What picture and audio setting do people use?what kind of blu ray player?

[blu225]

What king of setting are most people using to try to get optimal movie watching experience.

[schan1269]

The settings that are correct for the room the equipment is in.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by schan1269

The settings that are correct for the room the equipment is in.

This. Here are my audio receiver settings regarding audio for my 7.1 main system. Video settings will depend on your individual display or projector.

DD 1.0 --> Full Mono
DD 2.0 --> Dolby Pro Logic IIz
DD 5.1 --> Dolby Pro Logic IIz

LPCM 1.0/2.0, Dolby TrueHD 1.0/2.0, & DTS-HD MA 1.0/2.0 -->Full Mono or Dolby Pro Logic IIz
LPCM 5.1/7.1 --> Multichannel (Default)
Dolby TrueHD 5.1/7.1 --> As is
DTS-HD MA 5.1/7.1 --> As is

[Ray O. Blu]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

This. Here are my audio receiver settings regarding audio for my 7.1 main system. Video settings will depend on your individual display or projector.

DD 1.0 --> Full Mono
DD 2.0 --> Dolby Pro Logic IIz
DD 5.1 --> Dolby Pro Logic IIz

LPCM 1.0/2.0, Dolby TrueHD 1.0/2.0, & DTS-HD MA 1.0/2.0 -->Full Mono or Dolby Pro Logic IIz
LPCM 5.1/7.1 --> Multichannel (Default)
Dolby TrueHD 5.1/7.1 --> As is
DTS-HD MA 5.1/7.1 --> As is

If I remember correctly, you have yours set up to switch between DPL IIz and 5.1/7.1 with rear/side channels. Right?
How is the IIz for the non-surround codecs?
Does it provide a really spacious front-of-the-room experience?
I was thinking of adding a couple extra speakers to my HT to take advantage of my receiver. I just didn't want to pay more and go through the extra work if the results weren't too significant.

I ask this because my wife is becoming more and more hard-of-hearing(insert punchline here) and anything I can do to make the listening experience better for her would help a lot.

[schan1269]

Originally Posted by Ray O. Blu

If I remember correctly, you have yours set up to switch between DPL IIz and 5.1/7.1 with rear channels. Right?
How is the IIz for the non-surround codecs?
Does it provide a really spacious front-of-the-room experience?
I was thinking of adding a couple extra speakers to my HT to take advantage of my receiver. I just didn't want to pay more and go through the extra work if the results weren't too significant.

The Aviator is prime reason to use IIz.

So is Pearl Harbour
Star Trek(except original series)
Das Boot
U571
Transformers movies go nuts
Pacific Rim
Battleship
Bourne movies
Underworld movies
God Help the Girl
Frozen
American Hustle
V for Vendetta
Ender's Game
Fox baseball and football (Fox actively uses spatial cues in their soundtracks. If Atmos makes a "broadcast debut" on DD or streamed with DD+, Fox programming will likely do it first)


If you listen to MCH SACD/DVD-A and have an HDMI connection...

Beck Guero via the assistance of IIz is simply awesome. So it EJ Madman Across the Water.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by blu225

What king of setting are most people using to try to get optimal movie watching experience.

Every tv is different and requires different settings. Even 2 different sets of the same exact model could require slightly different settings. There's no one-size-fits-all with home video equipment. I highly recommend the AVS forum website for help there - each tv model has it's own thread where other owners discuss the tv and the settings, and users and even pro calibrators post their own settings to help people out.

One general rule is keep the sharpness at it's lowest setting - sharpness just distorts the image by adding artificial line sharpening - the image on the blu-ray is as sharp as it's supposed to be - the sharpness setting enhancements just cause damage to the image. Also, if the tv has different modes (movie, standard, etc.), movie mode is almost always the preferable mode to start with. Out of the box most sets are on "dynamic" or store mode, which is far too bright and saturated.

As far as a blu-ray player - same thing - check AVS for their recommendations for your player. In general, all blu-ray players should put out the same image - even cheap ones. I have a no-name brand player I bought for $40 last year (i bought it because it's region-free out of the box!) and the image it puts out is every bit as good as my $180 Panasonic 3D player, only without the 3D and other fancy bells and whistles. I do really like my Panasonic player and it's way, way better than my older Samsung player. My old Samsung player caused nothing but trouble and had a lot of issues with skipping.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Ray O. Blu

If I remember correctly, you have yours set up to switch between DPL IIz and 5.1/7.1 with rear/side channels. Right?
How is the IIz for the non-surround codecs?
Does it provide a really spacious front-of-the-room experience?
I was thinking of adding a couple extra speakers to my HT to take advantage of my receiver. I just didn't want to pay more and go through the extra work if the results weren't too significant.

