FantastikaHDHD without myths: how picture quality on a screen really works

An independent reference about picture quality on screens. It does not show or distribute films, does not sell equipment and is not related to the former site on this domain.

Fix the picture

Troubleshooting

Usually the picture isn't ruined by a breakdown but by one bad setting somewhere in a long chain: source, cable, screen, room. Here are the most common complaints and the order in which to look for the cause before you blame the hardware.

Before blaming the screen, think about what changed yesterday: a cable, an update, or someone at home got into the menu.

— Editor's note

How this section works: we describe symptoms and likely causes in general terms. If the image disappears completely, bands are visible even on a still image, or the screen behaves strangely in its own menu, it may be a hardware fault, and it's best to contact the manufacturer's service center.

If something goes wrong

The picture is soft and details are blurry.

Check what resolution the signal is arriving in: the source may be sending less than the screen can show, so the screen stretches the image. The second common cause is heavy compression of low-bitrate content. Finally, look at noise reduction: at a high level it wipes out fine detail along with the noise.

The image is too dark.

See whether an energy-saving mode or a light sensor that dims the screen is turned on. If only HDR content has gotten dark, check brightness in HDR mode separately: it often has its own settings. And don't forget glare: a bright room visually "eats" the shadows.

There are bands in the sky and on walls.

That's banding: a smooth transition broken into visible steps. It's caused by heavy compression or by color being carried with fewer shades than needed. Sometimes it helps to turn off artificial contrast boosting and check the color settings on the source.

Motion stutters.

Stutter happens when the content's frame rate and the screen's refresh rate don't line up well, so some frames stay on screen longer than others. Look for a source setting that matches the output frame rate to the content. If the stutter appeared with motion smoothing on, try turning it off.

The colors look wrong.

Orange faces and neon-green grass? Most likely the "Vivid" mode is on or saturation has been raised. If the picture looks washed out and gray instead, the source and the screen may not have agreed on the color range: check that setting in both menus.

There are black bars around the edges.

Most often this isn't a fault: the movie frame is wider or narrower than the screen, and the empty space is filled with black. You can stretch the frame, but then proportions get distorted or the edges are cropped. If there are bars on all sides, check the zoom or scaling mode on the source and on the screen.

If the picture got worse after an update or a cable change

  1. Recall what changed

    A firmware update, a new cable, a different port, a new set-top box: write down everything that changed before the image got worse.

  2. Look at the signal info

    In the screen's info menu, check the resolution, refresh rate and HDR status. If they differ from before, the cause is almost certainly the source or the connection.

  3. Go back to the old cable or port

    Reconnect everything the way it was and compare. Not every cable is rated for a high-resolution, high-refresh-rate signal, and different ports on the same screen sometimes support different features.

  4. Check settings after an update

    Updates sometimes reset the picture mode or switch processing back on. Go through your notes and compare the values.

  5. Restart your devices

    Turn the source and the screen off completely, then turn on the screen first and the source second. That way they negotiate the signal from scratch.

  6. Reset the picture settings

    If nothing else helps, restore the factory picture settings and set it up again following the guide. It's tedious, but reliable.

  • Guides

    Step-by-step guides: setting up a new screen, choosing a picture mode, turning off extra processing and matching brightness to the room. Plus the article index.

  • Tools

    What to use when adjusting the picture: test images, the screen menu and signal info, source settings, room lighting and notes on your settings.

  • Comparisons

    How HD differs from Full HD and 4K, what HDR adds compared with SDR and how frame rate relates to motion smoothing.

  • Glossary

    A glossary of terms: resolution, pixel, bitrate, codec, compression, HDR, frame rate and refresh rate, motion smoothing, banding and more.

  • Questions

    Answers about this reference, about resolution, HDR and frame rate, and about comfortable screen time for the whole family.

Sources

  • General information on video formats and displays (reference principles)
  • FantastikaHD editorial materials

This advice is written in general terms as of the date it was prepared. Screen menus, mode names and factory settings vary from device to device and change with updates, so check your own manual and trust your eyes more than the labels on the box.