Technical Issues and Questions

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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DarkImbecile
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1651 Post by DarkImbecile » Fri Jan 04, 2019 3:21 pm

tenia wrote:
Fri Jan 04, 2019 3:11 pm
...and more importantly it takes much more time to generate the burn in in the first place.
That’s been my experience. I used to get a temporary ghosting effect of a graphic or academy/letterbox lines on the plasma I had prior to this OLED after only an hour or so, though I never suffered any permanent burn-in. With the OLED, I’ve watched eight hours of football on a channel with consistent, static logos and tickers and never seen any hint of an after-effect.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1652 Post by mfunk9786 » Fri Jan 04, 2019 3:22 pm

I love my LG OLED. Has measurably improved my home viewing experience since getting it a year ago.

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Skrmng Skll Th Thd
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2018 12:32 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1653 Post by Skrmng Skll Th Thd » Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:16 pm

I believe David M. has recommended a specific LG OLED model either here or on another board -- David, would you remind us which one?

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Adam X
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Re: TV recommendation with odd(?) priorities

#1654 Post by Adam X » Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:25 pm

Jonathan S wrote:
Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:58 am
A component input would be nice as (contrary to usual reports) I always found DVDs looked better on my last HD projector when sourced from a DVD player, rather than upscaled through the BD/HDMI connection.
While most projectors can display multiple resolutions, consumer TV’s these days only display one (their native 1080 or 2160), so you’re unlikely to see an improvement using a lower resolution source player. As other’s have noted, you’re best to let the player do the upscaling.

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willoneill
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:10 am
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1655 Post by willoneill » Sun Jan 27, 2019 11:41 pm

I have an odd issue that maybe someone can help with. The blu-ray player in our bedroom (and older Samsung) has been doing a weird thing lately where it randomly compresses the image to 1.33 aspect ratio, even though its connected to a widescreen tv (Insignia). Nothing I change in either the TV or player setting menus will fix it. But if I turn it all off for a few minutes, then restart it, it’s all fine again. Then the next night, the whole process starts over again.

Any ideas as to what’s going on?

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1656 Post by fdm » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:12 am

The first thing I'd try after what you did is to unplug the hdmi cables at both ends and replug them. Might have come loose.

Next thing would be to unplug power for the tv and player and let them sit a while before plugging them back in. If you have another player see if it works okay with the tv. If you have another tv, see if it works ok with the Samsung.

(Next check the manual out for troubleshooting options like resetting the player.)

Otherwise, could be anything, depending on age of the components, could just be one of them starting to fail.

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Morbii
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1657 Post by Morbii » Mon Jan 28, 2019 5:58 am

I have a much older TV (LCD projection, which I once had a friend who worked at Samsung try to tell me didn't even exist!). If I were to turn my old school PS3 (first gen) on and off without turning on the TV, or vice versa, the connection would get "broken" (I'd just see colorful static) until I unplugged the HDMI cable and plugged it back in (even after successive restarts, etc). I started to *suspect* I may have been using an HDMI cable that was newer than the protocol that the PS3 supported (and/or the TV), and that's why it was happening, but I don't know, and I never bothered to get another cable to find out.

Anyway, my point is that I'd go with fdm's advice as well and start with the HDMI cables.

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fdm
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1658 Post by fdm » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:58 pm

Oh and if there's more than one HDMI input or output, try switching to a different one, maybe one of them will work better.

richard_t
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1659 Post by richard_t » Mon Feb 04, 2019 4:48 am

What are people experiences with OLED TVs and black & white films?

I’m just about to return my second 65” Panasonic OLED in the last 4 weeks due to awful colour tinting that’s easily visible when watching black & white films. On both of the screens I’ve had one half of the screen has had a pink tinge and the other half a much cooler blue. It’s obviously down to the filter on the front of the screen as the tinting shifts when moving seats (although it’s got to be said that I’m only moving from side to side of a small two seat sofa that’s directly in front of the television).

Have I just been unlucky and perhaps got a couple from a bad batch or is this normal? I understand that OLEDs often have a small amount of tinting but surely not to this extent?

