Bug? Images look different in photoshop

Question

Hi,
Am hoping somebody can help me as I must be doing something really stupid here. I'm currently evaluating various workflow products, and really like Lightroom but find that whenever I import an image into LR the tones, particular shadow tones, look way too dark. They look kinda posterised.
My monitor is color calibrated with a spyder. I am running Windows XP.
I've attached a link to an image to demonstrate. I took an sRGB JPEG and imported into LR. I then edited a copy in PS (exported as ProPhoto - converted in PS to Adobe 1988 colorspace), another copy is shown exported to Capture NX (also Adobe colorspace).
http://www.hamiltonconsulting.net/strange%20tones.jpg
if you look at the shadow tones in the folds of the jacket you can see a minor difference between PS and Capture NX but you can see a clear difference in LR. The shadows are way darker.
The image opens fine it every other application I have tried, including the free XP viewers. LR is doing something strange to the file but I cant work out what.
I first noticed the problem occuring in Beta 4.1 and am now getting the same issue in the new Lightroom demo ( I had hoped it was a bug that would have been fixed). I have been installing all sorts of evaluation software of late, so maybe something hasnt been cleaned out of my registry, or something is clashing.
So far, I've tried lots of different images (all with the same problem). Recreating an image database. Reinstalling LR (countless times).
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can try or do I need to reinstall my entire PC

Answer 1

Yeah dude, that totally makes sense.
"I notice blocking... that... really is a function of lighting..."
Is that some sort of new-age yet-unheard-of phenomenon? If so, please elaborate by all means.
The point is that the image looks like crap displayed in the 'Library' module of LR, but looks fine in any other program. Because no other program is content with sitting around and displaying to you a low quality JPEG preview of your, say, high quality 16-bit uncompressed TIFF image.
That's why there's no blocking in the image loaded up in Photoshop. Yet it's there in LR because LR doesn't bother to render the image 'on-the-fly' until you step into the 'Develop' module.
You don't believe me? Then be happy in your ignorance.
On another note, though, instead of jacking it up to 400% when it's clearly evident at 100%, try calibrating your monitor with a hardware profiler so dark parts of images don't become a muddy mess of blacks. Be forewarned though that it's a double-edged sword: on the one hand, after calibration, you suddenly begin to see details in shadows that you may never before have seen; on the other hand, JPEG artifacts & noise in dark portions of images (inherent to JPEG compression) also become as apparent. Hence, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and figure you just can't see the blocking due to your monitor.
Finally, on a LR-unrelated note, why don't you come back to these forums when you're ready to write posts free of cheap ignorant insults?