PS3 Blueray Settings

funkyone

Hi,
I got a PS3 at the weekend.
I connected it to my LCD and put in a Blurray disc(Ghost Rider).
I was dissappointed with the quality on it,
It was not much better than an upscaled dvd.
I have it conncted with a HDMI lead and I have a Sharp LCD 42XD1E which is a full HD tv-1080p.
Which settings should I have on the PS3 and TV to maximise the Blueray Experience.
Any taughts and help would be apprecieted.

mathias

Yes , I'd have to agree here , blu -ray titles( PS3 wise ) have none of the picture quality for me that say , national geographic on Sky HD has. ( Sky HD being significantly better picture wise)

There must be some setting thats wrong , however there are a number of BD setup options in the PS3 menus that Im not sure are right , if anyone can shed light on these that would be great.

I have read that there are some picture quality issues with certain versions of the PS3 firmware.

Also , just in case this is the issue , will the PS3 blu ray player output full HD to a non HDCP compliant screen ?

notahappycamper

mathias wrote:

Yes , I'd have to agree here , blu -ray titles( PS3 wise ) have none of the picture quality for me that say , national geographic on Sky HD has. ( Sky HD being significantly better picture wise)

There must be some setting thats wrong , however there are a number of BD setup options in the PS3 menus that Im not sure are right , if anyone can shed light on these that would be great.

I have read that there are some picture quality issues with certain versions of the PS3 firmware.

Also , just in case this is the issue , will the PS3 blu ray player output full HD to a non HDCP compliant screen ?

Agree, the picture quality can vary per Blu-ray release.

I know for a fact in the States Sony issued a "Re-mastered Blu ray" version of "The Fifth Element" recently because when it was originally released last year the quality was poor!

LookingFor

There's definitely something wrong if you think Sky HD is better than a good Blu-ray title. Blu-ray is higher resolution and should typically have much higher bitrates than the HD you'd get over cable or satellite.

It's possible the movies you're looking at had poor transfers, but if you look at something like Casino Royale and still think it's inferior to, say, Sky HD, then I'm not sure what the problem could be. Some earlier blu-ray titles had poorer transfers, but most recent ones are fine.

will the PS3 blu ray player output full HD to a non HDCP compliant screen

No. It will downsample to 480p. Maybe this is your problem. You need a HDCP compliant screen in order to see the full HD resolutions.

If you do have a HDCP compliant screen, make sure than 1080p or 720p are checked in your resolution settings.

notahappycamper

mathias wrote:

Also , just in case this is the issue , will the PS3 blu ray player output full HD to a non HDCP compliant screen ?

It's my understanding that if something isn't HDCP compliant you will get a blank screen when you connect a device or get a message telling you it's not compliant.

xanthor

Did you press the info button on the TVs remote to check what resolution it's being displayed at?

funkyone

Thanks guys for the responses.
It seems Im not the only guy with these isssues.
These are the settings Im using with my PS3 and TV for watching Blue-ray.My Sharp Tv is a full hd tv at 1080p(LC-42XD1E)

PS3 Settings
BD/DVD Settings:
Cinema conversion: Automatic
BD/DVD Video Output format(HDMI): Automatic
BD1080p 24hz output(HDMI): Auto

Display Settings:
Current Output Resolution: 1080p
Cross Color Reduction Filter: off
RGB Full Range(HDMI): Full
YPb/Cb Pr/Cr Super white(HDMI): off

TV Settings

HDMI Set up:
Signal Type: YCbCr4:4:4 (Other options of YCbCr 4:2:2 and RGB)
Color Matrix: ITU709 (Other options of ITU601)
Dymanic Range: Enhanced (Other option Normal)
AV Mode: Dymanic

If any of the above should be changed can u let me know.
The games I tried on it u look great on it.
Thanks in advance.

mathias

OK , just checked my TV , Its a Panasonic and it is HDCP compliant , either way , notahappycamper is correct , over a HDMI or DVI connection you dont get a picture if there is a HDCP issue , downscaled content is only permitted over analog connections.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP

So , Im watching , or trying to watch , Pirates of the carribean curse of the black pearl on blu-ray , and the picture is nothing to write home about , ( slightly better than DVD ) certainly sky hd /national geographic is better , which shouldnt be.

Ive tried all the settings in the BD setup pages and none make a difference. The PS3 is set to 1080 which is correct.

What gives ? Is that particular title not a good transfer ?

