PVR 150 Contrast/Brightness?

[Trevor]

Hey everyone, I know this is a Hauppauge question and not a GB-PVR question, but it does have to do with the MPEG Video drivers that come with GB-PVR, so I'm going to ask here anyways.

Today I tried burning my first mpg files to DVD+RW and played them in the DVD player. On the DVD player downstairs (an APEX AD-1200) the contrast seemed very high, even though things seemed fine on my computer monitor upstairs.

Other details:

I used TMPGEnc's DVD Author software to make the DVD.
I'm using the Intervideo NON-CSS (?) Video codec on GB-PVR on my computer upstairs with the PVR.
**EDIT**: I'm using the latest drivers (the ones that are labeled as prerelease, but aren't. **123 I think.)

Basically I'm wondering if either:

a) Is there something wrong with my DVD authoring process where the DVD is brighter than the MPG file?

or

b) Should I use the Hauppauge tweak tools to make the image darker (lower the contrast), and if so, how can I brighten the image displayed in GB-PVR?

Something doesn't quite add up here. The display seems just fine on the computer, whether it's been recorded on the PVR or coming from another source *cough*. A DVD, that's right.

Do Windows MPEG decoders have some sort of "contrast normalization" that makes the images show up OK?

Have other users had to tweak the Brightness and Contrast settings of their Hauppauge PVR cards?

Thanks for your time...

**EDIT** One other piece of info. The media I was burning to DVD was a cartoon, large blocks of consistent colour. Not sure if this is relevant or not.

[groover km]

Quick question - are you using an LCD monitor, or a CRT? If you are using an LCD, it will look completely different (in my experience).

I have had the same problem - I can get three different results with the same file, depending on whether I view...

On the PC (LCD monitor)
On the TV (via MVP)
ON TV (via burning to DVD and playing on the standalone)

Fortunately, we rarely use the monitor to watch stuff, so I don't worry about it too much. What I did (a longwinded pain, I warn you) -

1) Put one of those DVDs with the THX setup on it - I used the nipper's Finding Nemo - in your PC and calibrate your monitor best you can (preferably, CRT) using the colour bars and test screens.

2) Get your standalone DVD player, and plug it in to the PVR-150. Repeat with the DVD, and adjust your card's setting using the Hauppauge Tweaker capture video procamp settings (you can get it from the wiki)

3) Repeat again, calibrating your TV to the same disk.

4) Write all the settings down, that way you can always adjust further but come back to a known datum (trust me, it's far too easy to start adjusting stuff then not know where you are...)

You should then have your 'chain' calibrated to the same standard. things to bear in mind (that might be relevant) -

You can't adjust the MVP output (which we use 95% of the time), so you may want to adjust your capture settings to compensate.

If you have a second input (I have a VCR hooked up to the card also), you might want to adjust your capture settings again to compensate for your equipment.

Alternatively, get yourself a semi-decent video editing suite and adjust the brightness/ contrast/ saturation before burning....

Hope some of this helps.

[groover km]

Oh, and as far as I'm aware, GBPVR doesn't have any MPEG video drivers, it uses what you have installed.

[Trevor]

I'm using a CRT, but it's very possible the problem I'm having is at the TV level. The TV is at least 15 years old. I've had to boost the contrast for other programs because they seemed too dark. Turning the contrast back down to normal is OK, the question being why do all the other DVDs seem dark by comparison?