I ask this because my wife is becoming more and more hard-of-hearing(insert punchline here) and anything I can do to make the listening experience better for her would help a lot.

I do for lossy feeds. It does make a difference. If you run a straight DD 5.1 feed off the sat/cab or DVD it won't sound quite as good as using Pro Logic. Not only do the lows and highs sound better but it uses the two rear speakers as well. I like that because otherwise they would only get used when I use a lossless mix.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by mar3o

In general, all blu-ray players should put out the same image - even cheap ones.

Some of the recent Samsung models sharpen the image automatically and there isn't anyway to turn the feature off, it's built-in. That's their top of the range model too!

[Dwayne Hicks]

Always lossless if available. Been using PS3 and now PS4 since the birth of Blu. There are no better players at any cost.

[Dwayne Hicks]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Every tv is different and requires different settings. Even 2 different sets of the same exact model could require slightly different settings. There's no one-size-fits-all with home video equipment. I highly recommend the AVS forum website for help there - each tv model has it's own thread where other owners discuss the tv and the settings, and users and even pro calibrators post their own settings to help people out.

One general rule is keep the sharpness at it's lowest setting - sharpness just distorts the image by adding artificial line sharpening - the image on the blu-ray is as sharp as it's supposed to be - the sharpness setting enhancements just cause damage to the image. Also, if the tv has different modes (movie, standard, etc.), movie mode is almost always the preferable mode to start with. Out of the box most sets are on "dynamic" or store mode, which is far too bright and saturated.

As far as a blu-ray player - same thing - check AVS for their recommendations for your player. In general, all blu-ray players should put out the same image - even cheap ones. I have a no-name brand player I bought for $40 last year (i bought it because it's region-free out of the box!) and the image it puts out is every bit as good as my $180 Panasonic 3D player, only without the 3D and other fancy bells and whistles. I do really like my Panasonic player and it's way, way better than my older Samsung player. My old Samsung player caused nothing but trouble and had a lot of issues with skipping.

Your last statement could not be further from the truth! Cheap players have poor video processing and Blu-rays start to look like You Tube videos.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Dwayne Hicks

Your last statement could not be further from the truth! Cheap players have poor video processing and Blu-rays start to look like You Tube videos.

Always best to go with certain brands with BD. LG, Sony, and Panasonic are the best. I wouldn't touch a Samsung or any of the off brands with a 10 foot pole.

[mzupeman]

Oppo players have generally been considered the best players around.

[robgmun]

A related question,

Is there a cheap way to find the best calibration? Some of the methods are eye-wateringly expensive!

[mzupeman]

Theres a website called tweaktv or something. Look for settings on avsforum. Google search for calibration for your particular model.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by mzupeman

Oppo players have generally been considered the best players around.

That's true if you want to have the ability to play DVD-A and SACD. The problem is that Oppo charges an extra $400 for those features. The main issue with the off brand players and Samsung is there unreliable firmware history.

[The Great Owl]

I've got a Samsung that is good for a decent price. I calibrated the picture settings last year, and the result is not far removed from the "Cinema" pre-setting, save for a few minor tweaks.

I like the idea of having lower-priced "disposable" Blu-ray players, so that, if one needs to be replaced, then it won't break the bank for me to do so. That said, the Target guarantee has my back on this one for three more years.

[Batmon77]

PS4 + Denon Receiver.

I have to switch within the PS4 Audio Output whether the film is Dolby or DTS.
After that my Denon finds the correct mode.

[Dwayne Hicks]

I've had a couple of Samsung pieces. Fool me once...

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Dwayne Hicks

I've had a couple of Samsung pieces. Fool me once...

When BD debuted in 2006 everyone though it was safe to buy a name brand player. Boy, were a lot of people fooled by Samsung's first 4 generations of players until about 2010. Their first four generations of players were absolute garbage. Then in 2010 or so they decided they weren't even going to update the FW on those models anymore. Unfortunately, they were cheaper than the other named brand players at the time so a lot of people got suckered. To this day I still tell people to avoid them. I will stop and tell people if they pick one up when I am in Best Buy or Wal-Mart.

[starr]

I've been using a PS3 for BR ever since BR came out. honestly never tried anything else.

for my tv, I tend to like bright, vivd images.
for sound, I have a Yamaha 1065 7.1 (7 mirage, 2 Yamaha bass, recently switched my two fronts for floorstanding 3-way JBLs)
my brother and I were constantly adjusting the outputs until we switched the spaekers. spent a good hour playing with everything until it was perfect. clear voices and very heavy bass.