Image noise - is it the Denon 3910 or my Panasonic TH37PV500 plasma?

[Weevy]

I wonder if anyone can help with my problem.

I recently bought a Denon 3910 DVD player and I've noticed on deep black areas a lot of pixelation and smearing. Non-black areas look generally crisp.

My screen is a HD ready Panasonic TH37PV500 so i've got the player hooked up via HDMI to the screen and have tried it on 720p and 1080i and the problem is still noticeable. Should I also have my component cable hooked up aswell or does HDMI handle progressive scan?

I'm not sure if it is my screen set-up or player set-up that is the cause. At the moment I've set my TV to 50% on all settings (ie contrast, brightness etc) and have turned off any image sharpening MPEG reduction etc.

Would really appreciate any tips on calibration to make the blacks look really solid.

Thanks,

Weevy

 

[Johnd]

Sounds like macroblocking. Certain chips (like the faroudja in your 3910) have a propensity to have macroblocking issues with certain displays. Do a search and get a picture of macroblocking. If this is in fact your problem, the only cure is to use a different player, or a different display (again, a macroblocking issue is a communication problem between the chip in the dvd player and "certain" displays). Let us know if this is in fact your problem, and how you are going to resolve it.

 

[Weevy]

Hi John,

Thanks for your quick reply. I'm a little new to all this. I've had a quick scan on the web and it does sound like macroblocking. Obviously I've spent a lot of money on bothe the player and the tv so very reluctant to change either of these in the near future.

Should I try turning on the noise reduction processing in both the tv and the player? Any other suggestions on how I might reduce this? Thanks Steve

 

[Johnd]

You can fiddle with filters and adjustments, but if a mb condition exists between your player's chip and your display, even though it only exists in some scenes on some dvd's, and usually in the dark areas, the only cure is to exchange the player or display. I purchased a new 2900 just last week ($479 @ Vann's) because of the 3910's propensity for macroblocking (the 2900 doesn't use a faroudja chip, and thus has no macroblocking issues).

 

[Weevy]

Thanks for your help. I'll investigate further. It isn't massively distracting to be honest and I'll play with the settings. I listen to a lot of music and this player, so far, seems strong sonically.