro. I didn't realize that it was an issue. I have my computer hooked to my Sony 46" Z series through an HD signal and it just seems to be a Navy blue color on a light bluish slate like color. I doesn't seem over the top at all. But either way I'll just stick with normal black from here on out. Thanks for the heads-up.

steve1971 · 05-14-2009, 09:50 PM

Last night I had a chance to watch a Blu ray movie on this "entery level" Sony tv as some call it and I was impressed by what I saw. My freind picked up the 40inch version. Now I didnt notice the Sony smearing in any parts of the movie as you saw so I cant tell you what that may have been but what I did see was very rich colors and deep blacks. Another thing I noticed was very little judder or jerking during alot of the scenes. For an entery level Sony tv I think it's very good for what its supposed to do in fact I will go on record to say that the picture quality is better then on my 46inch KDL46V4100. And that may be due to a higher contrast ratio and Bravia 2 engine.

th3drap3ryfalls · 05-15-2009, 01:38 AM

Well i realized that maybe it has something to do with warming up? After a while of viewing, the smearing significantly reduces, but it is still there in just a hint. It's only noticeable if you are nitpicky (Which sadly i am..), so any other suggestions on how to tone that down a little perhaps?

As for this "entry-level" tv, it is flat out AWESOME. The detail totally blows me away on my blu-ray. Never really thought that a TV can improve blu-ray but it truly does.

th3drap3ryfalls · 05-15-2009, 04:22 AM

Well, its driving me nuts now. I just can't enjoy the tv with something like that happening. I'll watch a movie and i'll just keep eyeing for that smearing which i do find very often. I'm going to go and return it and eye around the store. Thinking about either exchanging it for the same one or gnab another panasonic plasma... I really do enjoy the incredible detail this one offers though.

steve1971 · 05-16-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by th3drap3ryfalls

Well, its driving me nuts now. I just can't enjoy the tv with something like that happening. I'll watch a movie and i'll just keep eyeing for that smearing which i do find very often. I'm going to go and return it and eye around the store. Thinking about either exchanging it for the same one or gnab another panasonic plasma... I really do enjoy the incredible detail this one offers though.

My advice? Get another one and see what happens or try not to be looking for the smearing effect. From what I have been told the update from Sony fixes the backlight issue and the tv is very very good and its getting some very good reviews on BB.com. I was thinking of passing on it but after watching my freinds tv while watching Blu it has won me over. The detail is like you said is outstanding for it being only an S series model from Sony. I will be picking one up this coming week. Cant go wrong for the price. Oh and the smearing you see maybe is from it not being 120hz? That I dont know but again it has incredible picture far better then my 46V4100 and thats comes from the Bravia Engine 2 processor.

Nutty · 05-17-2009, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by th3drap3ryfalls

Well, its driving me nuts now. I just can't enjoy the tv with something like that happening. I'll watch a movie and i'll just keep eyeing for that smearing which i do find very often. I'm going to go and return it and eye around the store. Thinking about either exchanging it for the same one or gnab another panasonic plasma... I really do enjoy the incredible detail this one offers though.

If I were you I'd go to SonyStyle.com and go to the support section. Click on your Tv and initiate a chat with one of their people. I was having sound issues when I first purchased my TV and they walked me through what it was that was making me lose sound. So it took us about 4 minutes to get our chat connection going and about 3 minutes to get my problem resolved. I've used them for little questions here and there ever since.

steve1971 · 05-17-2009, 02:52 AM

I say do what Nutty said. Contact Sony and tell them about the problem and they might be able to help you out. Just came back from my freinds place and watched a blu ray on his tv and there was no smearing at all and I kept an eye out for it believe it or not, but nothing. Sony Style I bet could help you out on this one.

starkent08 · 05-17-2009, 04:06 AM

upgrade to a 120 hz tv

steve1971 · 05-17-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starkent08

upgrade to a 120 hz tv

120hz dont always solve this problem in fact I have heard many people say that they see smearing at times with their 120hz tv's as well. But yea if the guy wants to spend a boat load of cash for an over rated extra feature then sure get a 120hz tv.

