Noise reduction?

[Stormyhog]

Should you turn on or off this feature on lcd tv's or does it really help? Thanks.

[aristotles]

It helps but it is a matter of preference. I have mine set to Low and sharpness turned to 60%. It seems to filter out most of the grain noise of Blu-ray.

I have Noise reduction on full on the HDMI input from my HD Cable box but the details are still there and the picture looks great.

[WickyWoo]

That's because your cable provider has already filtered the crap out of it and squished it even more before it gets to you

Sharpness and any NR should always be at 0, they're just softening your picture

[Go Blue]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

That's because your cable provider has already filtered the crap out of it and squished it even more before it gets to you

Sharpness and any NR should always be at 0, they're just softening your picture

Even with standard TV channels and standard DVDs?

[stockstar1138]

my picture clarity is so much better with a sharpness of around 40 (tv is on scale of 100.

[aristotles]

Originally Posted by schultz

Even with standard TV channels and standard DVDs?

I think it definitely is useful for Standard Def TV and DVD and I would have to say that having Noise reduction set to Low will get rid of some of the grain on BD without harming the details as long as you have sharpen turned on to counteract any softening and enhance detail turned on as well.

Like I said before, it is a matter of preference.

[DavePS3]

Everyone's eyes are different. What's too red is too green to another person etc... Just adjust for what looks best to you. Sharpness and noise reduction are tricky so it just takes time to play around, going back and forth using your best source.

[Stormyhog]

So is it better to turn off things like auto contrast and auto color to achieve a better picture?

[sokrman14]

What it is actually doing is sending other "noise" to your TV to counteract what "noise" is already coming in. Although it may clean up artifacts, it actually ends up making the pictures look worse in the long run. Your edges arent as clean, the color is off a little. Pay for an ISF calibration and most of that can be cleaned up.

[U4K61]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

That's because your cable provider has already filtered the crap out of it and squished it even more before it gets to you. Sharpness and any NR should always be at 0, they're just softening your picture

Cabel options from good to bad:
HDMI > Component video > S-video > Composite video > Analogue RF


HDMI: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i



Component: 1080p(games), 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i



S-video: 480i



Composite: 480i


Altering the video signal
The only way to deliver an unaltered video signal to the TV as is by an all digital HDMI connection. DAC converts a fixed-point binary number to a voltage. Where fixed point is a point that is mapped to itself by the function.



The sharpness controle
This is an adjustment that is used to increase perceived detail in the high end of a weak audio signal. Joe Kane states it clearly in his DVD video essentials. "Turn the sharpness adjustment all the way off when monitoring DVD ... Improerly using it with wide bandwith component signals.. will add a lot of noise to the picture." Sharpness turned up to far causess edge enhancement, and a reduction of picture detail. A good display shows the signals as is. The same is true for color, contrast, white level, etc. "Refining the position of the video output levels.. should occur with the use of monitoring equipment" - ISF calibration. However, there is something that we all can change - ambient light. If you want detail, dim the lights.

Originally Posted by stockstar1138

my picture clarity is so much better with a sharpness of around 40 (tv is on scale of 100.

Back to HDMI
Back to NTSC

[WickyWoo]

Even with standard TV channels and standard DVDs?

Yes. They're simply artificial "enhancements" that 99% of the time degrade your picture.

So is it better to turn off things like auto contrast and auto color to achieve a better picture?

Absolutely. Calibrate your television with something like Digital Video Essentials Blu-Ray or pay an ISF tech.

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Yes. They're simply artificial "enhancements" that 99% of the time degrade your picture.



Absolutely. Calibrate your television with something like Digital Video Essentials Blu-Ray or pay an ISF tech.

It's true about the sharpness, after I turned mine off I noticed less noise. But even if you want a simple calibrating tool, the Sony Blu-Rays have them. There's also AVIA on DVD which can get you started (at least until DVE is released next month).

[Go Blue]

Do TV's need to be calibrated per source? For example, do I need to calibrate my TV separatly for watching broadcasts, standard DVD's, and BD's?