Poor DVD play/too dark

Is there any way I can make the screen brighter? DVDs are not a lot fun to watch anymore. Everything is too dark. Especially B and W documentaries. But regular movies as well.
The brightness is up all the way, and changing the display settings has not had any significant effect.
This dark screen stuff is a bit of a bummer...
Thank you for any assistance/advice you can provide.
Phil

(Jorge_Costinha) wrote:
 Back to encore 2.0, I just hit the button to create the DVD. Everything looks as I expected, except the fact that the movie is a little bit dark. I assume I lost quality with the compression?
Maybe, but probably not.
I'm with Mr. Simon, I think this is a color correction / grading issue, and not an Encore issue. You can't look at a video on a PC monitor and expect it to resemble in any way what you'll see off the computer -- very few PC monitors can show you the Rec.709 color space that HDTVs, DVDs, and BDs use. This is what production monitors are for -- letting you see the "truth" of the signal.
Without a production monitor in your workflow, you'll have to itterate. That is, make a DVD, take it to a DVD player / TV and watch it. If it's too dark, come back to the PC, correct it, make another DVD.... rinse and repeat until done.

Similar Messages

  • Movie in DVD is too dark. I need some advices on my steps, please.

    in PPro 2.0 i've create a movie with duration of 1h20 minutes. After i have finished i export->Movie using Microsoft DV AVI codec. I obtained a AVI file of 15Gb.
    In Encore 2.0, i imported this file and used as my timeline. I also wanted a cool motion background for my menus, with dynamic link i create a composition of 4m:30s with a motion background, is 4minutes and 30 seconds length because i wanted to match the MP3 i choosed to the menu.
    back to encore 2.0, i just hit the button to create the DVD. Everything looks as i expected, except the fact that the movie is a little bit dark. i assume i lost quality with the compression? i compared some scenes from the 15GB file(from PPro) and the dvd movie(from encore) and there's the diference. Encore put the movie a little bit darker.
    also another facts, i would like some advices. in AE7 when i was creating the motion background before i used Dynamic link with encore i tried a diferent approach, i try to render it to AVI file so i could import in encore. i was soo surprised that the avi file i got was 8Gb(yeah! eight gigabytes) for a 4m37s motion.. i render with default settings.
    question: what approuch you guys use? you use dynamic link and let encore handle everything? or you render to a AVI file using AF7 with settings other than default ones, if so, what settings/codecs?
    thanks in advance.
    Jorge

    (Jorge_Costinha) wrote:
     Back to encore 2.0, I just hit the button to create the DVD. Everything looks as I expected, except the fact that the movie is a little bit dark. I assume I lost quality with the compression?
    Maybe, but probably not.
    I'm with Mr. Simon, I think this is a color correction / grading issue, and not an Encore issue. You can't look at a video on a PC monitor and expect it to resemble in any way what you'll see off the computer -- very few PC monitors can show you the Rec.709 color space that HDTVs, DVDs, and BDs use. This is what production monitors are for -- letting you see the "truth" of the signal.
    Without a production monitor in your workflow, you'll have to itterate. That is, make a DVD, take it to a DVD player / TV and watch it. If it's too dark, come back to the PC, correct it, make another DVD.... rinse and repeat until done.

  • Key scenes on DVD appear too dark!

    I've recently finished a project in which many of the poorly lit but viewable scenes from a wedding appear way darker than on the Mac screen or the cam itself. Having read through the forums I now realise that the Imovie rendering/process to IDvd can lose 10-15% of the brightness (i think that was the quote?) Anyone got any ideas for a work around other than redoing it (or them) in Final Cut, which would be a nightmare! (Does everyone agree that ImovieHD's brightness effect is useless? Are there custom plugin's that are any better?)
    Found this quote below....from http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3189924&#3189924
    "This is a by-product of the way the compression works. There are other DVD authoring tools that I have read provide better results in poorly lit scenes but these will start at several hundred dollars."
    What are they? Is this really true?
    Thanks in advance.....
    Hob
    mini mac 2yrs old 512mb ram   Mac OS X (10.4)  

