watching a video in the PC vs TV

[alegator]

I captured a 2 hour Hi8 analog tape (1993 personal video) into DV-AVI in my PC. I watched the video with Windows Media Player and quality was not too bad, but it was a bit grainy and not very bright, without vivid colors.(I have a VP230mb Viewsonic LCD, 60Hz,1600x1200).
I then cut a 20min sample clip from the 2 hour DV-AVI,and authored this sample into a DVD at 9000 kbps CBR. I played this DVD in my TV and quality was awesome, vivid and bright colors and neat non-grainy image.
Does this have to do with the higher refresh rate of the TV vs the LCD?
Thanks.

[ZippyP.]

Perhaps the video card and settings on your PC.

[alegator]

Nope, the settings are fine, both for the video card (latest drivers) and monitor. I suspect it has to do with the better refresh rate of TV's vs LCD's.
Even more confusing is the fact that some videos like HD videos aare great in my LCD, but it seems that the lower the quality of the video (the lower the resolution) the better is displayed in the TV.

[ZippyP.]

Regarding low resolution and TV, TV is lower resolution than your monitor so I expect it has a "smoothing" affect on that type of video, in effect making it better looking. It's not unusual for some videos to look better on TV compared to a PC monitor.

[alegator]

Yes, that's exactly what I meant.

[trock]

not very bright, without vivid colors

This is a factor of DV. Japanese DV camcorders export at the wrong blackness levels (AKA "setup") for US NTSC (0 vs 7.5 IRE) and as a result on the PC screen DV will always look darker than the source.

DVD players restore the blackness level to 7.5 and thus you see the brightness restored. Always judge the brightness on a burned DVD played on a TV.

There is a good explanation with example images here:

http://www.signvideo.com/dv-black-level-dvd-7.5-ire-0-ntsc-part-2.htm

trock

[monzie]

1) LCD/TFT displays only have one 'real' native resolution as there pixels are fixed (unlike CRT based monitors), any straying from that 'real' resolution will mean the pixels are interpolated creating the kind of problem you mention. Basically speaking you aint got enough pixels in the video to feed the res of the monitor.

2) LCD/TFTS have a very poor luminence/contrast ratio compared to CRT's which themseleves are poor compared to CRT based TV's....think of this> in a darkened room a TV will act as a (admittedly a poor) light source giving a little illumination to the room......not so with a CRT or LCD.

3) A DVD is encoded at TV resolutions to (obviously) match TV's resolutions/framerates etc.....this is NOT true with avi's for pc playback.

4) And this is VERY important, a TV is typically viewed at a far greater distance than a monitor and yopur brain tricks you into>

a) Seeing 'detail' that isnt really there.
b) Hiding detail that it doesnt 'want' to see.

This is one of the things what makes the human brain so powerful, it actually overrules true optical vision.....which is why even with our realtively poor eyesight compared to say cats or birds of prey we can still identify a known friend at a considerable distance even though there is not actually enough 'real' information to make this assumtion (or read the bottom lines of an eye test chart by 'guessing' at the splodges..or see 'faces' in clouds)....but it dont work close up (within say 2 feet/600mm).

PS.if you play your avi at FULL SIZE (not full screen) at your native resolution I bet it looks a dam site better.

[ZippyP.]

Nice post monzie!