By the way , theres no info button on my TV to tell whats coming in , not sure if panasonic have that feature , I know sony do , maybe I have it but dont know how to activate it ?

McDermotX

One question I'll ask you lads..
Is your TV/Display calibrated properly ?
Every display is different, but by default all are usually tweaked far too vivid than what is desired..

Even on a 42" display, there should be no way an upconverted DVD (even with the PS3's excellent implementation) could be confused with a good, solid Blu-ray (or HD-DVD) disc..

Yes , I'd have to agree here , blu -ray titles( PS3 wise ) have none of the picture quality for me that say , national geographic on Sky HD has. ( Sky HD being significantly better picture wise)

Mathias,
SkyHD cannot compete with BD or HD-DVD, given its strained low-bitrate, transmission friendly bandwidth. If BD playback is not exceeding this, then I would suggest exchanging the PS3 as there is clearly something wrong between the PS3 and your display.
Also, bear in mind that the likes of Nat GeoHD programs are mostly shot on HD video. This is completely different to shooting on film, which the vast majority of BDs are. Anyone expecting the crystal clear "looking through a window" feeling they see on the likes of NatGeo are going to be disappointed when viewing their first BD or HD-DVD film.
The ultimate aim of HD media is to reproduce the original master as faithfully as possible.....film, by its very nature, is grainy (especially older film stock) and it can be disconcerting for some people when they view it on their brand new BD disc..
Good example is the lack of grain definition on the DVD version of 300 due to the lack of fine detail when compared to its BD and HD-DVD brothers..

POTC is certainly one of the better BDs for transfer out there, with probably only its sequel and Apocalypto bettering it in a live action sense. Apocalypto would be a good disc to view as a lot of it was shot on HD Genesis cameras virtually eliminating grain..


Funkyone,
your setting on the PS3 look about right but you may want to experiment with the "BD/DVD Video Output format(HDMI)" setting and also the "RGB Full Range(HDMI)" setting.. Not all displays can reproduce the blacks at full range, so its a matter of trying it out to see which is best.
Only thing is, both settings affect colour reproduction more than anything, so even without those settings right, the PQ should still be well in excess of SD DVD..

Also, as Xanthor suggested below, verify the resolution on the TV.. In the early days of the PS3 launch, a lot of people tripped up on the fact they were viewing 480p without realising it even though their consoles were set to 1080p..
Not suggesting thats what is happening here, but its a good idea to rule out the obvious things such as this, viewing distance, HDMI cable etc etc..

mathias

SkyHD cannot compete with BD or HD-DVD, given its strained low-bitrate, transmission friendly bandwidth. If BD playback is not exceeding this, then I would suggest exchanging the PS3 as there is clearly something wrong between the PS3 and your display.

There seems to be a slight misunderstanding here ,

Im fully aware that Blu ray should be better , its not though , is what im saying and I believe so is the OP , there seems to be something wrong with the setup , it should be better than it is.

The output of the PS3 for everything else is clearly high quality 1080p , this includes some movie trailers ( downloaded from the ps store ...casino royale etc. ....games et al ) , its just the disc playback that has the issue.

Ive been watching HD content on my system since it was available in this country , from Sky HD , so viewing distance , Cable etc dont come into it for me. I know all thats good.

( For a digital signal over 3 meters of HDMI cable ...there can be no quality issues , but thats another discussion ! )

Im thinking maybe its scaling or some other issue , there were known concerns in earlier firmware , Im currently running ver 1.9 , I believe thats the latest , if not , then maybe there is some setting ( or combination thereof ) that someone knows about that will improve things!

Heres an example of the kind of thing that might be wrong here ,

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/11/20/6034

http://loot-ninja.com/2006/11/19/ps3-hd-scaling-issues-other-annoyances/

Perhaps theres something wrong with your eyes. I find the picture quality of most blu rays movies to be amazing compared to SD TV or DVD.

McDermotX

Fully aware of the scaling issues Mathias,
but it doesn't apply to you on a 1080p display

The output of the PS3 for everything else is clearly high quality 1080p

Have you found a way of telling what your screen is displaying ?

The scaling were always more of an issue for US owners due to a high level of non-1080i capable HDTVs (and also non-720p sets)over there. Without any level of 1080 support, and Blu-ray ouput of 720p "broken" since the original firmware, BD playback (and games) were stunted. This of course has since been remedied to a degree..
This has never been an issue over here as HD-Ready sets have to be at least 720p/1080i, meaning BD playabck at 1080i was always possible..