    The best thing you can do is hook at least an inexpensive TV to the output on your camera so you get an idea of how it looks on a TV while you edit. Depending on your monitor calibration, it is quite possible that an image is darker on your computer screen than on a TV. Of course the better the NTSC monitor (the TV), the more accurate everything will be. I don't know of any iMovie plug-ins, but when clients bring me reception video from say a Canon camera that has a 7 lux rating (very poor in low light), I apply a gamma "filter" in FC to make the scene appear brighter. Maybe there is some sort of gamma plug-in for iMovie?
    As far as better encoding software, I would look at Mpressionist, http://www.digigami.com/products.html. I hear it's the best. Others prefer BitVice, http://www.innobits.se/.
    And hardware encoders are coming down in price as well... within the range of us mere mortals: http://www.optibase.com/Content.aspx?id=79 which probably yields the best results.
    All that said, if you are looking for more professional results, you will need some sort of infrastructure to achieve them. What I mean by that is right now you don't know if the scenes are darker only on your computer monitor or if they are darker on an NTSC monitor. I can say that LCD camera screens tend to be far brighter than the "real" image recorded. And finally, the only way to be sure of anything is to use hardware scopes!
    Mike

  • DVD Player Plays Everything Too Dark...

    I've followed the Monitor Calibration settings, everything looks beautiful... except when I play a DVD the scenes are way too dark. I've set up a custom color preset for DVD Player, and this works beautifully but everytime I start up DVD player it reverts to the normal setting (Too Dark). How can I get DVD Player to use my color preset as the default setting. The Mac Mini is my media server only, so I don't want to have to fumble through the menu to change settings every time I watch a DVD. I've unchecked the 'Always Use Disc Settings" for Video Color and Video Zoom, but the problem persists. Anybody know how I can get my Custom Setting to become the default settings?

    Ok, it looks like the always use disc settings is to remember what settings you last used for that disc, so Ive rechecked that, so how do I get it to apply those settings automatically to the new discs I play as well.

  • My movies which were bought from iTunes play way too dark in iTunes.

    My movies play way too dark in iTunes.  This is only the case when I connect my Mac Mini to my TV through HDMI.  What's strange is that when the subtitles in the movies come up the picture goes to the correct brightness.  Normally, however it is different to see most of the scene when it is a night shot or a dark scene.  The brightness on the TV does not seem to affect it, I believe this is a software issue.  Are there any controls for picture quality that I am missing? 

    You device has limited capacity.
    If you have toooooooo many movies, that occupy toooooo much space, you will not be able to add any movies oor music without deleting something else.

  • Have Apple 5... Suddenly photos are coming out too dark and poor color....any ideas as to problem

    Camera taking poor pictures....too dark, flash goes off but picture quality poor.  Just started this recently

    Did you alrready try the general troubleshooting?
    Camera isn't functioning or has undesired image quality
    If the screen shows a closed lens or black image, force quit the Camera app.
    If you do not see the Camera app on the Home screen, try searching for it in Spotlight. If the camera does not show up in the search, check to make sure that Restrictions are not turned on by tappingSettings > General > Restrictions.
    Ensure the camera lens is clean and free from any obstructions. Use a microfiber polishing cloth to clean the lens.
    Cases can interfere with the camera and the flash. Try gently cleaning the lens with a clean dry cloth or removing the case if you see image or color-quality issues with photos.
    Try turning iPhone off and then back on.
    Tap to focus the camera on the subject. The image may pulse or briefly go in and out of focus as it adjusts.
    Try to remain steady while focusing:
    Still images: Remain steady while taking the picture. If you move too far in any direction, the camera automatically refocuses to the center.
    Note: If you take a picture with iPhone turned sideways, it is automatically saved in landscape orientation.
    Video: Adjust focus before you begin recording. You can also tap to readjust focus while recording. Exiting the Camera application while recording will stop recording and will save the video to the Camera Roll.
    Note: Video-recording features are not available on original iPhone or iPhone 3G.
    If your iPhone has a front and rear camera, try switching between them to verify if the issue persists on both.
    copied from Troubleshooting iPhone hardware

  • After exporting a slideshow in LR5 to USB or DVD playing quality is poor.  Any suggestions?

