Technical Issues and Questions

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
GTO
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:23 pm
Location: Buffalo, NY

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1551 Post by GTO » Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:03 pm

Thanks guys! I'll fiddle about and see if I can fix it.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1552 Post by domino harvey » Sat Aug 26, 2017 1:51 pm

Can anyone suggest a free program for Macs that can rip/extract DVD commentaries as MP3s?

calculus entrophy
Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2014 11:32 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1553 Post by calculus entrophy » Sat Aug 26, 2017 3:10 pm

One option:

http://www.dvdae.com/download" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ozufils
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 11:30 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1554 Post by ozufils » Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:17 pm

Hello Everyone,

I have a simple 101 question which I am sure the experts of Home Theatre Viewing on this forum could help me with. I use a region free sony blu ray player and a samsung 45 inch LED TV. The 'Picture' option has 4 modes, 'movie','dynamic','standard' and 'natural' and each of these give very different image quality both static and in motion. I often find myself switching from one to the other.

Is there a preferred mode for watching films in general? The images are so different that I am not sure which of these would correspond with the framegrabs that DVDbeaver and others post.

User avatar
Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1555 Post by Drucker » Sun Aug 27, 2017 2:50 pm

Movie is probably your best bet. And if you google your model you can probably find some other settings people have chosen, though their is no substitute for professional calibration. The few things you definitely should do are:

Put sharpness at 0.
Contrast should be relatively high.
All "smooth action" settings should be turned off. On Samsung it's usually called Auto Motion Plus or something. There are two different things that do something similar to this.
In addition, anything called "noise reduction" or that should be turned off.

User avatar
ianthemovie
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 10:51 am
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1556 Post by ianthemovie » Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:32 pm

Personally I hate the Movie setting as it makes the image look too dim and muddy for my taste, even when watching with the lights off. I have my Samsung TV set to Natural or Standard for watching films depending on which looks most right for a particular disc.

User avatar
jedgeco
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:28 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1557 Post by jedgeco » Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:47 am

ozufils wrote:Is there a preferred mode for watching films in general? The images are so different that I am not sure which of these would correspond with the framegrabs that DVDbeaver and others post.
I recently upgraded to a Samsung ks8500 and found that the settings recommended by rtings, http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsun ... 0/settings" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, were a pretty good starting point, which I then tweaked using the Spears & Munsil calibration Blu-ray.

ozufils
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 11:30 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1558 Post by ozufils » Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:05 pm

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I think all of what Drucker suggested worked good for me except the 'Movie' mode. as ianthemovie said, Movie moved just seems a bit too creamy for my taste. Standard or Natural seems to works best in addition to setting sharpness to 0 and setting any smooth action off

Isambard
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 1:14 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1559 Post by Isambard » Sat Sep 30, 2017 2:22 pm

Right now I'm looking at the 55 inch LG B7 OLED, but I have a question about subtitle related image retention.

Several years ago I purchased a 51 inch Samsung F5300 plasma screen and, while I appreciated the picture quality, it made watching anything subtitled into English incredibly difficult. As I watched a film, retention from the subtitles would accumulate at the bottom of the screen until, after about 10-15 minutes, I had a dark bar of retained text marring the image. At the time, I couldn't tell if this was due to a fault with the panel itself, the settings I'd selected, or if plasma was just inherently incapable of reliably displaying subtitles. In the end, I returned the plasma for an LED.

Since OLED is susceptible to image retention, I was wondering if anyone who has had experience with subtitled content could comment on my concerns.

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

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1560 Post by fdm » Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:02 pm

Just a tidbit about my (Panasonic) plasma, I had what I thought to be similar things going on with subtitles (among other things), but it turned out to be a bad board. Since I replaced that board, I haven't noticed anything like it. (I'm somewhat moderate with contrast settings, which could be a factor.)

Don't know much about OLED, but I suspect subtitles would be the least of its image retention issues, since the google scan (and a few thread skims) I just did didn't mention anything about them. (On the other hand this now has me wondering more about OLED in my future if/when my plasma croaks.)

