id=”article-body” class=”row” section=”article-body”>
An accurate green is one of the best ways to make a TV’s picture look more natural. Ever watch your TV and wonder if it could look better? Good news: It can. Whether you’re watching the latest streaming TV show, enjoying 4K HDR movies or playing <a website games, tweaking a few basic picture settings can really help. Colors can look more lifelike and accurate, brightness can be comfortable for viewing in daytime and at night, and motion can look more natural. Making sense of the settings on today’s TVs, however, can be super confusing. That’s where this article comes in. You could buy a setup disc, like the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR or HD Benchmark Blu-rays, which have test patterns and instructions on how to adjust your screen. You can also get your TV professionally calibrated, but that kind of service is expensive and for most people won’t offer enough of an improvement to justify the cost. Even without a disc or a pro, however, you can get your picture quality looking better just using your eyes and the options available in your TV’s settings menu. And it’s completely free. A word of warning before we begin however: Picture setting names are all over the place. A setting one TV-maker calls “brightness” could control something totally different on another TV, for example. We tackle a lot of the variations below, but we can’t account for every TV-maker, especially on older models, so your mileage may vary. The easiest way to get your TV looking “cinematic?” Put it in Cinema mode. Your TV’s picture mode has the largest effect on overall picture quality. This one setting controls multiple other settings to change the overall “look” of your TV. If you’ve never changed this setting it’s probably still the default mode, typically labeled Standard, Vivid, Dynamic, Bright or something similar. The TV is its least accurate in this mode, with typically blown-out colors and image “enhancing” features that might catch the eye on a shelf in a store, but at home might make the TV look worse than it could. A place to start is switching to the mode called Cinema, Movie, Calibrated or Filmmaker. These will dial back some of the more garish aspects of the picture. At first, the TV might even look soft or too warm (“reddish”). We’ll discuss below why that is, but for now trust that you’re actually seeing more fine detail, and the image is more lifelike. Read more: What’s the best picture mode? Let’s move on to some specific controls. Nearly all TVs will have some control that adjusts the overall light output of the TV. It’s labeled as the backlight control, or OLED light, or something similar. On newer Sony TVs this setting is labeled Brightness, and on Roku TVs there are five settings (Brightest to Darkest) in addition to a backlight control. Whatever the label, this setting is the actual brightness, which is generally separate from the control labeled “Brightness” (see below). You should adjust this setting based on room lighting and personal preference. Brighter rooms and daylight viewing will call for a higher setting, while home theater or nighttime viewing often looks better at a lower setting. On an LCD TV, a bright backlight can wash out the image somewhat and reduce contrast and pop, especially on models that lack full array local dimming. The brighter the TV is, the more energy it will consume, if you’re concerned about how much electricity you use. Higher brightness also makes OLED TVs somewhat more susceptible to image retention and burn in — although with typical viewing habits that’s unlikely, even at maximum brightness. Read more: OLED screen burn-in: What you need to know in 2021 On the left, what the image of some friendly beachside ‘roos should look like. On the right, when the contrast control is set too high. Notice the lack of detail in the sand and how the clouds are blown out. The contrast control adjusts how bright the bright parts of the image are. There is an upper limit, however. If you set the control too high, it “clips” the whites, making near-white details totally white. This effectively erases any detail in bright objects like clouds without making the image actually brighter. To set contrast by eye, you’ll need something with a lot of bright areas of the image. Baseball works pretty well for this — a fly ball, pop fly, home runs, something with shots of the sky — or skiing (depending on season, clearly), or something with clouds. What you’re looking for is a bright image, but still with highlight detail. In other words, the bright areas of the image still have detail, and aren’t just awash in white. Once you’ve found something you think will work, turn the contrast control up until you start losing detail. Clouds will cease being clouds, snow will just be glare. Now turn the control back down till you see detail again. Somewhere in this range will be ideal. Since all content is a little different you might need to tweak it a bit as you watch other shows/movies. Don’t want to mess with all that? Just leave it at the default for the Movie or Cinema setting. On the left, what the teahouse should look like. On the right, when the brightness control is set too low. Notice how the shadows disappear completely. On most TVs, the brightness control doesn’t actually control the TV’s “brightness.” Instead, it adjusts how dark the darkest parts of the image are. Like contrast, there’s a fine line between too high and too low. In this case, too high and the image will appear washed out. Too low and all shadows will disappear into black. (On newer Sony TVs this control is labeled Black Level.) A closeup from the image above. Notice how you can’t see anything in the shadows in the image on the right. To set brightness, you’re looking for the opposite type of content from contrast. Dark movies, like Aliens or The Dark Knight, are perfect for this. Some famously dark TV episodes might be too dark to use for this. Turn the Brightness control down until everything disappears into blackness (or something close). From there, turn it back up so you can see detail in everything, but the image doesn’t look washed out. Another test for this is a darker scene with someone with long hair. The underside of their hair (I don’t know what you people with hair call it) away from the light can be a good place to spot shadow detail. Also, dark coats at night. Again, you might need to try a few different shows or movies to get it right. On the left, the original image of the walls of Tallinn. On