Rob J in WNY · 05-17-2009, 01:15 PM

To be sure, a 120Hz panel do smooth up the video motion, but it also can introduce other artifacts and motion problems. Plus, there's the "soap opera" effect (with the "MotionFlow" interpolation feature set at its highest) which some love, while other loathe. But, all 120Hz LCDs compromise something to produce their smoother motion.

I have the Sony XBR4, which is one fine television, but I have observed a bit of black smearing on (albeit RARE) occasion. I love my TV's picture. It's superb! I have also done some calibration and one Service Menu tweak which has made all the difference.

If you are considering a change of TV, I would humbly suggest considering a plasma. Plasmas are reasonably priced (often less expensive than top-level LCDs), and although they have their own limitations, the picture quality of the better models, when set up properly, will often yield better black levels and essentially no motion blurring.

Keep in mind that the "S" series of Sonys are along their bottom line of TVs. Their picture is very good, but better quality and display technology is reserved for their more expensive units, such as 10-bit color depth and the 120Hz panels.

steve1971 · 05-17-2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob J in WNY

To be sure, a 120Hz panel do smooth up the video motion, but it also can introduce other artifacts and motion problems. Plus, there's the "soap opera" effect (with the "MotionFlow" interpolation feature set at its highest) which some love, while other loathe. But, all 120Hz LCDs compromise something to produce their smoother motion.

I have the Sony XBR4, which is one fine television, but I have observed a bit of black smearing on (albeit RARE) occasion. I love my TV's picture. It's superb! I have also done some calibration and one Service Menu tweak which has made all the difference.

If you are considering a change of TV, I would humbly suggest considering a plasma. Plasmas are reasonably priced (often less expensive than top-level LCDs), and although they have their own limitations, the picture quality of the better models, when set up properly, will often yield better black levels and essentially no motion blurring.

Keep in mind that the "S" series of Sonys are along their bottom line of TVs. Their picture is very good, but better quality and display technology is reserved for their more expensive units, such as 10-bit color depth and the 120Hz panels.

Hey Rob I agree with you on all points except for the last part about the Sony S series tv's. My freind has one and the set is just mind blowing to me and to him and he replaced his Sammy 650 model for this tv!!! The pic quality is very good and even though it aint 120hz the judder and stutter you get with some 60hz tv's is barely noticable on this model. Now Sony may put more into their higher end tv's but for the price you cant go wrong with this tv. To tell you the truth I really see no difference between the new S series tv's and my current model 46V4100 in fact I will say that the picture quality on the S series 5100 is better then my tv and that may be due to the Bravia 2 engine and the contrast ratio is higher. Also I think the black levels on the S series is all around better as well. It could be just me though but for a lower end model Sony HD tv it delievers and does what its intended to do. I plan on ordering one this coming week.

nothing.sound · 05-17-2009, 03:46 PM

I have recently purchased the sony 52kdlv4100. And i noticed right off the bat the same smearing that you are talking about. I first noticed it on spiderman 1 when tobey is walking in the bus right at the start. It\s really bad there. However after tweaking all of my settings and switching from cinema to standard mode. It seems to have gone away. I haven't even updated it yet either. I'm actually going to re watch that scene tonight and see if it is still there. I must say though that this t.v. is very good in it's own way. I also have a 42 pz85u panny plasma and the sony is right up there with it (the blacks just aren't as deep). Great t.v. though for it's price and I also got it for a steal because it was on sale for 1799 and came with a sony bd player 500 for free.

cba_cruz · 12-29-2009, 06:12 PM

Hello there, i recently got this exact same tv (40S5100) and watched the Casino Royal bluray... and noticed the smearing, which is noticeable on some scenes and not all and has me thinking of returning it or changing it. Though, reading some of you havent notice the smearing, has me thinking maybe its a problem i can fix adjusting my settings.. anyone with more info about this?

steve1971 · 12-29-2009, 06:25 PM

The Sony S series dont have the Motion Enhancer just for those interested.

