Blu Ray viewing in optimum

[Dreemworx]

Greetings,
I would like to submit a point here in the "Movies" area.

I read alot of reviews in here on Blu Ray movies and I get the feeling from some members that perhaps they may not have optimum settings adjusted on their television sets.

There is some movie reviews that talk about "too dark, too grainy, too w/e..." and I am wondering how much time was spent dialing in your player and HDTV?

I just want to make a point and certainly there is a technical thread on the multiple facets of getting labratory values per calibrated discs etc.
I will not try to build upon the other threads that delve into details ad nauseum but rather share a point.

When I first got my HDTV and Blu Ray player, being the technical nut I am I read everything I could on the settings and calibrations.
Even went online to "Sony Bravia" settings and read other members 'settings' and went to CNET as example for their 'lab calibration settings'.

What I found was that MY EYE did not agree with any exact setting be it expert reviewer, calibration theory or other.
I had to set my own values on each differential variable.
Even the Video Only salsemen said don't waste time "hiring" a calibration expert or dialing in disc values.

Long story short, I was in the beginning upset at the pictures I was getting and really was dissapointed in the "Blu Ray" product I was watching.
Especially my early purchases as being nearly unwatchable.
Rambo
Underworld: Rise of Lycans
Batman: Dark Knight

Those flicks are shot such that if I didn't fix my settings, I was not going to watch them.

(after setting to various 'experts')
Rambo was 'too green and hazy'. The Southeast Asian jungle tended to meld all details as one green palette of eye numbing blah.
Rise of Lycans was waay too dark and looked horrible.
Dark Knight was juttering and too dark.

In short; I went back to default settings and built up on my own from there.
I used Rambo (4) as my tool. If I can make that BR look gorgeous, anything will.
There is a part where Rambo is fleeing solo through jungle, near the last part of movie. Using this I paused and tweaked every setting. I got each individual leaf to set apart from it's neighbor. I brought in color that I recalled from walking in the bamboo jungle in Mauii.
I ran some movie would pause again and repeat. Gettings the blacks as close to my black bezel as I could, getting the flickering flames to look as real as I could, ridding the picture of judder, etc.
Note; I of course set BR player at 24Hz and the basics there and the Sony remote has a "Theate mode" which I used (Sony engineers that worked in Sony movies tweaked settings in this mode that can't be unlocked and is a great benefit for those with the applicable Bravia units).

At any rate, once I was very satisfied with the personal tweaking, deviating from all lab results, forum tables and calibration norms...I had my picture.

Every BR there on is money. I am amazed at how incredible my 52" HDTV is showing movies and every movie I watch over I always see more details previously not seen. Rambo, Lycans, Dark Knight all look insanely good there after.

I use a "Custom mode" for sports where I want things brighter and more colorful (football NFL) but for movies...I hit Theater Mode and with my tweaks, get what I feel is better than any movie house now.
The only thing 'better' is an IMAX 3D movie for me imo.

Just a thought on some reviews I see complaining about video quality in some movies.

Hope this helps somebody.