First time Plasma buyer here...need info on calibration/initial setup concerns.

[FuzzyReets]

You settings seem way out of wack, sharpness even in standard mode shouldnt be anywhere near 50, closer to zero and that could have a huge effect of your detail problems along with dynamic contrast being at medium. Untill you get the set dialed in close to where it should be it will be hard to make any determinations about it.

As of today, here are my settings: I'm getting there. I'm trying not to care and trying to realize that it's going to look different than my 40 LCD. Just trying to convince myself just to watch the thing and stop messing with it. I am pretty sure the colors aren't great at the moment but as far as the picture goes I think I'm getting as close as I'm going to.

TV Settings 4.1.2010

Mode: Standard
Cell Light: 9
Contrast: 97
Brightness: 52
Sharpness: 45
Color: 46
Tint: G35/R65

Black Tone: Off
Dynamic: High
Gamma: 0
Color Space: Auto
White Balance: No changes
Flesh Tone: 0
Edge Enhancement: Off

Color Tone: Normal
Size: 16:9
Digital NR: Off

 

[bandphan]

Ill Pm you in the morning and we will work on the settings

 

[FuzzyReets]

Ill Pm you in the morning and we will work on the settings

Okay man, that sounds awesome. Much appreciated.

 

[bandphan]

As of today, here are my settings: I'm getting there. I'm trying not to care and trying to realize that it's going to look different than my 40 LCD. Just trying to convince myself just to watch the thing and stop messing with it. I am pretty sure the colors aren't great at the moment but as far as the picture goes I think I'm getting as close as I'm going to.

TV Settings 4.1.2010

Mode: Standard
Cell Light: 9
Contrast: 97
Brightness: 52
Sharpness: 45
Color: 46
Tint: G35/R65

Black Tone: Off
Dynamic: High
Gamma: 0
Color Space: Auto
White Balance: No changes
Flesh Tone: 0
Edge Enhancement: Off

Color Tone: Normal
Size: 16:9
Digital NR: Off

Ill post the PM I sent for reference

Picture Mode
Picture Mode : Movie
Color Temperature : Warm 2
Aspect Ratio : 16:9
Picture Settings
Contrast : 85
Brightness : 58
Sharpness : 2
Color : 46
Tint : G51/R49
Detailed Settings
Black Adjust : off
Dynamic Contrast : Off
Gamma : -1
Color Space : Auto
White Balance : Factory Default
Fleshtone : 0
Edge Enhancement : Off
Picture Options
Color Tone : Warm 2
Size : 16:9
Digital NR : Off
DNIE : Off
HDMI Black Level : Low
Film Mode : Auto
Blue Only Mode : Off

These are from a 58" 650 I had done last month, again not a replacement for true calibration

 

[bradknob]

Hey Fuzzy,
just read this whole thread and i think what you are seeing, or lack there of, is just the difference in plasma and LCD. My dad had the samsung LED and it has amazing "pop" in the picture to where it almost seems 3-d at times. I bought the set you have and had it for 2 weeks and ive been comparing it to a guy down the streets sony bravia lcd. I noticed the lcd has that "pop" but the clarity and detail doesnt compare to that of the plasma. also lcd has some kind of cinema smooth or something that can be adjusted and makes it look how it does. Our b550 does not have this, but i theres a way to go into the service menu and add it. some say it works great and makes drastic difference in picture and others dont seeit. read here...... ok im a noob cant post a link. go to avsforum. com and search pn58b550.



Another thing that was mentioned earlier, which i was the same way, is looking at the tv for the most realistic picture not the brightest prettiest picture. Until i saw a few properly calibrated tvs, i thought the torch mode i was running looked great and that was my standard for how a tv should look. Anyway, im no pro or anything but maybe i could shed a little light on the situation cuz i was there before. good luck

 

[FuzzyReets]

Hey Fuzzy,
just read this whole thread and i think what you are seeing, or lack there of, is just the difference in plasma and LCD. My dad had the samsung LED and it has amazing "pop" in the picture to where it almost seems 3-d at times. I bought the set you have and had it for 2 weeks and ive been comparing it to a guy down the streets sony bravia lcd. I noticed the lcd has that "pop" but the clarity and detail doesnt compare to that of the plasma. also lcd has some kind of cinema smooth or something that can be adjusted and makes it look how it does. Our b550 does not have this, but i theres a way to go into the service menu and add it. some say it works great and makes drastic difference in picture and others dont seeit. read here...... ok im a noob cant post a link. go to avsforum. com and search pn58b550.