05-13-2009, 03:19 AM	#1
th3drap3ryfalls Member Member since:Apr 2009 Blu-ray collection:36	Sony Smearing I currently purchased a second television lately, the Sony kdl-40s5100. Awesome detail yet when i watch things, there is just a little smearing. It's not terrible that it ruins the tv, but its annoying at times. For example, on the Dark Knight blu-ray, one of the last scenes where Gordon is on the roof of the building across the one with the "showcase" of the hostages dressed as clowns. When Gordon raises his gun to Batman to tell him not to go because "he has to save dent", his arms blur up and it is annoying. I owned a little crummy Vizio lcd before and it didnt smear like this Sony does. So is there some setting i am not aware of? AND JUST TO CLEAR UP i do NOT have Noise Reduction on, all the extra features are OFF. Thanks guys! Last edited by th3drap3ryfalls; 05-13-2009 at 03:20 AM. Reason: Spelling... :P

05-13-2009, 01:29 PM	#5
Sonny Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Aug 2007 Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray reviews:6 Trading Score:1	I don't own the set in question , but have heard different things about it having PQ issues... I'll look for some info for you, OP. The only thing a quick search would bring up was a patch to correct the Auto-Dimming feature that can be DL'ed or you can call Sony for the updated. I don't feel this has anything to do with the smearing issue, but in case you don't like the screen going completely black during dark scenes (thats the way people were describing it), I hope this helps. Last edited by Sonny; 05-13-2009 at 01:43 PM.

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05-13-2009, 07:20 AM	#2
Nutty Member Member since:May 2008 Location:Los Angeles, CA	Hello and I'm not sure I know that this is a similar issue or not, but I've noticed that when I set my Motion Enhancer from high to Standard these little smears seem to go away. I don't have any explaination for why it works, but it usually makes teh picture much more stable. It works on the following components. PS3 when playing games of 720p Well good luck finding a more definitive answer. Directv when it's set to 1080p

05-13-2009, 11:38 AM	#3
RiseDarthVader Power Member Member since:Sep 2008 Location:Australia Blu-ray collection:136	Nutty tone down the colour and font so it's not so hard to read. Could be because of a larger screen size and better colours making the TV have a higher response time. And yes Nuttys sugestion might help but I would turn off the motion enhancer completly.

05-13-2009, 01:07 PM	#4
wafi Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:along the beltway Home Theater Gallery:26 Blu-ray collection:384 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:4	To the OP: I have the older model K40V4100, will run the DK scene and see if it happens [when I get home from work]. But I have never seen any "smearing" on it and things like that would grab my attention.

05-13-2009, 03:49 PM	#6
th3drap3ryfalls Member Member since:Apr 2009 Blu-ray collection:36	Thanks for the quick response guys, and Sonny, i already downloaded the update to fix that auto dimming, so that is not the issue but thanks though! It really is a great TV but the smearing/blurring is just one of those nitpicky things that i wish didn't happen. I dont see any motion enhancement features on this tv by the way. Only thing i see is Cinemotion and Noise Reduction, which both are off.

05-14-2009, 09:50 PM	#8
steve1971 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Saint Paul Minnesota. 4K collection:15 Blu-ray collection:352 Blu-ray reviews: 119 Trading Score:1	Last night I had a chance to watch a Blu ray movie on this "entery level" Sony tv as some call it and I was impressed by what I saw. My freind picked up the 40inch version. Now I didnt notice the Sony smearing in any parts of the movie as you saw so I cant tell you what that may have been but what I did see was very rich colors and deep blacks. Another thing I noticed was very little judder or jerking during alot of the scenes. For an entery level Sony tv I think it's very good for what its supposed to do in fact I will go on record to say that the picture quality is better then on my 46inch KDL46V4100. And that may be due to a higher contrast ratio and Bravia 2 engine.

