Different Black Levels?

[ClaytonMG]

I tried to search for a thread like this but all I could find were people with problems with their equipment. But I have to ask... I've been using the avia test disc to set up my TV, and I check the test patterns on the Sony discs and they give me the exact same results. Now here's what I've noticed, on certain movies, the picture is way brighter than others. I got Wild Hogs on Tuesday along with The Lookout. Wild Hogs had the perfect brightness setting, everything looked fine. But when I popped in The Lookout (same studio, same AVC encode process) the picture was too bright. I'm not talking about the way it was filmed even. I know that The Lookout was filmed using the Panavision Gennisis which causes little pixels and whatnot and can alter the brightness and contrast. But the actual black bars on the picture are also much brighter. I've noticed each movie seems to be different. Like Disturbia, the picture loses detail in the dark scenes and stuff seems to be more of an off gray than black, but you don't see anything in the picture. Then there's Silent Hill, yeah the black bars are actually dark black, but the picture itself is bright enough to see what's going on. This seems like a rant now, but has anyone else experienced this?

[WickyWoo]

But the actual black bars on the picture are also much brighter. I've noticed each movie seems to be different. Like Disturbia, the picture loses detail in the dark scenes and stuff seems to be more of an off gray than black, but you don't see anything in the picture. Then there's Silent Hill, yeah the black bars are actually dark black, but the picture itself is bright enough to see what's going on. This seems like a rant now, but has anyone else experienced this?

Sounds like whoever did the telecine set it for NTSC rather than the HD color scale

[The Shrike]

Holy crap! I absolutely noticed that with Disturbia, and just assumed I don't understand my TV. But I had been pleased with the black levels earlier that day, but on Disturbia I kept noticing the black seemed less black. At least I can tell you you are not crazy.

[tvted]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Sounds like whoever did the telecine set it for NTSC rather than the HD color scale

Wouldn't affect codes 16 and 235 - Studio Video black and white respectively. Colourspace would be most visible in green areas since that what rec.709 tends to impact most as far as the colour decoding matrix is concerned (different weightings as far as the three colours are concerned) - that and green being one of the colours that the eye is most sensitvie to.

Black and white levels are of course set at the TC stage and it is likely that this is just the way this particular transfer was made.

If the set has been indeed checked with both AVIA and SONY BD patterns and they both conform, then what you are seeing is from the disc. Personally I prefer DVD as far as BRIGHTNESS settings is concerned as standard AVAI does not have below black codes which allow for subtler setting of the individual display.

ted