    After exporting a slideshow in LR 5 to USB or DVD playing quality is poor.  Any suggestions?

    It would be more helpful to understand your workflow and what type files you have made.
    Are you using audio from both cameras? Do the changes/problems correspond with the camera switch?
    Try this with a minute of the problem footage
    Export a QT reference file(export QT(not QT conversion)-uncheck make self-contained in the lower left)
    (a reference file is like a band-aid- do not use more than once).  Listen to it in QT- how does it sound?
    If you have a mix/audio problem here it is most likely related to what you are exporting from FC.
    If it sounds good:
    Create an AC3 and MPG2 of your minute test
    Create a DVD with a track of your 1 minute test.
    Build the dvd to a folder on your desktop.
    Open the Video_TS(from the build folder) in the Mac DVD player App. Whatever you see and hear in the app is exactly what will end up on the burned disc. This is the best way to QC the DVD before you burn it.

  • The Godfather DVD is way too dark

    I've tried changing monitor and calibrations settings but nothing helps much. It's just way too dark, I can barely make out faces and objects, especially during night scenes.
    Any suggestions?
    I have the 2001 DVD Collection.

    Have you also adjusted the settings in DVD Player? Go to Window/Video Color for the Brightness, Contrast, Color, and Tint controls.
    If your normal desktop looks fine, you should not have to change any monitor settings.

  • IMovie to iDVD--Video too dark, sound too loud--Help!

    I created three iMovie projects for my son's swim team, then made a DVD using iDVD. It was fine when viewed in iDVD's preview, but when burned to the DVD-R the video was too dark and the sound was way too loud. This is footage taken on a Sony digital camcorder (DCR-TRV11).
    I did the iDVD project by starting from scratch from within iDVD, then dragging the iMovie pieces and still images into the iDVD project. The iMovie pieces were prepared by using Share to make them into "full quality" .dv movies.
    When I play the finished DVD on my iMac, there are no unusual problems with the video or audio. It looks and sounds like it did when played from the digital camcirder. But when played on both of my standalone DVD players + TVs, the video is too dark and the audio is much too loud.
    Any idea why this is, and to fix it? I don't find a way to reduce the audio volume in iMovie. Maybe there is a workaround using the Relative Volume feature, but all my clips have a similar sound level. Any help will be appreciated.
    --Eric
    iMac G5   Mac OS X (10.4.3)  

    when burned to the DVD-R the video was too dark
    They is a VERY slight darkening during the MPG-2 compression process (see my pages Digital Video Color Bars Test at http://homepage.mac.com/profpixel/color_bars/colorbars.htm and iMovie HD and iDVD 5 Gray Patch Test at http://homepage.mac.com/profpixel/gray_patches/graypatches.htm )
    I suspect what you are seening is a major difference in brightness/contrast between your computer monitior and your TV set (and in fact you admit this: "When I play the finished DVD on my iMac, there are no unusual problems with the video or audio. It looks and sounds like it did when played from the digital camcirder. But when played on both of my standalone DVD players + TVs, the video is too dark and the audio is much too loud.") so you aren't seeing an iDVD problem.