The issue of course is moot with a 1080p display, as long as the console is setup to that res of course. There should be no scaling involved at this level, so I doubt thats the problem......but you would definitely need to verify the output of the display..

You say you are familiar with HD requirements such as acceptable viewing distances etc, so if you are really not happy with the BD PQ, it may be time to think about exchanging the console for another..

Which particular Panasonic model is the display by the way ?

mathias

Perhaps theres something wrong with your eyes. I find the picture quality of most blu rays movies to be amazing compared to SD TV or DVD.

I have hit a nerve here or something ? Whats with personal insults ?

I have a problem with the equipment , if that offends some oversensitive fanboys then please ignore ! Im just trying to find a solution.

As posted , Im getting what amounts to a slightly better than DVD output from what should be a HD source. Thats it , Im not slagging anyones favourite console here .

The hard drive content plays fine , the disc content ( movies only ...games are fine ) does not , maybe its my tv misinterpreting the signal , maybe its the console , I'll try and get a look at another console to see ,but from what Im reading on Google , this is not unique to me !

I can find no mention in the manual about getting the TV to display what the incoming signal is , the PS3 is set to 1080p , its connected with HDMI , settings are pretty much the same as Funkyone's , etc .

Borrowing a console tomorrow , I'll post back if its any better.

funkyone

McDermotX wrote:

One question I'll ask you lads..
Is your TV/Display calibrated properly ?
Every display is different, but by default all are usually tweaked far too vivid than what is desired..

Funkyone,
your setting on the PS3 look about right but you may want to experiment with the "BD/DVD Video Output format(HDMI)" setting and also the "RGB Full Range(HDMI)" setting.. Not all displays can reproduce the blacks at full range, so its a matter of trying it out to see which is best.
Only thing is, both settings affect colour reproduction more than anything, so even without those settings right, the PQ should still be well in excess of SD DVD..

Also, as Xanthor suggested below, verify the resolution on the TV.. In the early days of the PS3 launch, a lot of people tripped up on the fact they were viewing 480p without realising it even though their consoles were set to 1080p..
Not suggesting thats what is happening here, but its a good idea to rule out the obvious things such as this, viewing distance, HDMI cable etc etc..

My resolution on the LCD when watching is 1080p,My tv is a Sharp 42" and its full hd already, so its at the correct settings.
How do I calibrate my screen. Do I use the THX Optimiser thats on certain dvds? or something else do do it?
I must go to a shop in town(Cork) to see if any of the tv shops have a set up similar to mine and check the quality.
Maybe I was expecting to much from it in the first place
Thanks for all the advice guys.

mathias

OK Im getting somewhere , got some tips over on avforums and switching to 720p vastly improved the picture , more like HD than the 1080p setting , also while on 1080p mode the 1080/24 is having a definite effect if I switch it off from auto.

Looks like my TV can't handle that 24 hz mode or at least is reacting badly to it. Still need to borrow the other console to see if its the TV or the Console though.

Tried switching cables between HDMI 1 and 2 on the TV and switching console , HD box between connectors , no real difference there.

McDermotX

funkyone wrote:

My resolution on the LCD when watching is 1080p,My tv is a Sharp 42" and its full hd already, so its at the correct settings.
How do I calibrate my screen. Do I use the THX Optimiser thats on certain dvds? or something else do do it?
I must go to a shop in town(Cork) to see if any of the tv shops have a set up similar to mine and check the quality.
Maybe I was expecting to much from it in the first place
Thanks for all the advice guys.

Something like the THX Optimizer would help alright.......standard definition adjustments they may be, but they'll carry across to HD alright..
Failing that, looking up on the likes of AV Forums etc.., may give you a heads up as to what approximate levels you should be aiming for.
I'm sure there's more than enough people out there with those Sharp screens who are in the same boat..
Its possible some people probably expect more than what they get, but even so, at 42" it shold be much more impressive than upconverted DVD..
One thing I've always noticed about HD media, is that the more familar you get with it, the less "WOW" it is........usually a quick dose of SD is all you need to appreciate HD again.
Maybe using a DVD and BD of the same title may be the best way to judge once and for all whether or nor you see an improvement..

McDermotX

Quote:
Originally Posted by mathias
OK Im getting somewhere , got some tips over on avforums and switching to 720p vastly improved the picture , more like HD than the 1080p setting , also while on 1080p mode the 1080/24 is having a definite effect if I switch it off from auto.

