DVD Demystified

412
How to Get the Best Picture
and Sound
Chapter 9
If possible, use component video connections. If this is not an option, an svideo
connection is better than a composite video connection. The improvement
from composite to s-video is much greater than the improvement from
s-video to component. For a significant improvement over component video,
use a progressive-scan player or DVD computer connected to a progressivescan
display.
The most important step is to adjust the television properly. Turn the
sharpness control on the TV all the way down. Video from DVD is much
clearer than from traditional analog sources. The TV’s sharpness feature
adds an artificial high-frequency boost. If the sharpness control is not
turned down, it exaggerates the high frequencies and causes distortion, just
as the treble control set too high for a CD causes it to sound harsh. This can
create a shimmering or ringing effect. The brightness control is usually set
too high as well. Many DVD players output video with a black-level setup of
0 IRE (Japanese standard) rather than 7.5 IRE (U.S. standard). On TVs that
are not adjusted properly, this can cause some blotchiness in dark scenes.
DVD video has exceptional color fidelity, so muddy or washed-out colors are
almost always a problem in the display, not in the DVD player or disc.
If you get audio hum or noisy video, it is probably caused by interference
or a ground loop. Interference can be reduced with an adequately shielded
cable. The shorter the cable, the better is the result. You may be able to isolate
the source of the interference by turning off all equipment except the
pieces you are testing. Try moving things farther apart. Try plugging them
into a different circuit. Wrap your entire house in tinfoil. Make sure all
equipment is plugged into the same outlet.
It may be hard to believe, but televisions are not necessarily adjusted
properly in the factory. Get your TV professionally calibrated, or calibrate it
yourself. A correctly calibrated TV is adjusted to proper color temperature,
visual convergence, and so on, resulting in accurate colors and skin tones,
straight lines, and a more accurate video reproduction than is generally
provided by a television when it comes out of the box. Organizations such as
the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) train technicians to calibrate televisions
using special equipment. They usually charge between $175 and
$600. Another option is to use Joe Kane’s Video Essentials DVD, based on
the Video Essentials laserdisc. The AVIA and The Ultimate DVD: Platinum
discs also provide instructions, test pictures, and other resources to calibrate
audio and video systems.