Understanding the video controls

This article explains the operation of the video controls on your TV and will help both novices and experts achieve a better television picture. Many people try to adjust the controls without a good understanding of what they actually do, but knowing how they work can make it significantly easier to fine tune your television image to your liking. This article will focus on the five basic controls you'll find on every TV. It will also discuss color temperature, which is a control not found on every TV, but one which can also impact your picture.

There are five basic picture controls on every color TV. Many people are familiar with them but these could be new to you. Some TVs have even more advanced controls but in most cases, it is not essential to adjust these for a good image. The basic controls are:

• Contrast (picture)
• Brightness (black level)
• Sharpness (detail)
• Color (saturation)
• Tint (hue)

Many television hold separate video settings for each input, since people tend to view different sources in different conditions. This way, you can make your adjustments in the conditions that you watch a particular source. For example, if you view DVDs in the nighttime, but cable television during the day, you can adjust each input separately for these conditions without messing up any of your other adjustments. Proper adjustment in their given lighting conditions will help you achieve the best image possible for your different sources. If your does not have a memory for each input, but instead uses one global setting for all of them, you'll need to find a "happy-medium" to accommodate all viewing situations.

To access the video adjustment controls you'll likely need to enter the TV's setup menu, but on older displays, you'll find knobs usually on the front of the television. If in a menu, locate the section for video adjustment. You'll need to have a basic knowledge of navigating and manipulating selections within your TV's menu.

It is a good idea to write down the initial values of each control before you begin adjustment. That way, if you want to go back to the way it was, you'll know exactly where everything was when you started.

Contrast (Picture)

This control is responsible for adjusting the intensity of the color white on your television. The default setting in most televisions is at its maximum value. The default settings in televisions are for showroom use, where the harsh lighting conditions can make televisions look dim if set too low. This makes the image substantially brighter than it really should be for home viewing conditions.

The impact of the contrast control is profound in most TVs. Owners of Plasma, tube, or CRT rear/front-projection TVs should pay special attention to this control. If you've ever heard the term "burn-in" or "premature phosphor wear", this control makes a significant impact as to the rate of which this occurs. In phosphor-based televisions such as these, increasing the intensity of white causes phosphor wear at an accelerated rate. By adjusting contrast to a modest setting, you'll significantly decrease the rate at which the phosphor wears. This, in turn, will keep your television image looking better over the televisions life span.

If you are an owner of a DLP, LCD, D-ILA, or LcOS television, you are essentially immune to phosphor wear, since your TV does not use phosphor. However, a contrast setting too high can cause a loss of detail in bright scenes, and make nighttime viewing uncomfortable on the eyes.

To adjust contrast without the use of test patterns, look for program material that contains a very bright scene with lots of white. Try to find a scene in the winter, or with a very bright light. Some recommendations are Ice Age, and chapter 18 of Star Wars Episode II. If at all possible, locate a DVD with the THX optimizer feature.

When you have selected your material, begin with the contrast very low. Slowly increase the value until the whites have turned from a muted gray to nice white color, without having to crank the control to its maximum setting. Without test patterns, you have to take your best guess. You can always readjust later if necessary.

Brightness (Black level)

Brightness is, by far, the most confusing control on a television. However, it is also one of the most important. 90 out of 100 people will say that this control probably affects the overall light output of the TV. Although it is true that light output will be affected, it's not exactly what the control does.

This control affects the black level of the TV, or the intensity of the color black. This control will have the greatest impact on the picture quality of a television. When set too high, things in the picture that are supposed to be black will become gray, when set too low dark details in the picture will not be visible. The black level of the image is the main factor to how deep, life-like, and three-dimensional an image will look. If you've been watching your TV with a setting that's too high, adjusting this control might make you feel like you just bought a new TV.

Brightness is one of the most difficult controls to set properly. The type of television you own has it's own black level characteristics. If you own anything other than a CRT rear/front-projection TV or a tube, it is unlikely you'll be able to achieve a truly rich black. However, to get the most out of what you have, it's important to have this control in the right spot.

My advice is to use your best judgment on something that you know is supposed to be black. The letterbox bars of a widescreen movie are perfect for this. Turn the brightness all the way up. Focus on the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. At the maximum setting for brightness the color of the black bars should be a washed out gray. Slowly reduce the brightness level, and stop when the bars appear black. If you reach a point where the black level is not decreasing the further down you go, move the slider to the last position that had a noticeable change.

Examine the image. If the screen appears washed or noticeably bad, then decrease brightness more. If dark details in dark scenes appear hard to see and too dark, slowly increase brightness to the desired setting.

NOTE: Contrast and brightness affect each other. If one is adjusted, you may need to slightly adjust the other to compensate.