• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

How come my 4k HDR tv never looks as good as the demos shown on the floor of Best Buy?

TheGhost

TheGhost

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,137
Long Island
So I have the Samsing Ks8000
You know the one, we had a big thread about it down the block.

Anyway, awhile back I was tinkering with some "official" settings you get off one of those fancy digital theater forums and I was left utterly..... dissatisfied with the picture.

It just didn't pop like the show demo.
So I go into the demo picture built into the TV and of course I'm immediately floored. Crisp, sharp, the colors are popping ...the picture looks absolutely unreal.

So how do I get that quality of picture at all times? Could that only be achieved with 4K HDR discs?

Calibrate me if old

Edit: fuck me the Mueller report dropped, this thread is going to die isn't it.
 
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,806
TVs on display are set up to be with inaccurate torch mode to catch your attention. That's not how they should look when you calibrate it properly.
 
NSA

NSA

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,892
You will be limited by what kind of content you feed into it. 4K UHD disks will be your best bet.. but even those depend on the film and how they're mastered.

There is some really good 4K content on YouTube, use the built in app or a console to stream it.. it's jawdropping (I had a JS9500 for a while).

Edit: Also what Darknight said.. the "POP" is usually not how movies are meant to be seen. But sometimes it does look more attractive, but the colors are all over the place.
 
MrKlaw

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
Plus they're usually running slow motion panning/spinning shots of high contrast brightly coloured things - shot to look good in demos - bright flowers, sunny locations etc
 
Ushojax

Ushojax

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,927
If you want to get something that burns your retinas then all you have to do is crank the contrast and backlight up. Those demo modes are for display under fluorescent store lights, a natural picture wouldn't look impressive in those conditions.
 
OP
OP
TheGhost

TheGhost

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,137
Long Island
NSA said:
You will be limited by what kind of content you feed into it. 4K UHD disks will be your best bet.. but even those depend on the film and how they're mastered.

There is some really good 4K content on YouTube, use the built in app or a console to stream it.. it's jawdropping (I had a JS9500 for a while).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
What about regular cable TV, like a football or basketball game I have to sit really far away or the screen looks like shit sometimes. (Like if you happen to pass right in front of the TV and pixels are blotchy almost)
 
GrizzleBoy

GrizzleBoy

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,762
Because almost nothing you will ever watch on your TV will be the purpose made, locally fed, high bitrate media they play on those TVs in store.
 
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,806
TheGhost said:
What about regular cable TV, like a football or basketball game I have to sit really far away or the screen looks like shit sometimes. (Like if you happen to pass right in front of the TV and pixels are blotchy almost)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Cable TV is 720p and 1080i being upscaled by your TV to 4K. It's not a native 4K source and it won't have HDR.
 
Tetsujin

Tetsujin

Unshakable Resolve
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
3,464
Germany
I downloaded a few 4K HDR demos recently and they look way more eye-popping than the 4K movies I own. But that's the thing - they're demos, so they're intentionally over the top to really show off crazy visuals. Most content will not be mastered to look like that because it's supposed to look more natural.
 
NSA

NSA

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,892
TheGhost said:
What about regular cable TV, like a football or basketball game I have to sit really far away or the screen looks like shit sometimes. (Like if you happen to pass right in front of the TV and pixels are blotchy almost)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah cable is not good for the most part.. some providers and even channels are better than others, but I'd never judge my tv based on those sources.
 
Multiverse Moo

Multiverse Moo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,426
Silicon Valley
Netflix, Amazon Prime, VUDU, etc. have 4K HDR streaming on several shows and even movies. Regular cable won't do much, unless you enable the "HDR+" or whatever that extrapolates color from SDR to do fake HDR. These can make the images appear a bit weird compared to the intended color grading / contrast levels, but it'll pop if that's what you want.

Another source of some good HDR will be games like inFamous Second Son, Gran Turismo Sport, Forza Horizon 4, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and so on.
 
TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,411
Tulsa, Oklahoma
4K HDR/Dolby Vision Demos are meant to show off over the top visuals. Most movies don't do that because they are meant to look more natural.
 

Deleted member 42

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 24, 2017
16,939
crank up the brightness
crank up the saturation
crank up the sharpness
bop it
twist it
bop it
pull it
pull it
pull it
 
eraFROMAN

eraFROMAN

One Winged Slayer
Member
Mar 12, 2019
2,877
Floor units are unnaturally bright and saturated, your more muted colors and warmer image is what it should look like. Unless you want to burn your eyes out.
 
