This is a new area in our benchmark suite, so I’ll explain the results as I go. We use a series of pass/fail tests to determine the ability of an HDTV to process different kinds of video signals. Most of the time, you should let your source components do this because they're more capable. If you have an Oppo Blu-ray player, for example, it will exceed the processing ability of pretty much any display. If you set your player to output 1080p video, the display does no video processing whatsoever. An example of the reverse would be a cable or satellite receiver, which is usually poor for scaling and deinterlacing.
The first tests consist of a group of video clips from the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark Blu-ray Edition, which is available to anyone online for about thirty bucks. Here’s a quick rundown of what's covered:
2:2 pulldown: This is the cadence most commonly found in content shot on a video camera, like a concert or sporting event. The original image is interlaced, two fields per frame. The display must integrate the two fields into a single progressive frame.
3:2 pulldown: The cadence most often used to convert 24p film to 60i video, its order is two fields of the first frame and then three fields of the next, in alternating sequence. If the display doesn’t integrate the extra field properly, there is a very obvious artifact that shows in our test clip and results in a failure.
Accepts 24p: Film content on Blu-ray is encoded at 24 frames per second, and all current players can output the signal at that rate. Most displays can accept this signal and process it to a refresh rate that’s a multiple of 24 by the use of repeated frames.
- 2:2 pulldown - FAIL
- 3:2 pulldown - FAIL
- Accepts 24p – PASS
The 50L7300U failed the two most common de-interlacing tests. If you have DVDs in your library, or if you hook up a cable or satellite receiver, we recommend letting your source devices take care of the video processing. The TV does process 24p content correctly. If you set the ClearScan option to Off, each frame is repeated five times.
The second group of tests covers an HDTV’s ability to show signals below black and above white. Unlike PC signals, which range from 0 to 255, a video signal truncates that to 16-235. The areas above and below those values are considered head and toe room, and are not used in correctly-encoded content. It is desirable, however, for a display to be able to show the levels between 0-34 and 236-255. It makes calibrating levels easier and occasionally content does stray outside the limits.
The Chroma Burst pattern shows a series of single-pixel lines, in color, to determine if a display actually achieves its maximum native resolution. Most HDTVs return different results for RGB signals than for component (YPbPr) video. 4:2:2 is the minimum bit depth output from a source; 4:4:4 is more common. Some players can output RGB, which usually eliminates a conversion step in the display. Our test shows which signal mode provides the best resolution performance.
| Above White | Below Black | Chroma Burst | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:2:2 | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| 4:4:4 | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| RGB | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Signals below black and above white are passed correctly in all three modes. Unfortunately, the only mode that passes the one-pixel burst test is RGB, and some Blu-ray players don’t support that signal format. If that’s the case, you won’t see maximum resolution from the 50L7300U. If you can use RGB, there is no loss of resolution.
- Toshiba 50L7300U Cloud TV: Tons Of Features At A Reasonable Price
- Toshiba 50L7300U Physical Characteristics
- OSD Setup And Calibration
- The Toshiba 50L7300U In Use
- Measurement And Calibration Methodology: How We Test
- Results: Brightness And Contrast
- Results: Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response
- Results: Color Gamut And Performance
- Results: Viewing Angles And Uniformity
- Results: Pixel Response And Input Lag
- Results: Video Processing
- Toshiba's 50-inch Cloud TV Delivers A Lot For The Money
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1477874/toshiba-l1350u-series-2013/30#post_23923173
"Using the same settings on both Game and Movie, via OCD-levels of eye-balling I found that Game and/or PC modes (which look identical) have similar white levels with backlight @ 50 compared to Movie's backlight @ 68. By comparison Movie's backlight setting had to be set to 40 just to get black levels similar to Game and/or PC with backlight @ 50. And for reference,"Standard" seems to be about the same as Game and/or PC except that the backlight @ 42 seems to equal Game/PC's backlight @ 50."
For reference, CNET seemed to have assumed that the the "Movie" preset was the best when reviewing the L2300U (which is the same as the L1350U but in a different color) and then went and criticized the TV for having poor contrast and black levels. I just want to make sure Tom's doesn't make the same mistake in the future.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1477874/toshiba-l1350u-series-2013/30#post_23923173
"Using the same settings on both Game and Movie, via OCD-levels of eye-balling I found that Game and/or PC modes (which look identical) have similar white levels with backlight @ 50 compared to Movie's backlight @ 68. By comparison Movie's backlight setting had to be set to 40 just to get black levels similar to Game and/or PC with backlight @ 50. And for reference,"Standard" seems to be about the same as Game and/or PC except that the backlight @ 42 seems to equal Game/PC's backlight @ 50."
This also means that your calibration settings are most likely incorrect for Game mode.
It's important to note that CNET made the same mistake by calibrating via the "Movie" preset when reviewing the L2300U (which is the same as the L1350U but in a different color) and then went and criticized the TV for having poor contrast and black levels.
We did not assume that Movie mode produced the best contrast, we measured every mode to determine which was the best starting point for calibration. Our black level measurements take into account the full rendering of detail down to the lowest brightness steps. It's easy to drop the brightness control and measure a better black level but detail will be crushed. In the game mode, we couldn't get any better black levels than movie when you take detail into account. Check out the article where we talk about the use of dynamic contrast. That will give you a pretty good idea where the balance is between contrast and detail. Remember also that Game mode does not have the accurate color gamut or flat grayscale and gamma tracking possible in Movie.
When referring to forum posts, a statement like "via OCD-levels of eye-balling" means that the writer is expressing an opinion, not facts arrived at by science. We suggest taking information like that with a grain of salt.
And yes, our calibration settings would be incorrect in Game mode.
-Christian-
Christian did a great job, no issue with the article...just curious why (of all things) a random Toshiba TV gets the Tom's wax n' wash. Obviously, my whining can be attributed to an overabundance of first-world-white girl problems.
Lastly, I did try to talk to Gabe about HL3...but apparently im no longer allowed to attempt contact after mailing him 3 of my fingers with a note written in blood and tears, asking:
"Can you count to three now?"
We're working with Vizio to get samples of their new 4K screens. In the meantime, we have a Toshiba 4K HDTV arriving next week. Samsung is also looking good for future reviews. Definitely stay tuned!
-Christian-