Looks like my TV can't handle that 24 hz mode or at least is reacting badly to it. Still need to borrow the other console to see if its the TV or the Console though.

Tried switching cables between HDMI 1 and 2 on the TV and switching console , HD box between connectors , no real difference there.


Mathias,
are you sure you're using a 1080p screen ? Model number ?

If you are seeing such a dramatic improvement at 720p, one of the possible reasons would be the fact the screen doesn't have to resolve a 1080 signal down to 720p (or 768 to be exact on a 720p screen)..
Probably worth trying a max 1080i output if that is the case..

The 1080p/24 mode is only suitable for compatible displays which can display native 24 or multiples (48,72 etc etc), and there aren't many of them in the Irish market... Pio plasmas, some projectors, some upcoming LCDs..
Leaving on auto is probably the best option....if your display can handle it, the PS3 will output at 24 for BD playback, if not it'll default to 60 (so the display will have to pulldown the signal).
Sony only introduced the 1080p/24 ON option due to some HDMI handshaking issues with some AV receivers and projectors whereby they needed the PS3 to force the 24hz output..
The 24hz option is really only applicable to a small number of people out there at the moment..

Definitely sounds like you'll need to view another HD device on the screen (another PS3 or HD-DVD player if possible)

mathias

mathias wrote:

I have hit a nerve here or something ? Whats with personal insults ?

I have a problem with the equipment , if that offends some oversensitive fanboys then please ignore ! Im just trying to find a solution.

As posted , Im getting what amounts to a slightly better than DVD output from what should be a HD source. Thats it , Im not slagging anyones favourite console here .

The hard drive content plays fine , the disc content ( movies only ...games are fine ) does not , maybe its my tv misinterpreting the signal , maybe its the console , I'll try and get a look at another console to see ,but from what Im reading on Google , this is not unique to me !

I can find no mention in the manual about getting the TV to display what the incoming signal is , the PS3 is set to 1080p , its connected with HDMI , settings are pretty much the same as Funkyone's , etc .

Borrowing a console tomorrow , I'll post back if its any better.

I certainly didn't mean to insult anyone, its just that all your settings seem fine to me and I just couldn't believe the OP couldn't see the difference between SD TV or DVD and Blu Ray movies. Theres a massive difference!

notahappycamper

I said it before but I believe some transfers to Blu ray are better than others e.g. XMen 3 the last stand was quite grainy whereas "Training Day" looks excellent. Also, the origianl "Fifth Element" was re-mastered there recently with Sony in the US giving a free replacement of the new one.

I believe even "300" in Bluray appears quite "grainy" but this is the effect the Director used as can be seen if you saw it in the cinema.

notahappycamper

notahappycamper wrote:

I said it before but I believe some transfers to Blu ray are better than others e.g. XMen 3 the last stand was quite grainy whereas "Training Day" looks excellent. Also, the origianl "Fifth Element" was re-mastered there recently with Sony in the US giving a free replacement of the new one.

I believe even "300" in Bluray appears quite "grainy" but this is the effect the Director used as can be seen if you saw it in the cinema.

Just got 300 in the post this morning and it is very grainy, but apparently its meant to be that way. Still looks great though.

mathias

Damn , tis my console at fault ! Tried another and its absolutely fine , mine wont output 1080p properly while playing movies.

Back to the shop with it so !

Thanks for the help lads.

notahappycamper

Deleted User wrote:

Just got 300 in the post this morning and it is very grainy, but apparently its meant to be that way. Still looks great though.

Off topic but is "300" region free?

mathias

A few reviewers on Amazon say it is.

notahappycamper

notahappycamper wrote:

Off topic but is "300" region free?

Yes, its region free. I ordered it off amazon myself. It will work just fine on any EU PS3 or blu ray player.

funkyone

mathias wrote:

Damn , tis my console at fault ! Tried another and its absolutely fine , mine wont output 1080p properly while playing movies.

Back to the shop with it so !

Thanks for the help lads.

How did you get on in replacing the PS3,
I have changed to the settings that I picked up here and avforums and there is still not much of a differance with an upscaled dvd and blueray,
Im bringing it back to Virgin tomorrow for another.I have it only just over a week.
I went in to a Sony shop to check there set up and picture quality and mine doesnt come near theres and mine has alot more noise coming from it compared to there`s.

mathias

Got the console replaced an all is well now , they changed it no problem. Virgin , nice people ! Seems its a problem with the output switching on HDMI , they knew about it anyway !