Image

Jonathan S
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1660 Post by Jonathan S » Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:49 am

^ I don't know whether it's normal for OLEDs but that poor colour uniformity - pink/blue dichotomy especially obvious on b/w - is exactly the problem I had with my Epson LCD projectors (except it looked as bad wherever I sat). After three replacements and being assured by the supplier it was normal for a £1,000 LCD projector I gave up and - following the recommendations received above - I was about to buy an OLED TV. Now I'm hesitant!

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1661 Post by TMDaines » Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:12 am

I presume this is an LED- & LCD-specific problem? Never seen anything like this before.

richard_t
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1662 Post by richard_t » Mon Feb 04, 2019 9:20 am

Have just arranged with the dealer to open up an LG 65C8 in the store later this week once they can get one in stock and let me spend a bit of time with it to ensure that I’m happy before having it delivered. I’ll let you know my findings then.

I’d prefer to stick with Panasonic but I’ve lost quite a lot of faith in them since the dealer sent off the picture above to Panasonic in order to get an uplift number for the return and they replied saying it looked okay to them. This is a screen that cost £3500 when it was first launched 6 months ago and which they advertise as being used within lots of Hollywood Studios as client reference monitors. They insisted I get a local authorised repair centre to take a look in my house before they’d even accept it back. Thankfully they came out and agreed it was awful.

The annoying this is that this is a replacement for 6 year old 65” Panasonic Plasma that I had no issues with at all until it recently developed a very very slight inch wide dark band down the right hand side that I could rarely if ever notice. I’d go back to the plasma in a heartbeat and spend the money on disks if I’d not given it away to friend already. My experience of OLEDs so far is that they’re by far the best screens I’ve ever owned for colour content but the worst screens by far I’ve ever owned for black & white. Hopefully the LG later this week will prove that I’ve just been unlucky up now. If not then I don’t know what I’m going to do.

David M.
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1663 Post by David M. » Mon Feb 04, 2019 11:27 am

The color uniformity of most modern consumer displays I've seen isn't great. You'll probably need to go through a few. I always seem to find the rightmost 1/4th of the panel (at 65") has a different tint to the rest.

richard_t
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1664 Post by richard_t » Mon Feb 04, 2019 12:40 pm

I reckon I could cope with just a 1/4 of the screen at one side being off since most if not all of it would be hidden by the pillar box black bars of the majority of black & white films and as I think I mentioned earlier I can barely notice it when watching colour content.

It’s such a disappointing state of affairs that this seems so wide spread though. As great as 4K and particularly HDR are neither of them in my opinion are worth forgoing the far superior screen uniformity of plasma for, especially for the kind of content I and I suspect a lot of people here are more interested in. If only I could unearth a brand new and working Panasonic 65VT65 plasma somewhere.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1665 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Feb 04, 2019 12:47 pm

One quarter of the screen or one quarter of an inch of the screen ???

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fdm
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1666 Post by fdm » Mon Feb 04, 2019 12:57 pm

I think that very very slight inch wide dark band was normal for the last generation of Panasonic plasmas (mine turns six in July). But as you note, rarely noticeable, only time I have noticed it was when somebody posted something about it and I checked if it was there on mine, and this was just a couple months in... otherwise haven't seen it in years (knock on wood).

My Sony rear projection tv developed some issues like what you show (although in this case it was a greenish brown tint and not peculiar to one side of the screen, more scattered around), but it was a whole 'nother technology (sxrd). I stuck with it for quite a while as initially the symptoms weren't too bad, just annoying, and the available "fix" didn't necessarily take (might end up even worse next time, and sooner) so I didn't bother, but finally when the bulb was switched out it turned really bad and I bailed. (What failed was one of the color filters in the optical block, due to heat induced aging/discoloration.)

richard_t
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1667 Post by richard_t » Mon Feb 04, 2019 3:01 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:
Mon Feb 04, 2019 12:47 pm
One quarter of the screen or one quarter of an inch of the screen ???
After seeing what I’ve seen recently if I manage to get one that only has a 1/4” of tinting at the edge I’ll be absolutely thrilled with it.

