MPEG-2 on a DVD player -- red shift?

vitalforce2 wrote on 5/14/2003, 12:47 PM
I am getting very different pictures on two consumer-level Samsung TV sets after rendering a Vegas project to MPEG-2. I have installed the 'c' upgrades to both Vegas 4 and DVD-A. On the older set the picture is actually pretty close (in color depth and gamut) to what I see on my ViewSonic monitor. However, when I play the DVD on my set-top player, which is connected as component video to a new Samsung 25" TV, there is a tremendous red shift and all the colors seem a little oversaturated.

I am still climbing the steep side of my learning curve on color correction, but I'm starting to think it's not me using a heavy hand on corrections. Today, only by bleeding out about 25% of the color (moving the saturation slider left, under the color correction wheels), am I getting close to what I see on the other set.

Any thoughts on what's happening here? I have to provide DVDs to some clients in the next few days, and I don't have a reference monitor so it's hard to gauge whether they're going to see red or, on the other hand, weak colors on their own DVD players. (My burner is a Sony DRU500AX.)

Comments

Jsnkc wrote on 5/14/2003, 12:52 PM
The only way that you will be able to see the true picture is to use a properly calibrated professional video monitor. Just using TV sets won't give you an accurate reading of what is actually burned on the disc. All Tv's are set up diffrently and have diffrent ways of adjusting the picture saturation brigtness etc...
Former user wrote on 5/14/2003, 12:53 PM
Try to temporarily connect the Samsung TV through the same type of connection as the old TV (composite RCA plugs or whatever) and compare. Does it look the same as using the component connection?

It could be the difference in the setup of the TV's. No two TV's will ever look the same. so it is hard to judge what your client will see.
vitalforce2 wrote on 5/14/2003, 2:08 PM
I'll unplug the component connectors and go with straight composite to see if there's a change. It was on my mind because of the recent update of the MPEG-2 encoder and some previous comments about reddish hue.

And: Anybody know where I can look to get an accurate reference monitor without hitting the $1000 mark?
BillyBoy wrote on 5/14/2003, 4:28 PM
"The only way that you will be able to see the true picture is to use a properly calibrated professional video monitor."

Ahhh... no, I don't agree at all. I've spend a LOT of time adjusting color saturation, hue, levels, etc.. and do not have a professional video monitor (pausing to reach around to pat self on back) and if I do say so myself I get EXCELLENT results adjusting off a cheesy little 13 inch plain Jane TV I picked up for around $100. And anybody that follows my posts in this forum knowns I'm a fanantic for color correction.

IF you take the time to properly calibrate the television you use as you external monitor and then for example feed a signal to both that little TV AND your also properly calibrated super duper fancy TV in your family room, whatever by routing a signal from a digital camera or a DVD using a Radio Shack Video Distribution Amplifer (about $40) or similar device to balance the two sets by setting them up side by side and displaying the same video you can get excellents results that will rival any other method. Trust me... I've built a big color TV from a kit and done all kinds of electronic projects. I know a little about the topic.

The goal of course is to adjust off the external monitor (if your video is going to be played off a TV in ints finshed state) and then drag the little TV and adjust it so it and the big one are the same. As someone else said of course each TV is a little different. Anyone tha't spend 30 seconds in any consumer electronics store with a 100 TV all tuned to the same station knwos that. The point is you can get very close... with a little work.
vitalforce2 wrote on 5/14/2003, 4:34 PM
Thanx BillyBoy. Right, calibrate the big set, duh. By the by, we live in a 1BR apt. in midtown NYC so the family room is also the living room is the dinette is the eat-in kitchen is the rehearsal hall/preproduction meeting space is the storage facility and back-up cat box. But I got the point.