05-15-2009, 01:38 AM	#9
th3drap3ryfalls Member Member since:Apr 2009 Blu-ray collection:36	Well i realized that maybe it has something to do with warming up? After a while of viewing, the smearing significantly reduces, but it is still there in just a hint. It's only noticeable if you are nitpicky (Which sadly i am..), so any other suggestions on how to tone that down a little perhaps? As for this "entry-level" tv, it is flat out AWESOME. The detail totally blows me away on my blu-ray. Never really thought that a TV can improve blu-ray but it truly does.

05-15-2009, 04:22 AM	#10
th3drap3ryfalls Member Member since:Apr 2009 Blu-ray collection:36	Well, its driving me nuts now. I just can't enjoy the tv with something like that happening. I'll watch a movie and i'll just keep eyeing for that smearing which i do find very often. I'm going to go and return it and eye around the store. Thinking about either exchanging it for the same one or gnab another panasonic plasma... I really do enjoy the incredible detail this one offers though.

05-17-2009, 02:52 AM	#13
steve1971 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Saint Paul Minnesota. 4K collection:15 Blu-ray collection:352 Blu-ray reviews: 119 Trading Score:1	I say do what Nutty said. Contact Sony and tell them about the problem and they might be able to help you out. Just came back from my freinds place and watched a blu ray on his tv and there was no smearing at all and I kept an eye out for it believe it or not, but nothing. Sony Style I bet could help you out on this one.

05-17-2009, 04:06 AM	#14
starkent08 Senior Member Member since:Mar 2009 Blu-ray collection:870 Blu-ray reviews:16	upgrade to a 120 hz tv

05-17-2009, 01:15 PM	#16
Rob J in WNY Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:'Western' N.Y. State (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:24 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:486 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 15	To be sure, a 120Hz panel do smooth up the video motion, but it also can introduce other artifacts and motion problems. Plus, there's the "soap opera" effect (with the "MotionFlow" interpolation feature set at its highest) which some love, while other loathe. But, all 120Hz LCDs compromise something to produce their smoother motion. I have the Sony XBR4, which is one fine television, but I have observed a bit of black smearing on (albeit RARE) occasion. I love my TV's picture. It's superb! I have also done some calibration and one Service Menu tweak which has made all the difference. If you are considering a change of TV, I would humbly suggest considering a plasma. Plasmas are reasonably priced (often less expensive than top-level LCDs), and although they have their own limitations, the picture quality of the better models, when set up properly, will often yield better black levels and essentially no motion blurring. Keep in mind that the "S" series of Sonys are along their bottom line of TVs. Their picture is very good, but better quality and display technology is reserved for their more expensive units, such as 10-bit color depth and the 120Hz panels.

05-17-2009, 03:46 PM	#18
nothing.sound Expert Member Member since:Oct 2007 Home Theater Gallery:16 4K collection:64 Blu-ray collection:432	I have recently purchased the sony 52kdlv4100. And i noticed right off the bat the same smearing that you are talking about. I first noticed it on spiderman 1 when tobey is walking in the bus right at the start. It\s really bad there. However after tweaking all of my settings and switching from cinema to standard mode. It seems to have gone away. I haven't even updated it yet either. I'm actually going to re watch that scene tonight and see if it is still there. I must say though that this t.v. is very good in it's own way. I also have a 42 pz85u panny plasma and the sony is right up there with it (the blacks just aren't as deep). Great t.v. though for it's price and I also got it for a steal because it was on sale for 1799 and came with a sony bd player 500 for free.

12-29-2009, 06:12 PM	#19
cba_cruz New Member Member since:Dec 2009	Hello there, i recently got this exact same tv (40S5100) and watched the Casino Royal bluray... and noticed the smearing, which is noticeable on some scenes and not all and has me thinking of returning it or changing it. Though, reading some of you havent notice the smearing, has me thinking maybe its a problem i can fix adjusting my settings.. anyone with more info about this?

12-29-2009, 06:25 PM	#20
steve1971 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Saint Paul Minnesota. 4K collection:15 Blu-ray collection:352 Blu-ray reviews: 119 Trading Score:1	The Sony S series dont have the Motion Enhancer just for those interested.

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