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1668 Post by fdm » Tue Feb 05, 2019 2:15 am

No doubt, that's why after that Sony junker, I've been pretty happy. Lucky they still made decent plasmas when the Sony finally bit it, though for a while I was pretty sad when Kuros were dropped.

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DeprongMori
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1669 Post by DeprongMori » Mon Feb 11, 2019 7:03 pm

Who has strong recommendations for Windows 10 Blu-ray player software that is able to provide detailed info on Blu and DVD discs?

I’m looking for software that can interrogate such details as region-coding, audio-encoding and number of channels on main features, commentaries and supplements. For example, finding that a disc has an English audio track in DTS-MA 5.1 and another in PMC 2.0, is locked to Region 2, and whether it is 1080p or 1080i. (I am currently able to tell DVD PAL from DVD NTSC, but that’s about it.)

My hardware is an LG BP50NB40 Slim Portable Blu-ray / DVD Writer. I also want to make sure that any software I run allows me to read the actual Disc-ID information and does not generate pseudo-IDs as default. (This is a problem with some disc-burning software.)

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jedgeco
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1670 Post by jedgeco » Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:36 pm

DeprongMori wrote:
Mon Feb 11, 2019 7:03 pm
Who has strong recommendations for Windows 10 Blu-ray player software that is able to provide detailed info on Blu and DVD discs?
Unfortunately, I'm not sure there is any such software anymore. I used ArcSoft Total Media Theater for several years and was happy with it, but the company stopped supporting it, and I found that it couldn't play newly issued Blu-rays at all.

There may be some VLC plug-ins that will add Blu-ray functionality, or some open source solution, but I don't think that any good commercial software exists.

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fdm
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1671 Post by fdm » Tue Feb 12, 2019 3:32 pm

On a Mac, VLC does seem to provide a good amount of statistics, might be okay for what you are looking for. The other Mac software, MacGo's Blu-Ray Player Pro doesn't seem to have anything like that. (And it seems that "it depends" on whether something blu-ray(-ish) will play on either software, I think my Regions are messed up somehow. Good thing I almost always use a real blu-ray player and a tv for such things.)

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DeprongMori
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1672 Post by DeprongMori » Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:17 pm

I did find one freeware tool (BDinfo) that does a decent job of reporting the CODEC (among other things) of Blu-ray discs , but doesn’t report things like region-locking and doesn’t read DVDs at all.

After experimenting with various discs, I got very detailed output on the “Dirty Harry” Blu, including the languages, audio encoding and number of channels for each of the ten audio tracks. For example, it reports a “English Dolby Digital 5.1” track, a “English Dolby TrueHD 5.1” track, and a “English Dolby Digital 2.0” track, as well as “Dolby Digital 1.0” tracks in Japanese, French, German, Italian, two Spanish, and Portuguese. It also reports 19 available subtitle tracks for the Presentation CODEC on the disc.

On the video CODEC, it reports “1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9” encoded in “VC-1”.

So, much of what I need is available here. Still searching for a player that integrates these tools for both DVD and Blu.

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TMDaines
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Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1673 Post by TMDaines » Fri Feb 15, 2019 12:52 pm

I don't think there is an all-in-one solution. Using a PC to watch media (and manipulate it) usually means using a variety of different tools and software.

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Cash Flagg
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:15 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1674 Post by Cash Flagg » Fri Mar 08, 2019 9:22 am

Not a hardware question, but does anyone know how to properly convert PNGs to JPGs in Preview, for Mac? Every time I try to submit cover art to Film AF, it is rejected as being all black, although the photo displays fine as a thumbnail. (They don't allow PNG format photos, which is how all the photos are posted on Indicator's site.) I've tried opening the PNG in Preview, then saving it as a JPG instead of PNG, but the resulting image is still rejected as black/blank.

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Morbii
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:38 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1675 Post by Morbii » Fri Mar 08, 2019 11:00 am

I’m guessing that all it actually does is create a copy of the file with a new name (ie it’s still a png). From the name of the program, it sounds like it’s just meant for viewing, not conversion.

Have you tried any online converters, such as this one (found with google): https://image.online-convert.com/convert-to-jpg

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