Another thing that was mentioned earlier, which i was the same way, is looking at the tv for the most realistic picture not the brightest prettiest picture. Until i saw a few properly calibrated tvs, i thought the torch mode i was running looked great and that was my standard for how a tv should look. Anyway, im no pro or anything but maybe i could shed a little light on the situation cuz i was there before. good luck

Hey Brad. I certainliy do appreciate the post. See I have my last TV which was an LCD upstairs and I keep comparing and they are definitely different animals. As soon as I have the PN58B550 where I think I want it, I see that TV and I start messing with it again. I've been really frustrated. I've had a lot of nice people helping me and I'm still kind of tweaking between a more plasma look (duller but more clarity) and more of a torch mode setup where the TV has way more pop in it which I seem to be liking now. Sometimes the greens and the reds pop just a bit too much but I'll deal with it if I can get pretty close to where I want it. I was almost considering returning it at one point but I think I'm starting to "get there" with it. I mean I would like to have someone come and calibrate it but unfortunately my wallet is a little tight at the moment and secondly I'm scared of having someone come in, spend a bunch of time, me spend my money, and not really like it.

There is definitely a difference and while I think the TV is really nice, I think it will probably be my first and last plasma. I think my taste caters more toward the LCD/LED look with the pop of the picture, almost more digital looking. I don't know, it's just what looks good to me. Care to share your settings? I'll put mine up (currently anyway) if you are interested. Thanks again for the post. Always interested in talking to other owners. I appreciate you taking the time.

 

[FuzzyReets]

Did you change your TV to enable the Cinema Smooth?

 

[bandphan]

2008 LCD vs Plasma Shoot-out
www.valueelectronics.com/08 shoot out photos and pdfs/ Results%20of%20Shoot-out.pdf
2009 LCD vs Plasma Shoot-out
http://www.tweaktv.com/how-to/tweaktv-shootout.html
http://www.tweaktv.com/industry-news/2009-tweaktv-value-electronics-hdtv-shoot-out.html
www.toshiba.ca/web/pdf/ValueElectronicsFlatPanelShootoutEN.pdf

Also understanding the display's accuracy, make sure your sources are setup correctly.

For a primarary display I cant see using a LED/LCD. Off axis viewing is poor on many levels, so if your not in the sweet spot your missing out. There are also other issues that Im not going to get into.

All displays regardless of tech, need to be calibrated, wether by a disc or if you can afford it, a professional.


Here is the video linked in the shoot-out
<script src="http://static.livestream.com/scripts/playerv2.js?channel=tweaktv&layout=playerEmbedDefault&backgroundColor=0xffffff&backgroundAlpha=1&backgroundGradientStrength=0&chromeColor=0x000000&headerBarGlossEnabled=true&controlBarGlossEnabled=true&chatInputGlossEnabled=false&uiWhite=true&uiAlpha=0.5&uiSelectedAlpha=1&dropShadowEnabled=true&dropShadowHorizontalDistance=10&dropShadowVerticalDistance=10&paddingLeft=10&paddingRight=10&paddingTop=10&paddingBottom=10&cornerRadius=10&backToDirectoryURL=&bannerURL=null&bannerText=Tweak TV&bannerWidth=320&bannerHeight=50&showViewers=true&embedEnabled=true&chatEnabled=true&onDemandEnabled=true&programGuideEnabled=false&fullScreenEnabled=true&reportAbuseEnabled=false&gridEnabled=false&initialIsOn=true&initialIsMute=false&initialVolume=10&contentId=null&initThumbUrl=null&playeraspectwidth=4&playeraspectheight=3&mogulusLogoEnabled=true&width=400&height=400&wmode=window" type="text/javascript"></script>

 

[bradknob]

Did you change your TV to enable the Cinema Smooth?

Yes i did switch to cinema smooth, but i honestly cant tell a big difference. I only watched man on fire too which has crazy camera shots and colors, and is purposely gritty in many scenes. less than optimal for trying to tweak ur set with BTW. Cinema smooth is also only available while watching 1080p content. In that thread, some rave about the pop they saw after, and some cant see it, like myself, so it may benefit you to try it. They said something about a glitch in cinema smooth that it just doesnt work for every set. you never know til u try.
Take into account that my tv has about 190 hrs on it so im still "breaking it in". watching everything full screen and setting lower than normal etc.
I am still messing with settings regularly, but only when watching blu ray. no point in calibrating a blu ray then switching to standard definition and trying to make that look good. what i found seem to look the best so far are as follows.....(off the top of my head, im at work)