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1561 Post by David M. » Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:34 pm

I think OLED is less susceptible to image retention than PDP was. I have an LG C7 and play a ton of video games and subtitled movies on it, and I've never had a problem (calibrated using sensible picture settings, not the blue-tinted electric vomit mode).

The only time I ever had image retention was from the Amazon Video app, and running the Pixel Refresher cleared it.

Bottom line: I would just enjoy the TV, take sensible precautions, and not worry too much about it.

Isambard
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 1:14 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1562 Post by Isambard » Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:56 pm

David M. wrote:I think OLED is less susceptible to image retention than PDP was. I have an LG C7 and play a ton of video games and subtitled movies on it, and I've never had a problem (calibrated using sensible picture settings, not the blue-tinted electric vomit mode).

The only time I ever had image retention was from the Amazon Video app, and running the Pixel Refresher cleared it.

Bottom line: I would just enjoy the TV, take sensible precautions, and not worry too much about it.
Could you please outline what settings or precautions you'd recommend?

User avatar
Jean-Luc Garbo
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:55 am
Contact:

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1563 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:39 pm

Here's something new for me: my multi-region blu-ray player (an LG BP220) won't play a region A disc from Discotek Media. I've switched regions back and worth while trying different discs but no luck. Any suggestions for a fix?

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

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1564 Post by fdm » Sat Oct 07, 2017 5:29 pm

Try a different (newer) player and see if the disc plays on that one.

(Which disc is it? How old is the disc? How old is the player? Any firmware updates you skipped?)

User avatar
Jean-Luc Garbo
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:55 am
Contact:

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1565 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:29 pm

I may have to track down the firmware update then. This disc itself is new from last year so it should be fine.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1566 Post by knives » Sun Oct 22, 2017 3:51 pm

I have two of the Kino Robbe-Grillet discs and neither are playing. I double checked and the firmware is up to date and it is playing the other bluray (Criterion's Rivette disc) I played just fine. Is there anything else I should check into or what not?

User avatar
TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
Location: Stretford, Manchester

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1567 Post by TMDaines » Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:19 am

Anyone had problems with Denon receivers, in this case an AVR-X2200, having a single channel fail? Used mine to watch a fair bit yesterday, and then went to use it again in the evening and noticed the Front Left speaker was not outputting. Confirmed the fault is not with the speaker itself, or the cable, and it is the receiver outputting a very weak, crackly sound. Factory reset has done nothing. Looks like I'm sending it in on warranty.

Werewolf by Night

Technical Issues and Questions

#1568 Post by Werewolf by Night » Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:51 am

I have experienced this same issue with my Denon (AVR-1312, probably out of warranty). It’s been inconsistent and has been working fine lately. I haven’t taken the time to swap out speakers and cables to test it more thoroughly.

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

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1569 Post by fdm » Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:39 pm

I replaced my (12 years) old Denon receiver a few months ago. One of its channels failed (front left coincidentally), but only with certain settings (unfortunately the most important ones), and even with some other settings and some adjustments sometimes you could still get that channel to work, but even then it was still out of whack. Chalked it up to some sort of cpu or other circuitry failure (just a guess), fairly sure the amps all still otherwise worked.

And also chalked it up to it was time to move on. Swapped that 97 lb tank with its 39 lb replacement (another Denon) which in comparison seems like a toy, can't imagine it will last as long, but it seems to be doing well for now. Got rid of a few workarounds that accommodated newer technologies, kept a couple others that still make things work better. And also got to put a shelf back in my a/v rack (put my old hd-dvd player on it, which also necessitated adding another workaround to get output from its old (apparently now otherwise obsolete) hdmi version).

Anyway, as input to what also might cause a receiver to fail, make sure it's kept in a well ventilated area so it doesn't overheat, or at least add a fan into the mix to purge any excess heat if it's not.

John Shade
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 3:04 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1570 Post by John Shade » Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:10 pm

I have posted this before but maybe it seemed too noobish, anyway I'll try again.