Brandson

Brandson

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,219
Most recent movies, while recorded in 4K, get their digital effects added in 2K, so they lose resolution. The final image is then upscaled back to 4K for mastering. So the 4K version often doesn't have much more detail than the 2K version. There should still be some benefit to the HDR of the 4K version though.

It's hard to know what movies didn't go through this process and which did, unless you consult a review site like blu-ray.com. The box won't have that information.

The best 4K HDR content I've seen so far has been on Amazon Prime Video (The Grand Tour and the Jack Ryan tv series). Watching in 4K HDR is totally different from 2K SDR in those cases.

So the demo content in store is usually true 4K, but most 4K content you can buy isn't actually 4K. The industry is shooting themselves in a foot with this, but that's the way it is.
 
bunbun777

bunbun777

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,798
Nw
You're going to have to recreate the effect by installing to scale a series of lights overhead. This will allow for you to use the store's config and enjoy those poppin displays.
 
Droidian

Droidian

One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Dec 28, 2017
2,391
Funny you brought this up since I was JUST thinking about it yesterday.
I'm sure they have preset files to look amazing while whatever you watch won't look the same.
 
Roge_NES

Roge_NES

Member
Feb 18, 2018
672
Keep in mind that most Calibration settings online are done with the intention of watching your TV with the room lights turned off.

If you mostly watch TV with the lights on or windows open then it's recommended to increase the brightness to your liking.
 
StrangerDanger

StrangerDanger

Member
Jul 18, 2018
5,855
Besides simple adjusts to brightness, saturation, contrast etc..

You have to realize manufacturers also create content that will utilize their tv set to their optimal choices.
 
Master Of Illusion

Master Of Illusion

Alt Account
Banned
Mar 18, 2019
856
Cable will look awful across the board. No big box store would use that to demo.

They use native lossless files and crank the contrast and brightness up to hell and back to counter with the store/warehouse lighting on top of having motionflow at maximum. Nobody in their right mind should be using those settings at home.
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,274
Does your TV have a lightsensor that adjusts the brightness depending on your environment? When I turn it off on my Sony TV the colors and lights suddenly really pop, it's like day and night. However it is kind of hard on the eyes and eats more electricity.
 
Afrikan

Afrikan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
16,970
UHD BluRay
15mb+ Internet to strean 4K HDR/Vision shows, movies, documentaries, user content and live events.

Highest Netflix sub
Amazon Prime
Youtube on a device that supports Youtube HDR. Certain TVs with their built in app that supports it, or Chromecast Ultra, MiBox and others.

Fubotv streaming service (has the most 4K HDR Live sports events)

DirectTv has 4K HDR live events but only a few channels...but at least you can record them
DishTv has 4K HDR option as well.
 
Joule

Joule

Member
Nov 19, 2017
4,232
just turn dynamic or vivd mode on your TV's picture mode settings and change the color tone to cool. Get the most pop out of your television
 
andymcc

andymcc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,272
Columbus, OH
you need to go to your settings and make sure that 4:3 media is set to 16:9 and also ensure that "Motion Smoothing" is enabled for the maximum cinephile experience.
 
dallow_bg

dallow_bg

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,628
texas
Just play the same demos at home.
They're tailor made to show off colors and HDR.

Commercial content isn't like that usually.
 

Deleted member 6949

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,786
TVs only look good in Best Buy because the high quality TVs are always surrounded by low quality TVs that make them look better by comparison.
 
FinKL

FinKL

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,949
Have you downloaded the same source material that the retail stores used? I loaded up on them, put them on a USB drive and loaded them up and I'm amazed how good it looks.
 
Dark Ninja

Dark Ninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,070
Um op sounds like you just need 4K content. Get on VUDU and buy some ultra hd movies. The Avengers 4K they have on there is one of the best I've seen so far.
 
Doctoglethorpe

Doctoglethorpe

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,214
Demo mode is not calibrated it's just set to COLOR EXPLOSION WOOOOW.

You can basically replicate it by just maxing our all the dumb little settings like contrast enhancer and pure whites. Max brightness. Motion smoothing. Etc. But your right it's gonna look unreal, literally, and that's why good calibration doesn't look like that, cause it's trying to look realistic, not acid trip exaggerated.
 
ty_hot

ty_hot

Banned
Dec 14, 2017
7,176
I'm not sure how serious this thread is, started well but then we found out he is complaining about cable TV image quality.

Get 4k stuff with hdr first.
 
Haloid1177

Haloid1177

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,533
TVs in store almost always are over saturated to catch your eye. My OLED looks light years better than the store model if you calibrate your picture modes properly.
 
