From Game of Thrones to The Mandalorian, TV shows are darker than ever,
and we don�t mean they have edgy scripts. If you�re trying to watch the
latest shows but can�t make out anything, we have a few bright ideas.

Why Are Some TV Shows and Movies So Dark Now?
The topic of why some shows and movies have scenes of such utter
darkness in them is a complicated one. The most direct answer is that
camera and display technology has improved so much, that it now allows
for these extremely dark scenes to be captured and reproduced.

Since creators have been given these tools, they�re using them with
artistic intent. Where before scenes would be lit using bright studio
lighting on a sound stage or even on location, now they can just dial
up the sensitivity to incredible levels without worrying about grainy
noise ruining the shot.

On the display side of things, HDR (High Dynamic Range) televisions are
now common, and these displays push the upper and lower limits of
brightness and darkness way beyond what�s been possible before. The old
dynamic range is now known as SDR or Standard Dynamic Range.

This technology is also commonplace in cinemas, and in the case of
movies in particular, they are shot, lit, and color-graded for these
new cinema projectors. On the TV side of things, most creators are
probably a little more conservative, but a few, especially in prestige
television circles, are pushing things to the allowable limit without
concern about the average person�s viewing setup.

So they do it because they can and because the technology is there to
allow for us to enjoy it, but if you�re still left in the dark by this
new frontier in filmmaking, there are a few things you can do to
lighten the situation.

Enable HDR
If you have an HDR TV and you�re watching a film made with HDR in mind,
it�s important to make sure HDR is actually active. This means checking
that it�s enabled on your TV and any connected device like an Apple TV
or Amazon Fire Stick.

It�s also worth checking that your HDMI cable is certified for HDR,
since some older HDMI cable standards may not carry HDR signals,
especially not at 4K.

RELATED: HDR Formats Compared: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, and
Technicolor

Calibrate Your TV
To get the best out of your TV, it�s essential that you calibrate it.
While some degree of calibration can be done in the factory, to get it
right, it has to be done in the conditions where the TV will actually
be used.

To properly calibrate your TV, you�ll need some special tools, but
usually, your local TV installer will be happy to perform a calibration
for you for a small fee.

If you have a recent iPhone and Apple TV, you can use the iPhone�s
camera to calibrate the picture output for your Apple TV. This doesn�t
calibrate the TV as a whole, but it can make a big difference to the
shows or movies you�re watching on your Apple TV.

Adjust Contrast, Brightness, Gamma, and Backlighting
Your TV has settings that can improve image reproduction in dark
scenes. Pause on the scene that�s too dark for you to make out any
details, and try adjusting the contrast, brightness, gamma, or
backlight settings.

Each of these has its own pros and cons, but adjusting each one a
little can tease out details from dark scenes you might otherwise miss.
How well these settings work depends entirely on the TV model you�re
using, so don�t be afraid to experiment, writing down the original
settings first in case you decide to reset.

RELATED: What Is Contrast Ratio?

Disable Power Saving
If your TV has any power-saving features active, turn them all off to
see if his helps. Power saving modes don�t just reduce brightness, they
may also reduce the panel�s performance in other areas, as well as the
amount of post-processing that�s done to optimize the image.

Enable Dynamic Contrast
If you don�t want to mess around with multiple image setting sliders,
one quick potential fix is to enable the dynamic contrast feature if
your TV has it. This automatically adjust the contrast level of your TV
based on the current scene. So it will compensate for dark scenes
without blowing out brighter scenes as would happen with a fixed
setting.

Alternatively, if this feature was already on, it may be a poor
implementation of it. So try turning it off and cranking up the
contrast manually instead.

RELATED: Which Streaming Service Has the Best Video Quality?

Change Picture Mode
Most modern TVs have several �picture modes� which are just
combinations of settings tuned for specific kinds of content. For
example, you may have ones for movies, sports, games, and so on. Try
flipping between these picture modes to see if they are good for
elevating detail in dark scenes. Don�t worry about what they�re labeled
as, just try them all and find the one that looks the best to your
eyes.

Reduce Ambient Light
The most common reason your TV may be struggling to show you detail in
dark scenes is that it�s competing with other bright light sources or
with screen glare. Your eyes adjust for the bright lights, and then
can�t see the dark detail on screen as it�s drowned out.

So draw the curtains, turn off the lights, or move lights that are
causing screen glare to better positions. If your TV doesn�t have
particularly high peak brightness specs, it will benefit greatly from
replicating the dark interior of a theater.

Use a Better Quality Source (Or Turn the Quality Up)
Not all sources of video contain the same amount of detail. Highly-
compressed video or video with a low bitrate, color depth, or otherwise
deprived video data stream will �crush� dark details together into an
unsightly mush. Here are some ways to combat this:

� If you�re streaming video, try manually turning up the quality
setting to maximum.

� Try watching on a faster network or internet connection to maximize
stream bitrate.

� Make sure your source device (e.g. Apple TV or Android TV) is set to
the highest color bit depth and image quality standard your TV will
accept.

� Download the streaming episode at its max quality and watch it
offline.

� Buy the digital download of the episode and download it at its
highest quality.

� Purchase the DVD or Blu-ray version of the movie or show and watch
that.

The principle of �garbage in, garbage out� applies here, and your TV
can only do so much with a low-quality video source.

--
Let's go Brandon!

> Ubiquitous

Can we get a link to the article?

> From Game of Thrones to The Mandalorian, TV shows are darker than ever,
> and we don’t mean they have edgy scripts. If you’re trying to watch the
> latest shows but can’t make out anything, we have a few bright ideas.

HBO's "House Of The Dragon" was very dim and dark throughout the series
and they seemed to have gone out of their way to remove any color from
the sets and costumes.

This is because of Hollywood's lack of historical knowledge and the belief
that in oldy timey days, everybody wore muddy rags and black leather.

https://i.postimg.cc/xjBwxgSm/1674588457228061.jpg

> Calibrate Your TV
> Adjust Contrast, Brightness, Gamma, and Backlighting
> Disable Power Saving
> Enable Dynamic Contrast
> Change Picture Mode
> Reduce Ambient Light
> Use a Better Quality Source (Or Turn the Quality Up)

Or how about; "fuck you, film it properly"?

edstasiak1067@gmail.com wrote:
> Ubiquitous

>Can we get a link to the article?

The link was in the proper headers, as per Internet standards, but here it is again:

https://www.howtogeek.com/879567/why-shows-are-too-dark-on-your-tv-and-ways-to-fix-it/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

--
Let's go Brandon!