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Solved Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB

Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB was created by Luke@MissingChild

Posted 22 Jun 2017 16:50 #1
I rendered an MPEG-2 from Vegas Pro 14 to make a DVD in DVD Architect. In this Vegas project I adjusted the levels by selecting “Computer RGB to Studio RGB”. When I play the DVD on my HD TV it looks as it does in the Vegas project. The problem is when I play the same DVD on my computer, it looks grainy and brighter in an unpleasant way. My understanding is that this is happening because the computer is displaying all the colors 0 to 255 where as the TV is only playing the Studio colors, 16 to 235. If I don't change the Computer RGB to Studio RGB for my MPEG-2 render, the DVD will look fine when played on a computer, but it looks too dark when I play it on my TV.

I don't know if people will be watching my DVD on a TV or a computer, so is there any way to render this so the DVD will look similar whether it's played on a TV or computer?

I enjoy this site very much. A lot of useful information. Thanks for putting it out there!

Luke
Last Edit:22 Jun 2017 17:58 by Luke@MissingChild

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Replied by DoctorZen on topic Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB

Posted 22 Jun 2017 17:58 #2
Hi Luke

That's a good question you asked.
There is nothing you can do at the rendering level, to optimize DVD playback quality on a computer.
DVD/Blu-ray players and modern TVs, are already optimized to decode and display the DVD as accurately as possible.

How each person's computer monitor displays the colour brightness and spectrum (0-255 or 16-235) will vary dramatically from computer to computer. This is actually a very complex and murky area and cannot be controlled by you (meaning your videos cannot be set to play differently on a monitor, on someone else's computer). In reality, most people's monitors are more likely to be set to 16-235, because of Graphics Card Driver defaults & hardware limitations with the type of cables that are being used to connect the monitor to computer. I have actually been researching this topic and will be creating a tutorial very soon. However, forget about this part of the equation for now, in relation to your original question.

Generally speaking, DVDs and Blu-ray discs never look as good when played back on a computer monitor.
I know what you mean by that "graininess" that appears!
The Media Player you use and the Settings you choose, can make a big difference in the quality of the image.
Unfortunately, you cannot control what the end user is using and what settings they choose.

The reality is that most average people have no idea that the Media Player they are using can effect what the image looks like and are even less aware that there are settings that control this.

If you download many different media players and play the same disc with each of them, you will most likely notice that the image will look differently in all of them. That is because most media players apply their own "secret sauce" of filters/settings. This is where only nerds and geeks have the advantage, because "we" notice these things and then muck around with the settings to get everything looking as good as possible.

Different media players to try:
VLC Player
Windows Media Player
Real Player
Cyberlink Power DVD
there are more, but these are the main ones I have used over the years...

I like to play Blu-ray discs in my bedroom at night, using the computer in that room.
I bought Cyberlink Power DVD and use that as my main media player.
The default settings the player starts with are absolutely terrible, because they deliberately increase the brightness, contrast and colour. But once I turn off most of the default filter settings, the image looks really beautiful on the computer monitor.

That was a bit of a long answer. The short answer is that you are already doing the right thing and there is nothing you can do to predict how people will watch your DVDs.

Regards
Derek
ℹ️ Remember to turn everything off at least once a week, including your brain, then sit somewhere quiet and just chill out.
Unplugging is the best way to find solutions to your problems. If you would like to share some love, post a customer testimonial or make a donation.
Last Edit:14 Jul 2017 13:40 by DoctorZen
The following user(s) said Thank You: ericlnz, Luke@MissingChild

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Replied by Richard Jones on topic Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB

Posted 22 Jun 2017 20:30 #3
Yes, Derek's absolutely right in that most DVD Player/TV combinations will automatically adjust the display and even up-rez in some instances (i.e. from SD in the direction of HD) although this may not be true for older equipment. One thing to bear in mind is that different sets will show some, often slight but sometimes great, differences in the image with the problem likely to be particularly apparent if the TV has not been colour adjusted by the owner (some sets may still be on the ultra-bright setting used in a show room to optimize the impact of the image in the showroom's lighting conditions --- which will probably be very different fro0m that needed in a home environment.

Richard
The following user(s) said Thank You: DoctorZen, Luke@MissingChild

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Replied by Luke@MissingChild on topic Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB

Posted 23 Jun 2017 06:08 #4
Thanks for your quick and detailed reply, Derek. Everything you wrote makes sense about display monitors and what we can and can't do with regards to potential viewers of our films. Anyway, you've given me peace of mind knowing I'm not overlooking anything with the way RGB is displayed on Computer screens and TVs.

Like I said before, I've learned a lot from your tutorials on Vegas and DVD Architect. Very helpful, so thanks again!

Luke

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Replied by Luke@MissingChild on topic Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB

Posted 23 Jun 2017 06:14 #5
Thanks Richard...

I know what you mean about users not adjusting their sets properly, or at all! It's funny, we have all this great technology at our fingertips, laptops, iPads, HD, 4K, and then some. But a typical consumer doesn't seem to be aware of the quality factors they can adjust. Oh well... Have to make the best of what we can control.

Thanks again...

Luke

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Replied by ericlnz on topic Computer RGB Vs Studio RGB

Posted 23 Jun 2017 14:16 #6
Interesting topic. It made me look at my own pc settings. I've an AIO with an older and smaller digital monitor as second screen. In my Intel HD Graphics Control Panel under Video (i.e. playing movie files) one option in the Color Enhancement Section / Input Range is for 'Application Settings' or 'Driver Settings'. Application Settings leaves it up to the application. Driver Settings gives you the option of 'Limited Range' or 'Full Range'. It was on Limited. Changing this to Full gave less contrast to my movie files but to me it was a marginal difference.
by ericlnz

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