Why is the samsung in my local blockbuster more impressive than Pioneer pdp 4280 :'(

The simple answer is that you should crank the contrast, brightness, colour and sharpness up, and engage "Not Just Vivid But Eyeball-Searing" mode, and then your Pioneer will look just like the one in the shop.

How long you'll want to live with the picture set like that is another matter...

... And this is how TV's are sold today. Who can exaggerate the most!

I came home the other day to find the kids watching Disney channel and one of them had accidently put the Plaz onto DYNAMIC mode with my daughter asking me why the TV looked funny! Geez my eyes were aching and I only viewed it for a few seconds, just wonder how many people think these setings are "Normal" as that is how they recieve the TV out of the box???

AE is of course right. One of my work collegues bought a Sony 52" W4500 (not too sure but it is a current model) and it took him ages to find settings he can enjoy most of the time. In Standard setting with contrast turned down it looks relatively natural, Movie looks dull and vivid is ... well vivid and unusable unless you watch kung-fu Panda. Same with my Kuro, switch to dynamic and it looks like an LG/Samsung or whatever in 'shop mode'. Having said that, I now run it in standard mode with a few adjustments as I found the recommended settings on owner forums to dull.

You have a lovely tv so instead of torturing yourself by constantly looking at different sets perhaps consider an ISF calibration or just adjust it to your liking, no matter what other folks tell you.

Ok ok suppose i walked right into that one......fair point

Am i right in thinking that when WHFS&V test a new tv they test from the factory settings? or do they tweak until optimal performance is reached - in which case would you divulge said settings for the pioneer, as its all well and good maxing out sharp con and brightness etc but then what about pure cinematic mode, DRE, R1 R2 R3 etc etc etc  and by god all the other bible like settings pages on offer - sooooo dauniting as soon as you hit menu - settings!!

Mostly watch sky hd, games and blu ray...

Thanks again

Technics:

Am i right in thinking that when WHFS&V test a new tv they test from the factory settings?

No, you aren't, they calibrate all sets to get the best performance, although they do generally briefly mention what the set looks like out of the box, it's usually not a very good verdict.

or do they tweak until optimal performance is reached - in which case would you divulge said settings for the pioneer,

Not to speak for anyone from the magazine but the usual answer is "the settings will be different for each person, as we all view TVs in different environments".

as its all well and good maxing out sharp con and brightness etc

Which is probably what Blockbuster have done with theirs, and isn't usually the best way to go. Have you tried things like the THX Optimizer?

I reckon when What hifi review a TV they should write down the optimal settings they found. Then the consumer can at least use this as a guideline. Also I think part of your problem maybe down to your settings on your PS3. Alot of people have made the mistake of not having their PS3 set up correct. If you want to check you have them correct heres a link to show you how.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaEBJNTLOVY

Maybe it's actually Blockbuster's TV which is properly calibrated? Just a thought.

On your Pioneer try the Movie preset and Colorspace 2. Turn off picture enhancements like CTI, DRE and noise reduction. This will give you a colour temperature close to 6500K and reasonably accurate RGB primaries and CMY secondaries.ÿThen adjust using test patterns from a DVD / BD (there are several free disc images available to download, if you can't find any via Google I'll dig out the links) and / or from TV (I've heard that BBC HD include one in their late night preview). Stick to adjusting brightness, contrast, colour and (maybe) tint controls. Pioneers allow fine-grained RGBCMY adjustments but these are pretty much useless without a colorimeter. Most people overdo contrast on plasmas, mainly because it's actually quite hard tell when it's set too high (until you see a logo burned into it!).

Make sure you know whether RGB full range is on or off on your PS3, as this affects the black level (brightness). If it's on, you could wind up setting your black level at below video black. Depending on how your Sky HD box and PS3 are connected up to your TV (mine are switched through a AV receiver so they share the same connection on the TV), you could affect the black level for the Sky box as well. This might mean you clip very dark greys and lose detail when watching Sky.

Hi,

Thanks for reply,

Ive got the THX Opimizer 2 disc which i got free wth rival publication last year. However i was unsure wether or not you need to follow disc 1 first then further calibrate with disc 2....?

Bobbyx:

I reckon when What hifi review a TV they should write down the optimal settings they found. Then the consumer can at least use this as a guideline. Also I think part of your problem maybe down to your settings on your PS3. Alot of people have made the mistake of not having their PS3 set up correct. If you want to check you have them correct heres a link to show you how.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaEBJNTLOVY

Seconded! I think listing the optimal settings for TVs tested would be
really useful info for people who don't have the benefit of all of
WHF's clever technology. Real world room lighting will differ of course
but listing settings would at least give us consumers a  basic starting
point. And as WHF have to do this as part of their testing procedure
for TVs I'm sure it wouldn't be any extra work on their part to quote
the settings they found worked best for them.

randomdelusion:

Bobbyx:

I reckon when What hifi review a TV they should write down the optimal settings they found. Then the consumer can at least use this as a guideline. Also I think part of your problem maybe down to your settings on your PS3. Alot of people have made the mistake of not having their PS3 set up correct. If you want to check you have them correct heres a link to show you how.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaEBJNTLOVY

Seconded! I think listing the optimal settings for TVs tested would be
really useful info for people who don't have the benefit of all of
WHF's clever technology. Real world room lighting will differ of course
but listing settings would at least give us consumers a  basic starting
point. And as WHF have to do this as part of their testing procedure
for TVs I'm sure it wouldn't be any extra work on their part to quote
the settings they found worked best for them.

We agree - running THX Optimiser to suit your room and tastes is our advice on the best first move. However, we will continue to mention particular settings that worked best for us in terms of particular picture-processing modes etc.

I think it would also depend on how the individual perceives the picture.

To my mind everyone sees the picture in a different way.