  • Captures are too dark

    My Sony DCR-TRV460 camcorder bit the dust a few weeks ago, so I bought a used DCR-TRV103 to continue capturing from the tapes I recorded with the 460. The problem is, the captures are much darker when capturing them using the 103 than they were when capturing from the 460.
    The video looks fine on the camcorder's LCD screen, but is way too dark when viewed in FCE, and when clips are placed on the timeline next to clips that were captured from the 460, the difference in brightness is striking.
    Is there any way to compensate for this during the capture? There is no brightness or levels control during the capture process that I can find. Or am I stuck with manually adjusting and rendering these clips to match the other clips in the project?
    Thanks for your help

    Thanks. So far, I have not even shot any footage with the new camera. I am using it to capture from tapes made with the old camera. With the old camera (DCR-TRV460) captured clips look almost exactly the same in FCE as they do on the camera's LCD. With the new camera (DCR-TRV103) captured clips look a lot darker in FCE than they do on the camera's LCD.
    I just wish the Viewer and Canvas windows could be calibrated, so that they look closer to the final output medium (for me, a DVD played on a TV set). With laptops and LCD Macs, it's probably not possible to get it to look on screen like it will look on a TV, but I am still using a CRT Mac. The Viewer and Canvas windows are generally too dark compared to what the video will look like on a TV. It's hard for me to use filters, or do brightness or contrast or color correction, when what I see on screen is not an accurate prediction of what it will look like on a TV.

  • Portege R500-10J: Not possible to watch movies - display colors too dark

    Hi!
    I've recently bought a Portege R500-10J and have a pretty bad problem - I can't watch any movies here (DVD, or *.avi, or any others). Any media can't be seen on the display. Its too dark and some colors are reflected.
    I have no problems with any office applications, or internet browsing, colors are great for 12.1 inch display, but using any media applications is nearly impossible.
    Changing any settings doesn't help. Colors are extremely poor. I didn't install anything but that came with the notebook first.
    Anyone knows - is this a hardware problem (videocard), or software (codecs, drivers, smth else), or it is a normal condition?
    Hope it can be fixed. This notebook supposed to be used for watching films while travelling...

    To be honest it is not easy to understand your problem. I presume you will use battery power supply while traveling. In this case power saver tool will probably switch to power saver mode. In this case the display brightness will be set to lower level.
    You can set it to highest level using FN+F7 key combination. Be also sure the display is in the right direction (90 degrees to your eyes).

  • Video too dark on batch capture

    I have a Canopus ACVC110 converter for importing analog video sources that's hooked into one of my firewire ports. When I go to log and caputure my DVD player menu (ie. the one that says "JVC") looks fine in the preview window. However, once I play the DVD, the video looks too dark. What can I adjust so that the video I'm importing doesn't get captured at such a low video level? Thanks.

    There is a good chance the DVD you are copying has some form of macrovision copyright protection. This would explain why the DVD appears really dark when you try to capture it using the ACVC110.
    Some Canopus converters have undocumented ways to bypass macrovision, but your model doesn't offer that.
    If you are legally copying a DVD, you may have to use another method, like routing it through a Time Base Corrector which will regenerate the video stream or transfering it digitally using a program like mpeg streamclip.
    -Alexi

  • Mplayer too dark, Equalizer(Contrast,Brightness,Hue,Saturation)

    Playing videos on mplayer were too dark!
    and Equalizer -> Video (Contrast,Brightness,Hue,Saturation) controls were unavailable/not working!
    After some research, I found a solution, for both problems.
    Using information on this URL http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html
    Open a Filemanager as root, and go to /etc/mplayer and create a file called mplayer.conf, and paste this code inside.
    # Write your default config options here!
    # eq[=brightness:contrast] (OBSOLETE)
    # default:0:0
    # eq2[=gamma:contrast:brightness:saturation:rg:gg:bg:weight]
    # default:1.0:1.0:0.0:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0
    # hue[=hue:saturation]
    # default:0.0:1.0
    vf=hue=0.0:1.0,eq2=1.0:1.0:0.1:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0
    Remember to leave 3 empty lines at the end of the code, before saving.
    Notice I changed the 3rd default value in eq2 from 0.0 to 0.1, this will appear as 10 in the equalizer.
    This 10% increase in brightness gave me a brightness, similar to watching the same video in VLC.
    Well I hope it helps someone else having the same issue. :-)

    since front row just hijacks dvd player and such you should be able to change it in dvd player's preferances. are the tv shows from the itunes music store?

