New HDTV, definition is too good

OK I'm one of those guys who got an HDTV and whether it's the resolution or the definition, the edges around people in shows and movies and the definition of things in general is too good. I can't really enjoy it or get used to it. This one is the Samsung UN65JU7100 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD 3D Smart LED TV (2015 Model).

What are the easiest settings to get to and use to most quickly tone that down a bit? I just to go like one setting less defined or lower resolution, whatever it is that applies here, to get it to something I can stand.

 

See if there is a "sharpness" control or an "edge enhancement" control, which are two differnt things but which may soften the picture a bit.

On an analog TV a sharpness control had a unique meaning, to change the high frequency response of the video amplifiers which resulted in side to side changes in brightness becoming more pronounced or more soft. It did not change top to bottom changes in brightness.

Edge enhancement can make things seem sharper sometimes to the point of looking unnatural. Where a dark patch meets a light patch, the very edge of the light patch is artificially made lighter than it should be and/or the very edge of the dark patch is artificially made darker than it should be. This process does not really increase the resolution.

 

The manual says the sharpness control sharpens or dulls the edges of objects. Is that what I'm looking for?

 

Read this article. It may help you.

What Is the Soap Opera Effect (and How to Make It Go Away)

 

More than likely..... yes. Try turning it down and see if the picture is more to your liking.

 

You have a 65 inch TV. How close are you at viewing distance. Sometimes a large TV viewed too close can be annoying and edges can seem jagged.

 

Rather than poking around your controls by eyeball alone, I recommend you get a Blu-ray setup disc such as Disney's WOW or Spears & Munsil. WOW is the most user-friendly if you've never done this before. S&M allows setup for 3D as well as 2D, but is for more advanced users.

 

I hear the same thing from many of my more advanced age customers..... the picture is too sharp. It doesn't look natural. Too vivid.

In this case... a setup disc wouldn't be of much help.

 

Maybe those guys should just take off their glasses to watch TV.

I run a 4K (2160p) projector and it looks fabulous. To a somewhat lesser extent, so do my 720p and 1080p LCD TVs. But you have to put in the effort to dial in the settings because factory defaults are always wrong. "Too vivid" means "overly bright, overly saturated, and over-sharpened in order to stand out on the wall of TVs at Best Buy."

 

The purpose of a setup disc is to help you get the contrast and the color saturation (vividness) and the white balance and, if possible, the "sharpness" correct.

Depending on the room lighting, the settings of the TV may need to be different. The adage of "don't watch TV in a very dark room" comes from the contrast being too great for the room lighting (or lack of lighting).

Some setup discs come with a blue (and/or green or red) cellophane that you look through and match up patches on the screen as part of the color balancing.

Many TV sets come out of the box with colors set too vivid and contrast set too high.

 

100% in agreement with both replies about using a setup disc. The disney WoW is one of the best calibration discs out there for the non-techies. The results will surprise you.

Also, if you go to the very popular audio video website avsforums.com, and find a sub-group that caters specifically to your TV brand/model, you will most likely find calibrated settings that someone has posted. You can use those as well.

Chances are that someone paid for a professional guy to come to their house to calibrate their TV, and they were kind enough to post the settings for the others to benefit from.