Grainy/Snowy dark areas of certain movie scenes. - Blu-ray Forum

destructive_entity · 06-19-2008, 02:30 PM

Hi I'm new to this entire forum and have much to learn about HDTV. Late last year I purchased a 50" Samsung Plasma ( FP-T5094W ) and a Sony Blu-Ray Player ( BDP-S300 ); I was wondering as to why certain movies display a "snowy/grainy" effect on the dark areas of certain scenes. For instance, a movie like the "Orphanage" has this problem while "Cloverfield" does not; why is that? Same thing happens on DirecTV HD movie channels; some have it really bad and others do not have it at all. Is it because Cloverfield was shot with an HD camera and the Orphanage with a standard camera? Please help me to understand and advise me on whether I can correct this problem somehow if at all possible.

stockstar1138 · 06-19-2008, 02:41 PM

few things

1. Nice choices on equipment

2. Grain gives dark scenes detail

3. Very few movies (28 days later) are shot on a standard definition camera. Most use film which has resolutions well over 1080p.

4. Grain has nothing to do with the resolution of the film, it has to do with the type of film stock that was used and/or if the film is shot digitally (which should yield no grain)

5. Digital does not equal HD, just the fact that the information is stored in "0s" and "1s".

6. Sorry, that I don't know what cameras were used in Cloverfield or the Orphanage, but Im assuming that the Orphanage was shot with film that was very grain heavy.

7. Don't get grain and noise confused. grain should be there, noise due to compression shouldn't. Compression noise is most likely what you are seeing on your DirectTv.

Deciazulado · 06-19-2008, 02:46 PM

You can start by doing a Search for Grain

Ok I dug up an old post with links. There's several more new threads I'm sure:

Some general pointers about grain on photographic film:

A: low light scenes tend to be shot with faster more sensitive film that has more grain than the slower less sensitive film used for brighly lit shots like in daylight.
B: B/W negative film (silver based) tends to be grainier in the highlights (bright parts of the image) while color negative film (dyes) tends to be grainier in the shadows.
C: smooth uniform pastel color areas (like shots of clear blue skies) tend to show more grain.

Electronic noise from digital capture might exhibit similar patterns.

For more reading about grain or noise in images you can peruse this other threads too:

Grain... How to deal with Grain...

Film Grain

I now see film grain

2001, Close Encounters, Pirates - Film Grain

Poll Would you prefer 300 with or without grain?

The "300 is grainy!!" thread

My_Two_Cents · 06-19-2008, 02:51 PM

What display settings are you using? If sharpness is set too high, it will introduce a lot of "noise" into the picture. Just a thought.

destructive_entity · 06-19-2008, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

What display settings are you using? If sharpness is set too high, it will introduce a lot of "noise" into the picture. Just a thought.

It's set to "Dynamic" mode; other options include Standard and Movie modes. Thing is, I've tried the different modes when watching these movies and this seemingly animated white grainy effect still appears on the darker areas of these movie scenes.

stockstar1138 · 06-19-2008, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by destructive_entity

It's set to "Dynamic" mode; other options include Standard and Movie modes. Thing is, I've tried the different modes when watching these movies and this seemingly animated white grainy effect still appears on the darker areas of these movie scenes.

there supposed to be there. everyone is seeing the same thing as you are.

Bonifax · 06-19-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by destructive_entity

It's set to "Dynamic" mode; other options include Standard and Movie modes. Thing is, I've tried the different modes when watching these movies and this seemingly animated white grainy effect still appears on the darker areas of these movie scenes.