Movie or standard mode
cell light 8 or 9
contrast mid 70s
color mid 50s
brightness mid 50s
sharpness 20
color warm2
gamma -1 or -2
digital nr off
blacks dark
native contrast off
edge enhancement switch back and forth but cant really see a difference

cant remember any more, but i get a rather realistic, clear picture with these settings, and i still play with them daily. No lcd pop, but nice pic none the less. Also i think the 18 inch size difference makes a difference in the detail from the lcd to plasma. Another note, the b550 series is closer to the bottom of the line samsung plasma, and i dont know about you but i paid approx $1600 for it (with 4yr extended warranty), so theres possibility that the tv just isnt capable of what you are expecting of it. I think this is a great value set for the size and the picture i have seen thus far, but there are many models above this one that prob still wont give you the lcd look that seems to be your taste. dont get me wrong the led lcd samsung 8000 my dads got has prob the most amazing pictures ive seen, and all he did was take it out the box, hang it, and watch it. You could also buy 3 of our tvs for what he paid. electronically, i think you get what you pay for, and I think i got more than $1600 worth of pic quality and screen size, but different strokes for different folks, and this just may not be the tv you were hoping for, being that u favor the lcd look.

Damn that went a lot longer than i thought. Last thing tho, i got the spears and munsil calibration dvd, and it deffinately set me in the right direction for settings. Once i hit 300+ hrs ill do it again and see if anything changes. feel free to ask if i can help with anything else.

 

[FuzzyReets]

Yes i did switch to cinema smooth, but i honestly cant tell a big difference. I only watched man on fire too which has crazy camera shots and colors, and is purposely gritty in many scenes. less than optimal for trying to tweak ur set with BTW. Cinema smooth is also only available while watching 1080p content. In that thread, some rave about the pop they saw after, and some cant see it, like myself, so it may benefit you to try it. They said something about a glitch in cinema smooth that it just doesnt work for every set. you never know til u try.
Take into account that my tv has about 190 hrs on it so im still "breaking it in". watching everything full screen and setting lower than normal etc.
I am still messing with settings regularly, but only when watching blu ray. no point in calibrating a blu ray then switching to standard definition and trying to make that look good. what i found seem to look the best so far are as follows.....(off the top of my head, im at work)

Movie or standard mode
cell light 8 or 9
contrast mid 70s
color mid 50s
brightness mid 50s
sharpness 20
color warm2
gamma -1 or -2
digital nr off
blacks dark
native contrast off
edge enhancement switch back and forth but cant really see a difference

cant remember any more, but i get a rather realistic, clear picture with these settings, and i still play with them daily. No lcd pop, but nice pic none the less. Also i think the 18 inch size difference makes a difference in the detail from the lcd to plasma. Another note, the b550 series is closer to the bottom of the line samsung plasma, and i dont know about you but i paid approx $1600 for it (with 4yr extended warranty), so theres possibility that the tv just isnt capable of what you are expecting of it. I think this is a great value set for the size and the picture i have seen thus far, but there are many models above this one that prob still wont give you the lcd look that seems to be your taste. dont get me wrong the led lcd samsung 8000 my dads got has prob the most amazing pictures ive seen, and all he did was take it out the box, hang it, and watch it. You could also buy 3 of our tvs for what he paid. electronically, i think you get what you pay for, and I think i got more than $1600 worth of pic quality and screen size, but different strokes for different folks, and this just may not be the tv you were hoping for, being that u favor the lcd look.

Damn that went a lot longer than i thought. Last thing tho, i got the spears and munsil calibration dvd, and it deffinately set me in the right direction for settings. Once i hit 300+ hrs ill do it again and see if anything changes. feel free to ask if i can help with anything else.

I think you have really valid points and it sounds like you are in a similar situation that I'm in. I still change my settings, sometimes drastically, on a daily basis. I think I'm set for the time being. I know these settings are far from what is considered proper, but I can't make myself like something that I don't as far as what it looks like you know? Here are my current settings. I think I have, for me, a good amount of pop as well as clarity in my current settings. Sometimes a bit grainy in dark scenes but I don't mind grain personally. Makes it feel like a real movie.

Mode Standard
Cell light 8
Contrast 95
Brightness 48
Sharpness 30
Color 42
Tint 5050

Blacktone off
Dynamic contrast medium
Gamma 0
Color space native
White balance Unmodified
Flesh tone -10
Edge enhance off

Color tone normal
Size 16:9
Digital nr off
HDMI Black Level: Normal
Film Mode: Off

If you choose to give them a shot, I'd be curious to see what you think based on the fact that it sounds like you are looking for something similar to myself. Thanks again for taking the time to post and I look forward to hearing more if you are interested.

 

[bradknob]

^^^^^^ Yea ill give those a shot see what it looks like.

And as for what you like, it is what it is, if thats ur taste then the best calibration in the world wont change your preferences. So id say u and I both are on the right track by changing them constanly in order to find what we like and dislike. When its over, all that matters is what we like, its our tvs.

