Just got ISF calibration, not super-duper impressed

[mtrycrafts]

Well, there's some light at the end of the tunnel.

Last night I put the settings back to the calibration, and checked out Underworld, Fifth Element, and Ratatouille, all on BD. And all looked a little dark, but not near as objectionable as Transformers and the others I looked at during the calibration. I kept thinking back on how incredibly dark POTC:AWE looked, but I guess the simple fact that these 3 other movies looked fine to me, means that POTC:AWE is just an incredibly dark movie. My wife commented that she remembered the movie being hella dark when we saw it in the theater. She said, "That's why I fell asleep."

So I've got the settings back to the calibration for now, and we'll see how it goes. While watching Underworld, some scenes did seem a tad dark, but I swore I was seeing detail I hadn't seen before. But that could just be because I'm watching on an LCD now instead of a CRT RP.

But why the hell would the director, (POTC) want to make his movie so incredibly dark that you can't see anything?!?!? It doesn't make sense.

Remembering what a film looked like in the theater is unreliable after such a long time lags. Your wife could be very well on spot though. But, this article shows that many theaters don't operate at the light output that they should be operating
http://www.runco.com/image/wsr_csms_story.pdf

Hopefully the mastering stage is correctly set up

I haven't seen POC 3 so I cannot comment on its dark picture but I don't see it either why it would be so dark you cannot make out peoples faces; most curious.

I would still try a test disc, Avia perhaps, and see if that black level is where the DVD would suggest, especially since you have a reference setting to recall afterwards.

 

[audioethusiast1]

I don't deny that the TV looks great. But it looked pretty damn good before the calibration.

Specifically there were 3 scenes we watched that bothered me:

1. Transformers HD-DVD - The scene where the soldiers are waking in the desert, just before Scorpinok attacks them. The sand is a nice bright yellowish color, but the soldiers just look like black blobs walking on the sand.

2. Star Wars Ep 2 - The scene where Palpatine is talking to Mace and Yoda about not letting the separatists destroy the Federation. Palpatines head just kinda seems to float on top of a big black blob that is his robe.

3. Live Free or Die Hard - The scene where McClane goes to pick up the hacker kid. All you really see is the kid's face as he is working on the computer. The same thing with the terrorists in the van outside. All you really see is their faces. The backgrounds just look black.

All 3 of these scenes were watched with the lights off in the room. I realize that film-makers often use filters to increase contrast and change the color balance of their movies, but are they really intending for so much of the picture to just be black? Is this what movies and TV are really supposed to look like? If so, I'm not sure I like it.

I saw all 3 of these movies in the theater, but I can't remember if they looked this dark in the black areas.

I am going to have to agree with the OP, as this should not be happening. In a movie scene with sun blaring in ones face, you should see there face with a "shadow" on one side of the face; not a blob of black.

Only time this would happen would be a cave scene. Thats when the director does not want you to see things. Hence it makes things mysteroius and scary when something all of a sudden jumps out, such as decent.

The calibrator in my opionion should come out to you house and re do his calbration, or as I would, just get a new one. The only calibrators that I trust are ones that do "tours" around the country... As they really take this hobby of theirs to an art.

Again, I will reiterate that one should see facial characteristics of an actors face (not a blob of black). Take for intance, Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire. The book says Voldermort has red eyes; but the director said they could not do this with red eyes because it prevents "emotion". With that being said, I would guess that your T.V would not show Voldermort's characteristics in a dark scene; eyes very well. It would show blobs of black. Is this what the director intended...No. As he himself said people should see his eyes. He wants you to see shadow details with shadows, not blobs.

Sorry, this got a little personal. Went throught the same thing. But I had Best buy do mine initially. Which of course is not recommeneded. Had a touring calibrator re do mine and shows suberb shadow detail.

 

[Alex2507]

I'll give it some time and see how I feel.

During this time you might run out and get a plasma.
That would probably make you feel real good.

I am absolutely beside myself with laughter. Thanks for the opening.