black scenes flicker to grey/black - Sony LCD TV

[spiritgumm]

Have a Panasonic standard dvd recorder connected to a Sony Lcd TV (KDL 32L5000) with RCA cables. While playing dvds, sometimes in the scenes when the video is mostly black (such as outer space in any Star Trek show) the black will briefly flicker to grayish black, settling on the latter. It's not random - I can pause the dvd where it's black or gray-black. I don't see this on my PC monitor, and don't recall it ever happening on my old crt TV. The Sony has a Black Level Corrector, but it has no effect on this. I tried all the settings, but even if I turn down the brightness, I can see a slight flicker on some object, so I know it's happening. What's going on? Is there a way to eliminate this?

[jagabo]

Sounds like a faulty automatic gain circuit. Try disabling all video processing on the TV. Ie, turn off any automatic gain, contrast, etc. controls. You shouldn't be using those anyway.

[spiritgumm]

There aren't any auto settings for picture quality. And as noted, I tried all the settings.

[jagabo]

Picture mode settings like Vivid and Cinema may engage automatic picture controls.

Have you tried using s-video, component, or HDMI? All of those will deliver better picture quality. Composite (yellow RCA connector) is the lowest quality.

[Megahurts]

Check page 26 of the owners manual. Turn off the 'Black Corrector' under advance picture settings.

The advance picture settings is not available when the picture mode is set to Vivid.

[spiritgumm]

Yeah, already tried the "Cinema" settings (Vivid, Standard, etc). I didn't mean I couldn't access the Black Corrector, I meant I tried it on/off but it didn't change the flicker at all (sorry I didn't make that clearer).

My dvd player doesnt have Hdmi and I don't have cables for the other connection options. I'll buy a Sony upconvert dvd player and see what happens. I previously tested an upconvert dvd player and it looked like crap but I assumed I was doing something wrong. I returned it and have been waiting for the "perfect" bluray player, but now I'm thinking the TV might be defective. I can still get a tech to come look at it (Best Buy warranty).
Thanks for the suggestions.

[jagabo]

Do you have any other devices with composite inputs or outputs. Ie, connect the DVD player to another TV, or another DVD player to the KDL 32L5000. That might help you figure out which device is at fault.

[spiritgumm]

No other connectable monitor, though it didn't happen on my old crt TV. I forget if it happened with the Pioneer upconvert dvd player I had earlier, but I'll find out soon enough with a Sony player.
And I just mailed a copy of the dvd to someone who has a couple lcd TVs and dvd players.

LATER
Looks like it might have been the dvd player, since the new dvd player I got played the problem area fine.