When I was using using the dvd to calibrate, there were terms that i never heard before, so i looked them up afterwards. While looking them up, some had pictures showing the what they were talking about. EX. ill use sharpness..... they had 2 pics side by side with sharpness all the way up and the other all the way down. At first i had no idea what to look for when changing this setting, but after seeing the side by side pics, there was a big difference. When it was all the way up, there was white lines around all the objects on the screen. Before, i never noticed it, but once i knew what i was looking for, it sticks out like a sore thumb. What im trying to say is that once i really saw pics of and understood what each setting does, it made it a little easier to tweek to a nice setting. What im talking about.......

Look here (take out the spaces and cut and paste)
www .videophile. info/ Guide_EE/ Page_01.htm

Another thing im really skeptical about, is the "break in" period. Is it really necessary? after 300 hrs will there actually be a diifference in the pic quality from when there was 30 hrs? I looked last night, i have 198 hrs on my tv, so i cant wait a hundred more hours to see if theres any noticable difference. How many hours does ur set have on it? have u noticed any change in the picture? Im sure its will be hard to tell since we both mess with the settings so much.
anyway, ill get back with you on those settings.

 

[bandphan]

Another thing im really skeptical about, is the "break in" period. Is it really necessary? after 300 hrs will there actually be a diifference in the pic quality from when there was 30 hrs? I looked last night, i have 198 hrs on my tv, so i cant wait a hundred more hours to see if theres any noticable difference. How many hours does ur set have on it? have u noticed any change in the picture? Im sure its will be hard to tell since we both mess with the settings so much.
anyway, ill get back with you on those settings.

The short answer is yes there is a difference. The break in should be done with a disc that displays solid color patterns for even phosphor break in. You shouldnt calibrate till after a hundred hours because of this.

 

[bradknob]

Thanks bandphan.....im working on dowloading one to a flash drive to speed up the process a bit. This is the first plasma ive owned, and ive read all the threads where some let it break in, others say it doesnt matter. Best way is to see for yourself right? thx for the info

 

[FuzzyReets]

Anyone know of any way in the menu or the service menu to see how many hours the TV has run? Thanks.

 

[bandphan]

Anyone know of any way in the menu or the service menu to see how many hours the TV has run? Thanks.

It should be on the main page of the SM.

 

[BruZZi]

Anyone know of any way in the menu or the service menu to see how many hours the TV has run? Thanks.

It should be in the "OPTION BYTE" or "PDP OPTION".

.

 

[bradknob]

Anyone know of any way in the menu or the service menu to see how many hours the TV has run? Thanks.

in the service menu highlite "advanced" (i think) and push the "0" button 4 or 5 times. after that a bunch of boxes will pop up and it was somewhere in the middle towards the bottom.

Also I played with the calibration disk again and got some really good settings. best ive seen yet on this tv, and i watched dexter season 3 blu ray with the cinema smooth on and definately noticed a difference. maybe it is breaking in. Ill share them when i get home to look at them again. I calibrated and watched with all the lights out, so take that into account.

and banphan......according to the disk, my chroma alignment is off. Not even really sure what it means. any idea how to fix that? im assuming its from the bd player (ps3).

 

[FuzzyReets]

Black "blotchy" area in display?

Hi everyone. I'm back. Well I've had this TV for a few months now and overall very happy but there is one thing that is bothering me now. At the bottom in the center there is an area that is maybe 5" x 5" that is like a blotchy black spot. I only notice it when there is a real dark scene and only sometimes when there is a dark scene. I can't really describe what it looks like other than an area that stands out from the rest of the screen area. If I look really really close I can see almost a square in the center of the screen as well but I never really notice that, only this black blotchy area. Has anyone else experienced something like this, know what this is, or possibly how to get rid of it? Curious to see if anyone has any info or experience with something like this. Thanks.

 

[TheFactor]

Hi everyone. I'm back. Well I've had this TV for a few months now and overall very happy but there is one thing that is bothering me now. At the bottom in the center there is an area that is maybe 5" x 5" that is like a blotchy black spot. I only notice it when there is a real dark scene and only sometimes when there is a dark scene. I can't really describe what it looks like other than an area that stands out from the rest of the screen area. If I look really really close I can see almost a square in the center of the screen as well but I never really notice that, only this black blotchy area. Has anyone else experienced something like this, know what this is, or possibly how to get rid of it? Curious to see if anyone has any info or experience with something like this. Thanks.

Have to tried a different HDMI input or possibly different modes to see if gets better or goes away ? Just a thought

 

[FuzzyReets]

Have to tried a different HDMI input or possibly different modes to see if gets better or goes away ? Just a thought

Nah it's definitely not something being transmitted to the TV but something on the screen itself. Happens with all my devices. Nothing to do with HDMI cables.