You should definitely calibrate your Plasma in order to get the best possible picture of it. Try using Get Gray Calibration disc, AVIA, etc., but the first thing you should do is turn sharpness control all the way down, disable the dynamic mode and try "normal mode", disable any black enhancement, flesh tone or any "fancy" controls and you will start to see a difference.

destructive_entity · 06-19-2008, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockstar1138

there supposed to be there. everyone is seeing the same thing as you are.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one seeing this; a Best Buy rep almost convinced me to upgrade my cables to rid of this "problem." Thought I would see what you guys had to say about it before I made the investment

Thanks for the help....

stockstar1138 · 06-19-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by destructive_entity

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one seeing this; a Best Buy rep almost convinced me to upgrade my cables to rid of this "problem." Thought I would see what you guys had to say about it before I made the investment

Thanks for the help....

assuming you are using HDMI, your cables are fine.

always check with blu-ray.com, before listening to some chump at best buy (sorry to you guys here, that work there)

destructive_entity · 06-19-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonifax

You should definitely calibrate your Plasma in order to get the best possible picture of it. Try using Get Gray Calibration disc, AVIA, etc., but the first thing you should do is turn sharpness control all the way down, disable the dynamic mode and try "normal mode", disable any black enhancement, flesh tone or any "fancy" controls and you will start to see a difference.

Thanks, will definitely implement your suggestions

06-19-2008, 02:30 PM	#1
destructive_entity New Member Member since:Jun 2008	Grainy/Snowy dark areas of certain movie scenes. Hi I'm new to this entire forum and have much to learn about HDTV. Late last year I purchased a 50" Samsung Plasma ( FP-T5094W ) and a Sony Blu-Ray Player ( BDP-S300 ); I was wondering as to why certain movies display a "snowy/grainy" effect on the dark areas of certain scenes. For instance, a movie like the "Orphanage" has this problem while "Cloverfield" does not; why is that? Same thing happens on DirecTV HD movie channels; some have it really bad and others do not have it at all. Is it because Cloverfield was shot with an HD camera and the Orphanage with a standard camera? Please help me to understand and advise me on whether I can correct this problem somehow if at all possible.

06-19-2008, 02:41 PM	#2
stockstar1138 Banned Member since:Apr 2007	few things 1. Nice choices on equipment 2. Grain gives dark scenes detail 3. Very few movies (28 days later) are shot on a standard definition camera. Most use film which has resolutions well over 1080p. 4. Grain has nothing to do with the resolution of the film, it has to do with the type of film stock that was used and/or if the film is shot digitally (which should yield no grain) 5. Digital does not equal HD, just the fact that the information is stored in "0s" and "1s". 6. Sorry, that I don't know what cameras were used in Cloverfield or the Orphanage, but Im assuming that the Orphanage was shot with film that was very grain heavy. 7. Don't get grain and noise confused. grain should be there, noise due to compression shouldn't. Compression noise is most likely what you are seeing on your DirectTv. Last edited by stockstar1138; 06-19-2008 at 02:43 PM.

06-19-2008, 02:46 PM	#3
Deciazulado Site Manager Top contributor Member since:Aug 2006 Location:USiberia Home Theater Gallery:6 4K collection:1159 Blu-ray collection:7041 DVD collection:4040	You can start by doing a Search for Grain Ok I dug up an old post with links. There's several more new threads I'm sure: Some general pointers about grain on photographic film: A: low light scenes tend to be shot with faster more sensitive film that has more grain than the slower less sensitive film used for brighly lit shots like in daylight. B: B/W negative film (silver based) tends to be grainier in the highlights (bright parts of the image) while color negative film (dyes) tends to be grainier in the shadows. C: smooth uniform pastel color areas (like shots of clear blue skies) tend to show more grain. Electronic noise from digital capture might exhibit similar patterns. For more reading about grain or noise in images you can peruse this other threads too: Grain... How to deal with Grain... Film Grain I now see film grain 2001, Close Encounters, Pirates - Film Grain Poll Would you prefer 300 with or without grain? The "300 is grainy!!" thread Last edited by Deciazulado; 06-19-2008 at 02:59 PM.

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06-19-2008, 02:51 PM	#4
My_Two_Cents Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Wherever I may roam.... Home Theater Gallery:40 4K collection:35 Blu-ray collection:507 DVD collection:19 Blu-ray reviews: 1 Trading Score:4	What display settings are you using? If sharpness is set too high, it will introduce a lot of "noise" into the picture. Just a thought.

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