Picture noise

[gr8spinner]

Hi,

I have the Panasonic TH-42px60u and I'm getting a lot of noise that looks like static in my blacks. I've used the ISF calibration settings I've seen posted everywhere on the web. The only time I get a clean picture is when the is set to dark mode and the brightness turned down below +6. The noise is gone but now the picture is too dark.

I have a Monster HTS 2600 line conditioner which everything runs through first. I've tried different cables, different DVD player, different outlets and running the video directly to the tv but nothing seems to help.

Basically, if the blacks aren't at their lowest I get noise in the black areas.

Any Ideas????

Mike

[edtyct]

Post your settings for
picture mode
picture
brightness
color
tint
sharpness
color temperature

and turn enhanced black off.

Do you get noise on SD and HD pictures via both DVD and cable/satellite?

[gr8spinner]

Here's how I have it set up.

Picture Mode Standard
Picture +22
Brightness +8
Color -1
Tint -4
Sharpness -14
Color Temperature Warm
Enhanced Black Level light

Thanks

[edtyct]

Those numbers are all in the ballpark of a 60U that I set up not too long ago. I saw no trace of a picture artifact on HD. What causes video noise can vary. Low-resolution, interlaced analog signals are certainly noisy, but not just in the dark areas. Most people who have to watch this type of broadcast realize pretty quickly that the noise derives from the source and that the display may not be able to clean it up. Noise in black areas might indicate an inadequate bit depth in the video processing, and banding, or false contouring, is the related inability to resolve gradations of darkness, creating a creeping moss effect. The Panasonic does not suffer from these diseases, though a source could send them along every so often. Another major cause of circumscribed noise is macroblocking, a compression error that leaves bald, tingling spots in colored sections. CUE (the chroma upsampling error) interrupts colored objects with dark lines. DVD players sometimes have these diseases, even some Panasonics. Many digital displays simply can't show black, creating a noisy haze instead. Your plasma isn't one them. In fact, Panasonic made its name on its black level and shadow detail at a time when other plasma makers were still cutting their teeth.

So what's going on? Beats me at this point. But your first post, which says that you have to turn brightness down to +6 and choose dark mode to lose the noise, makes me wonder a little. First of all +6 is only two numbers down from the +8 you cited, certainly not much, and dark mode isn't ordinarily a bad thing, provided that the room isn't bright. What happens if you leave everything as originally set and back off the Picture (contrast) setting a bit. This setting is actually supposed to control the bright (as opposed to dark) end of the spectrum (brightness, oddly enough, pertains to the dark end), but it can affect low-level signals as well, affecting blacks and dark colors. If it's too high, it can create noise. Not every TV that leaves the assembly line will have the same tolerances and characteristics. You may have to deviate from published parameters to get yours in line. As I said, try turning down the contrast.

You don't mention what kind of cabling you use. If you're depending on composite or S-video, you'll be getting noise. At the very least, you should be using component; HDMI is the connection of choice.

[gr8spinner]

Thanks a lot for your help. I'm running a real dog for a DVD player so that could very well be my problem. Which DVD player would you suggest for about $500 keeping in mind audio is important to me as well.

Thanks!!