Plasma help - contrast levels changing

[admin_exported]

Hi

I have a Hitachi PD9700 42" Plasma, its around 2 years old. I have a great picture and used the Digital video essentials disc to calibrate it.

The only problem I have is when watching movies on SkyHD, DVD's or Blu Rays, when in a dark scene the contrast over the whole picture seems to flash. This is made worse when a picture is trying to show both light areas and dark areas at the same time.

For example, I was watching Vacancy on Blu Ray, when they was walking at night away from their car it was a very dark scene, but he was carrying a lamp that was on the edge of the picture so it came in to view about once a second, this caused the contrast to adjust frequently and it was like the whole screen was flashing. This can be very annoying.

I hope I have explained this well enough, when it flashes it goes from a nice dark look to a washed out black.I have checked all my settings and none are too far from normal, it improvedafter Iused the calibration disc but its still a problem.

Can anyone help??

 

[Andrew Everard]

I think it's probably on the films, not a screen problem. Light sources shining into cameras will cause flare to varying degrees, depending on the design of the lens, its optical coating, and the use of lens hoods and/or flags to shade the lens from extraneous light sources. This will lower overall contrast: some movies use this for effect.

 

[Anonymous]

I thought that at first, but it happens alot, so I tried rewinding back and watching again and it happens at different times. Then I tried the film on another set (32" Sony LCD) and it never happened.

I do also notice it occasionally when watching normal tv such as football but not enough to annoy.

I have just read on the DVT Forum that some other people with this set are having the same brightness fluctuation problem.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well, with that additional information, it sounds like a fault on the set, so I think a call to Hitachi's customer service people is in order.