All my life I've been a region a locked viewer. When I finally switched to blu ray, I justified not getting a region free player because I wanted to use the money to buy more blu rays. Perhaps this wasn't as cost efficient as I thought. Anyway, a year ago I bought a sony 4k player for a very reasonable price. But now, especially due to the release of the Melville box, I think I will finally go region free. Is there a way to simply convert my current player? Do I have to buy a new one? Should I just shell it out and get a region free 4k, any worthwhile suggestions? Thanks...

Isambard
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 1:14 pm

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1571 Post by Isambard » Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:15 pm

I've had the 55 inch LG C7P for a little over a week by this point and, so far, I've only experienced one case of video game related image retention. It was late in the evening after I'd been using the television for most of the afternoon. I only mention this because I don't know for certain if duration of operation in a single day can have any impact on potential for image retention.

I started a new game of Arkane's Prey and, during the opening sequence in Morgan's apartment, I took the time to read most of the notes placed around the environment. When reading a note, it appears in a large darkly colored box while the rest of the image goes out of focus. While I only spent a little time reading each note, the cumulative effect of displaying the same text box in the same position left a retained shadow on the screen. While it was gone by the time I turned the television on again the following day, I'm concerned that it developed so quickly.

These are currently my general picture settings for game mode:

OLED light - 35
Contrast - 80
Brightness - 50
Color - 50
Color Temperature - w25
Gamma - High1
Black Level - High

Any recommendations?

User avatar
Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1572 Post by Oedipax » Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:33 pm

John Shade wrote:Is there a way to simply convert my current player? Do I have to buy a new one? Should I just shell it out and get a region free 4k, any worthwhile suggestions? Thanks...
It's probably not worth the time/cost/trouble of attempting to get your existing player modded. My standard recommendation is the Seiki SR4KP1 which has excellent upscaling to 4K, handles PAL-NTSC conversions, as well as 1080i50 to 1080i60.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1573 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:05 pm

Why isn't every Blu-ray or DVD region-free?

User avatar
Godot
Cri me a Tearion
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 12:13 am
Location: Phoenix

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1574 Post by Godot » Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:55 am

flyonthewall2983 wrote:Why isn't every Blu-ray or DVD region-free?
Greed.
"Protecting copyrights and royalties".
"Maximizing profit".
An unintended beneficial consequence of this for cinephiles, however, is the development of regional niche labels that complement the cornerstone Criterion region 1/A label. Madman in Australia, Eureka/MOC and Arrow and BFI and now Powerhouse/Indicator in the UK, StudioCanal and WildSide and Pathe and TFI and Carlota in France, Koch Media in Germany, etc. ... all provide us with the opportunity to own multiple copies of the same movie, with different special features and potentially different visual and audio quality.

User avatar
tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: Technical Issues and Questions

#1575 Post by tenia » Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:30 am

Godot wrote:
flyonthewall2983 wrote:Why isn't every Blu-ray or DVD region-free?
An unintended beneficial consequence of this for cinephiles, however, is the development of regional niche labels that complement the cornerstone Criterion region 1/A label. Madman in Australia, Eureka/MOC and Arrow and BFI and now Powerhouse/Indicator in the UK, StudioCanal and WildSide and Pathe and TFI and Carlotta in France, Koch Media in Germany, etc. ... all provide us with the opportunity to own multiple copies of the same movie, with different special features and potentially different visual and audio quality.
But also, possibly, contractually forced subtitles preventing foreign markets to have access to new materials (being technically or editorially).

But otherwise yes, the whole market works on a regional split of rightholdings, meaning each country basically works on its own, and since people don't want outsiders to step on their lands, contractual region-locking or forced subtitles allow the end-result (the release) to also be regionalised this way.

That's why studio movies often aren't concerned by this, since the studio will own the movie worldwide and thus not care if you're a French guy buying the UK release : because it will all go to the studio anyway.
However, if I buy, say, Charley Varrick from Indicator instead of from Wild Side, my French money doesn't go where it's supposed to. But in the other way, the French release has forced French subs to ensure the foreigners are sticking with their own regional releases.

Post Reply