Deleted member 21339

Deleted member 21339

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
13,691
TheGhost said:
So I have the Samsing Ks8000
You know the one, we had a big thread about it down the block.

Anyway, awhile back I was tinkering with some "official" settings you get off one of those fancy digital theater forums and I was left utterly..... dissatisfied with the picture.

It just didn't pop like the show demo.
So I go into the demo picture built into the TV and of course I'm immediately floored. Crisp, sharp, the colors are popping ...the picture looks absolutely unreal.

So how do I get that quality of picture at all times? Could that only be achieved with 4K HDR discs?

Calibrate me if old

Edit: fuck me the Mueller report dropped, this thread is going to die isn't it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Sounds like you have a misguided notion of what 4K HDR is supposed to look like.
 
Stinkles

Stinkles

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,459
There's a setting in your deep tv controls that will set it to Store Demo mode. Up to you what it looks like so go nuts. It's a subjective thing. However if you're gaming on it there may be latency or lag implications from image processing so watch out for that.
 
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,806
whitehawk said:
For certain setups that LG for example setup, yes.

But most of the TVs share the same split source and the bitrate is never good. Sometimes the resolution doesn't even match the TV.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
For the major brands, they are high bitrate videos supplied by the manufacturer. Sony, Samsung, LG....
 
GravisMors

GravisMors

Member
Oct 29, 2017
403
whitehawk said:
For certain setups that LG for example setup, yes.

But most of the TVs share the same split source and the bitrate is never good. Sometimes the resolution doesn't even match the TV.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That's why there is a noticeable difference between the sets running the high bitrate demo files vs the ones that use the single split source from a cable feed. Worked at PC richard for 5 years setting up all those displays and most of the manufacturer units ran a standalone kiosk with a controller unit that would run off flash media or would be a bluray disc sent to be run along with a specific model of TV.

I used to keep all those demo discs to show off HD and 3D stuff when that was around.
 
mm04

mm04

Member
Oct 27, 2017
584
I knew I had to switch to streaming once I watched FIOS TV on my OLED. It looked absolutely gross and completely unacceptable for what I was paying for my cable bill. The same networks/shows on YouTube TV looks so much better in comparison because of less compression on both of my UHD TVs. Your picture quality is only as good as your source material, whether it be better quality streaming content or UHD or even standard Blu-ray discs/files.
 
DSP

DSP

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,120
watch Aquaman, the movie is made like those store demos. It's a quite ridiculous looking movie at times with a lot of very bright and contrasty scenes and it often has the entire rainbow colors on display and looking as fake and overstated as those demos. As a bonus, it's a decent movie too.

Mortal Engines is another recent movie that looks really good in UHD unfortunately the movie is god awful but it sure is good for showing off a TV.
 
WhiteRabbitEXE

WhiteRabbitEXE

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,588
Arizona
It's basically all been covered here already, but yeah, to sum it up:

1) Store demo settings have contrast, brightness, saturation, etc. cranked to ridiculous levels. Part of this is due to the conditions of the stores themselves being unideal for proper settings, but realistically there is no circumstance where those settings represent how the media you consume is intended to be seen (outside of the demo loops themselves). It's for maximum eye-catching on a wall of 40 displays in major retailer, not faithful reproductions of proper viewing conditions.

2) The demo videos you see are extremely high quality and purpose-built for those extremely exaggerated display settings. Most media you watch isn't generally going to be extreme close-ups of vibrantly colored flowers with over-done lighting and extremely high contrast. Not everything will "pop", and not everything is supposed to "pop" like those shots. Those are extremes in every way.

3) If you're watching something like cable, nothings going to make that pop. It's almost exclusively 720p or "1080i", is extremely compressed, and isn't going to be HDR. It's gonna look basically identical on any 1080p or 720p screen of comparable size and display quality, outside of whatever upscaling that's going on (which generally isn't going to be very impressive). You'll want to consume 4K (or at least >1080p)/HDR media to actually take advantage of your TV. X1X/PS4Pro enhanced games, 4K UHD discs, or 4K streaming media on Amazon/YouTube/Netflix/etc..

(note that streaming will inherently be fairly compressed, and generally 4K streaming is closer to 1080p Blu in terms of net image quality, but you have the benefit of HDR if you're looking at the right content, and it will still be much better than 1080p streaming.)

Check out stuff like Planet Earth II with properly calibrated settings on 4K UHD if you really want to be blown away at home. There are also plenty of movies that are really going to put your display to work. Try hanging around the 4K UHD thread, or movie/video-oriented websites/communities (like Bluray.com) to get recommendations for particularly impressive films/transfers.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.