  • MacBook Pro to TV, Video Output Too Dark

    Hi,
    I have an 2010 model 15" MacBook Pro i5.
    I got this video converter for Christmas:
    http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-VGA2TV-Computer-Presentation-Converter/dp/B000X3 FAJU/ref=sr14?ie=UTF8&qid=1295210644&sr=8-4
    Using this in conjunction with an Apple Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter and a standard RCA video cable, I am able to connect my MacBook to my TV so I can stream video from sites like Hulu.
    My TV is a Sanyo flat screen CRT that's, probably, 6-7 years old (exact model probably isn't important).
    I have no issues with the quality of the video output I'm getting (i.e. resolution, color). The issue I'm having is that the video is too dark. The video looks great on my MacBook screen, but the TV display is too dark. I have tried playing with the settings on the TV and on the converter (through which I can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, and sharpness) and I can't, for the life of me, get the output to my TV brightened up to an acceptable level.
    I have tried to use the display calibration tool in the Mac's display preferences and that didn't seem to help (I'll admit that I don't think I'm doing it correctly).
    Can anyone suggest some steps that I might try in order to improve my video output?
    Thanks.

    No Answer, but related problem...please see my original post: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2773439&stqc=true

  • Images too dark on Samsung monitor - please help!

    We've just upgraded a Samsung 21" monitor to a Samsung 30" (305T).
    In just TWO applications, Photoshop CS3 and Windows Photo Gallery (Vista64), all photographic images are much too dark. Not subtly, about 3-4 f-stops too dark.
    EVERY other of our applications INCLUDING ADOBE BRIDGE AND FIREWORKS, and even Photoshop itself during Save to Web, displays the photos as they should appear.
    I've tried setting various profiles in Windows Color Management as the default, including the ICC profile sRGB IEC61966-2.1 (which my reading says we should be using), as well as WCS profiles sRGB virtual and scRGB virtual, and tried using no profile at all. None of these changes makes any apparent difference at all to the images we're seeing.
    In Photoshop, I've tried various options too. If set to Monitor Color (Monitor RGB - * wscRGB) Photoshop then displays images as it should. However the Camera Raw display when loading Nikon images is still much too dark, and the Photoshop Save to Web images are much too light. Arrrgh!
    The monitor does not include any driver software, just electronic documentation (poorly edited) which offers no advice about this. I've seen references to various Gamma utilities, but not sure that's what I need. Is it?
    Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated!
    TIA

    Thanks Peter & Sid. I appreciate the advice, but it doesn't match our experience over 12 years of designing web applications so I'm having trouble understanding what's different, can I ask for any more advice you might have?
    If we calibrate the monitor using the recommended tools, will Photoshop images look 2-3 f-stops brighter (i.e. as they should look) and will images in all other apps (which look fine now, have always looked fine) look 2-3 f-stops too bright? Or would we be changing JUST the way Photoshop sees the images?
    Through probably a dozen different previous CRT and LCD monitors, we've never calibrated anything. Even on our immediately-previous Samsung 213T monitor, images appear pretty much the same in Photoshop as they do in all other places. That includes published web sites viewed with several popular browsers and viewed on literally hundreds of different systems inside and outside of our office.
    The previous monitor was being used with exactly the same software and hardware as the new one. The only thing that's changed is the monitor.
    Peter asks about brightness or white point luminance. I haven't used any tool to determine that. The monitor is set to 50% brightness, for whatever that's worth, but I can tell you that it is substantially BRIGHTER on white than the previous monitor. The previous Samsung monitor is being run side-by-side with the new one, and it looks quite dull and yellow beside the new one (and we thought it was a great monitor!) The new 30" Samsung has MUCH whiter whites. Does that help even a little?
    Thanks for any further advice.

Maybe you are looking for