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Uneven Blacks

H

Helfeather

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 20, 2007
65
0
Er, does anyone know why my 2.4 Ghz Macbook Pro displays uneven black when watching video clips? Like, the black isn't uniformed, I see patches/squares/blocks of lighter black all over the place. But when I watched the video clip on my home PC or work PC, the black is completely uniformed and I see no lighter black patches/squares/blocks.

For example, here's a print screen I took of my laptop display playing a video clip:

black2mg8.jpg


However, when I play the EXACT same clip on my home PC (LCD) or my work PC (crappy display, like not even LCD), I don't see ANY patches/squares/block of lighter black that stand out.

Could anyone please help me w/ a solution? T_T
 
1319987654321 said:
I think thats normal , how about a black pic?
Click to expand...

Oh, for a black pic, it looks uniformly black, it's fine.

The problem is when watching video clips.

I'm at work right now, and that screenshot up there looks perfectly uniformed black to me, no blocks/patches/squares.
 
It probably is just the video and your work computer has different screen settings, or it's the windows media player renderer that's doing it...
 
Knolly said:
It probably is just the video and your work computer has different screen settings, or it's the windows media player renderer that's doing it...
Click to expand...

But that doesn't explain why the screenshot up their looks patchy/blocky/squarish on my Macbook Pro display and not on my work's display or home's display -_-;;

Er, is anyone on their Macbook Pro right now?

Does anyone seen uneven black on that screenshot up there? ex: blocks of lighter black
 
It has to do with the way that LCD screens display black. IIRC, in order to display back, those pixels in the display turn off. I think that its light leaking in from the other pixels around the lightless (black) area that causes black colors to be off-black and blotchy.

A new type of LCD is in the works that will solve the problem. I read it in Popular Science, but can't remember the details of how.

Edit: I just read the second part of OP's post and saw that one of their other monitors (LCD) didn't have the problem so I might be wrong about their specific problem.
 
Your problem is a likely a calibration problem. Compressed video cuts out color and detail where it can. Your MBP screen is calibrated in a way that shows the non-uniformity of compressed video.

The rest of the black in that windows is uniform. Suggesting the problem is inherent in the video itself, as it is in most compressed video. The fact that the screenshot includes the patches you see further suggests that the problem is inherent in the video and not the panel. It is most likely not a screen problem.

Hope that helps.

Experiment: Up the brightness on the other displays you have and see if you can see the squares.
 
suneohair said:
Your problem is a likely a calibration problem. Compressed video cuts out color and detail where it can. Your MBP screen is calibrated in a way that shows the non-uniformity of compressed video.

The rest of the black in that windows is uniform. Suggesting the problem is inherent in the video itself, as it is in most compressed video. The fact that the screenshot includes the patches you see further suggests that the problem is inherent in the video and not the panel. It is most likely not a screen problem.

Hope that helps.

Experiment: Up the brightness on the other displays you have and see if you can see the squares.
Click to expand...

That can actually be true.

When I play MKV files, the black is uniformed and transition between frames is smooth.

I think the file I am watching was originally saved as MKV (50% larger file size) and coverted to AVI.

However, is there an option to calibrate the display in a way so that it doesn't show the non-uniformity of compressed video?
 
I get that all the time on video that is any part of compressed. If it only happens in WMP then I would say its a rendering or video problem.
 
elcid said:
I get that all the time on video that is any part of compressed. If it only happens in WMP then I would say its a rendering or video problem.
Click to expand...

I tried the same clip on Media Player Classic as well.

Same result, the same frame had blocks of lighter black/blotches as well.
 
suneohair said:
Your problem is a likely a calibration problem. Compressed video cuts out color and detail where it can. Your MBP screen is calibrated in a way that shows the non-uniformity of compressed video.

The rest of the black in that windows is uniform. Suggesting the problem is inherent in the video itself, as it is in most compressed video. The fact that the screenshot includes the patches you see further suggests that the problem is inherent in the video and not the panel. It is most likely not a screen problem.

Hope that helps.

Experiment: Up the brightness on the other displays you have and see if you can see the squares.
Click to expand...

Hm, interesting.

I am on my PC right now and when I upped the brightness of my display (LCD) from 50 to 60-65 (the range being 1-100), and the contrast from 70 to 100, I can definitely see blotches of lighter black up in that screenshot I posted.

What does this mean?
 
Helfeather said:
Hm, interesting.

I am on my PC right now and when I upped the brightness of my display (LCD) from 50 to 60-65 (the range being 1-100), and the contrast from 70 to 100, I can definitely see blotches of lighter black up in that screenshot I posted.

What does this mean?
Click to expand...

This means:
1) your screens outside of your mbp were not correctly calibrated
2) older TN displays that suck
3) just very cheap

But trust me, this is normal for most xvid/divx/mpeg4 video, almost always visible in darker parts, now that you have a mbp with a decent screen you just notice those things harder, I can also see them perfectly on my dell 2407 wich is connected to my mbp, nothing to worry about.
 
I am a bit dumbfounded by posts on here sometimes.

Quick, look at the black border around the WMV player window. No black splotches there. Thats because that is part of the program and not some compressed video. Does that make sense?
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
I am a bit dumbfounded by posts on here sometimes.

Quick, look at the black border around the WMV player window. No black splotches there. Thats because that is part of the program and not some compressed video. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...

I agree!!! No worries. Don't you also notice those bog blotches when watching videos on youtube? I'm not talking just black. It's a compressed video. It's going to happen! Nothing wrong with your display.
 
Ah, I understand now.

I want to thank everyone for their great help and input on this issue.

Thanks!!! ^_^
 
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