World Cup 2018: Picture Processing Pt 2

With some of the more recent advancements in processing it's possible to experiment a little more

by hodg100
TV Article

2

World Cup 2018: Picture Processing Pt 2
In this tutorial we are going to look at the various sharpening and noise reduction tools that are added to the majority of modern TVs. Please note that not all TVs will have these features.
Edge Enhancement

The first settings we need to look at are those which add sharpening to the image. There are a number of different names such as Edge Enhancer, Detail Enhancer, Reality Creation, Resolution+, Super Resolution and similar.

As you can see all these names seem to suggest that they will enhance detail or add resolution to the image which is never the case. All they generally do is add a false edge to images which can cover up the detail within the picture and falsely makes the image look sharper. However, as with all video processing, things have improved in terms of the power of the processor and, therefore, the quality they can produce. Plus, many people now have 4K UHD and HDR TVs so there may be instances where the better TVs - from the last 12- 24 months - can add a little to a 1080p signal but we'd advise to keep experimentation to the lower end of the scale for the individual settings.

Noise Reduction

These features are named MPEG Noise Reduction or Digital noise reduction. Not all TVs will have these controls.

When you watch TV you are more than likely watching a digitally compressed image. There are just too many bits of information to broadcast or even fit on a DVD or Blu-ray in the original files. So, they are compressed by throwing away elements that are not essential to the image, like a static background, thus you only need to refresh any pixels that are moving in front of it and, as a result, there is no need to keep them all.

However not all compression technology is the same or equal in quality, so you will get instances where there is blocking or fizzing seen in poor images and this is where the noise reduction features can come in handy. Remember that these features cause smoothing of the image so if needed, they should be used sparingly.

As we are talking about HD (1080p) broadcasts of the World Cup in these tutorials there is no need for these features if you have a 1080p TV and they can be left switched off. A possible exception to this rule, is with newer 10-bit Ultra HD panels where you may notice banding (blocky colour) in the skies above the stadia where some mild MPEG Noise reduction might smooth it out.



If you want to get stuck into the full PicturePerfect guide you can do so by visiting the pages here.

If you would like more details on professionally calibrating your TV or Projector you can read our guide here.

To share your thoughts on the above, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.

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