the right, what it could look like if you set the sharpness control too high. Believe it or not, the sharpness control doesn’t really improve sharpness. In a way it improves apparent sharpness, but at the expense of actual fine detail and usually with additional noise. On nearly all TVs the sharpness control adds “edge enhancement,” artificially accentuating any edges the TV finds in the image. The problem is, doing this hides the actual detail in the image, so the result looks more artificial with less actual detail. A closeup of the example above. Note the extra noise and artificial “halo” around the spires on the right. So it may seem counterintuitive, but you should turn the sharpness control down, way down. Some TVs look best with the control at 0. Others look best within the first 10% or so of this control’s range. If you’re used to how your TV looks with the sharpness control way up, as it typically is in the Dynamic/Vivid modes, it might appear soft at first when you turn it down. Find some high-quality 4K content and you might be surprised how detailed it now looks. You should be able to find the sweet spot on your TV looking closely for textures in clothing, wrinkles in faces, hair and beards, that kind of thing. Read more: Why you need to turn down your TV’s sharpness control Generally, the color and tint controls will be reasonably close to correct out of the box, especially in Cinema/Movie mode. You can experiment with their effects, but it’s rare they’re off by more than one or two steps in either direction. At the top, the color temperature is set too low, or warm. At the bottom, it’s set too high, or cool. Color temperature is a difficult one. Your brain gets used to the color temp of your TV, so if you change it, it’s going to seem “wrong.” In fact, this is probably the first thing you’ll notice if you switch to the Cinema/Movie mode. It’s going to look too warm or “reddish.” On most TVs, this is actually the most accurate and lifelike. Your TV has been lying to you for years! Switch to your TV’s warm color temperature mode and watch it for a few days. If it still seems off to you, try the standard mode. I promise the cool mode will look far too blue once you get used to warm. Check out my article on color temp and why it matters for more info. As TV settings go, motion interpolation is a rather controversial topic. Many people, including film purists and pretty much everyone who works in Hollywood, hate it. It makes movies look like a cheap soap opera or a video you’d shoot on your phone. If you’ve ever looked at a new TV and just felt something was off, or the image just didn’t look real, it’s probably this. Some people like it, but a lot of people don’t. Your new TV almost certainly has this feature turned on in non-Cinema/Movie modes. Turning it off might change how you feel about your purchase. Read more: Soap opera effect: Tom Cruise wants you to turn it off. Here’s how Input lag is how long it takes for you to press a button on a game online indonesia controller, and that to have an effect on screen in the game. For many people this delay, measured in milliseconds, isn’t noticeable. For others, especially with certain types of games, it can make a massive difference. From jumping puzzles to pixel-perfect aim in a first-person shooter, getting the timing right in many games is crucial. Minimizing input lag, usually via a feature called game mode, can make a significant difference. If you’ve bought a new TV and suddenly your scores and rankings have dropped, this might be why. It’s not something you want to leave enabled all the time, since it usually disables processing features that can improve the TV’s picture quality. Some TVs and consoles now support switching to this mode automatically. As mentioned above, the next step to fine-tuning your TV to perfection is getting a setup disc. The Spears & Munsil disc is a great option because it gets you right to the patterns without any extraneous fluff. If you just want someone else to do it, ideally with specialized test equipment, see if there are any TV calibrators in your area. Lastly, make sure any sources you have, like a streaming stick or a cable/satellite box, are set to your TV’s resolution (4K for 4K TVs, etc). Generally speaking they should do this automatically, but it’s worth digging into the settings to be sure. Your 4K TV won’t look its best without 4K content. You might need to pay for a higher tier to get that, depending on the service. Lastly, HDMI. Chances are whatever HDMI cables you have are fine. If you try to send 4K from a media streamer and it doesn’t work, it’s possible your HDMI cables can’t handle the additional resolution. Fortunately, new HDMI cables are cheap. If your TV is getting the resolution you want from your sources, new HDMI cables won’t make the image look or sound better, so you can save your money. <div class="shortcode video v2" data-video-playlist='["id":"18572a8e-ee93-11e2-8339-d4ae52e62bcc","title":"Calibrate your TV by eye","description":"Fine-tuning your TV\u0027s settings doesn\u0027t have to be expensive or time-consuming. With these simple tips, you can make any TV more pleasing to your eye in a matter of minutes.","slug":"calibrate-your-tv-by-eye","chapters":"data":["id":"e0eacedd-93a9-11e3-a24e-d4ae52e62bcc","availableOn":["edition":"au","slug":"reviewed-blu-ray-setup-discs-for-your-hdtv","edition":"uk","slug":"reviewed-blu-ray-setup-discs-for-your-hdtv","edition":"us","slug":"reviewed-blu-ray-setup-discs-for-your-hdtv"],"title":"Reviewed: Blu-ray setup discs for your HDTV","description":"Setup discs help you ensure that you\u0027re getting the best performance from your TV. These discs will help you out, no matter what your skill level.","image":null,"promoTitle":null,"promoDescription":"Setup discs help you ensure that you\u0027re getting the best performance from your TV. These discs will help you out, no matter what your skill level.","promoImage":"id":"3e23fe02-f0f0-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","vanityUrl":null,"dateCreated":"date":"2011-05-07 23:29:25","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"author":"username":"GeoffMorrison","email":"gomorrison@gmail.com","image":"id":"710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759","filename":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2011-10-17 12:34:31","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/-30xh7L4wcan-xBMBSV9TUZyUxk=\/2011\/10\/17\/710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759\/headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Geoffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Morrison","authorBio":"Geoffrey Morrison is a writer\/photographer for CNET, Forbes, and The New York Times. He also the Editor-at-large for The Wirecutter. He has written for Sound&Vision magazine, Home Theater magazine, and was the Editor in Chief of Home Entertainment magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Television\/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling novel, <a website and its sequel, Undersea Atrophia, are available in paperback and as an ebook on Amazon. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com.","title":null,"socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"TechWriterGeoff","twitter":"TechWriterGeoff","googlePlus":"+GeoffreyMorrison914","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"a6f98612-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user","primaryCollection":null,"secondaryCollections":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"tags":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"typeName":"content_image","typeName":"content_article","typeLabel":"Article","dateCreated":"date":"2011-12-12 23:26:35","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"dateUpdated":"date":"2014-12-05 01:11:00","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"datePublished":"date":"2011-05-10 15:55:00","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"published":true,"metaData":"collection":null,"section":"how_to","blog":null,"type":null,"promoTitle":null,"promoDescription":"Setup discs help you ensure that you\u0027re getting the best performance from your TV. These discs will help you out, no matter what your skill level.","editions":["key":"us","label":"US","prefix":"","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_US","locales":["en-us"],"timezone":"America\/Los_Angeles","dateFormat":"MMMM d, yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"MMMM d, yyyy","short_date":"MMM d, yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"USD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","key":"uk","label":"UK","prefix":"uk\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_GB","locales":["en-gb","en-ie"],"timezone":"Europe\/London","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"GBP","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","key":"au","label":"AU","prefix":"au\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_AU","locales":["en-au"],"timezone":"Australia\/Sydney","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy, h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"AUD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true"],"slug":"reviewed-blu-ray-setup-discs-for-your-hdtv","status":"LIVE","vanityUrl":null,"author":"username":"GeoffMorrison","email":"gomorrison@gmail.com","image":"id":"710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759","filename":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2011-10-17 12:34:31","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/-30xh7L4wcan-xBMBSV9TUZyUxk=\/2011\/10\/17\/710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759\/headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Geoffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Morrison","authorBio":"Geoffrey Morrison is a writer\/photographer for CNET, Forbes, and The New York Times. He also the Editor-at-large for The Wirecutter. He has written for Sound&Vision magazine, Home Theater magazine, and was the Editor in Chief of Home Entertainment magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Television\/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling novel, <a website and its sequel, Undersea Atrophia, are available in paperback and as an ebook on Amazon. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com.","title":null,"socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"TechWriterGeoff","twitter":"TechWriterGeoff","googlePlus":"+GeoffreyMorrison914","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"a6f98612-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user","topic":"suppressSearch":false,"excludeFromRivers":false,"editions":"data":["edition":"key":"uk","label":"UK","prefix":"uk\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_GB","locales":["en-gb","en-ie"],"timezone":"Europe\/London","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"GBP","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","dataBag":"showTabs":false,"hasDfll":false,"dfllLabel":null,"bestLabel":null,"guideLabel":null,"bestList":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"buyingGuide":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"id":"2e26d10c-ecbf-4a32-9063-7572723a1e15","typeName":"cnet_topic_edition_data_bag","id":"5e83447c-edfb-4623-9d33-2fe950e3fb81","typeName":"content_topic_edition","edition":"key":"au","label":"AU","prefix":"au\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_AU","locales":["en-au"],"timezone":"Australia\/Sydney","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy, h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"AUD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","dataBag":"showTabs":false,"hasDfll":false,"dfllLabel":null,"bestLabel":null,"guideLabel":null,"bestList":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"buyingGuide":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"id":"6979ad55-995a-472b-a9d9-98f1558f6fb9","typeName":"cnet_topic_edition_data_bag","id":"8379beb1-1396-4c95-b05f-616d7a8c076d","typeName":"content_topic_edition","edition":"key":"us","label":"US","prefix":"","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_US","locales":["en-us"],"timezone":"America\/Los_Angeles","dateFormat":"MMMM d, yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"MMMM d, yyyy","short_date":"MMM d, yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"USD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","dataBag":"showTabs":false,"hasDfll":false,"dfllLabel":null,"bestLabel":null,"guideLabel":null,"bestList":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"buyingGuide":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"id":"1a8a5efb-9ac4-4d95-8859-ec2f9043cb81","typeName":"cnet_topic_edition_data_bag","id":"aadfcfaa-f43f-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","typeName":"content_topic_edition","edition":"key":"es","label":"Espa\u00f1ol","prefix":"es\/","lang":"es","translationLocale":"es_US","locales":["es-us","es-ar","es-bo","es-cl","es-co","es-cr","es-cu","es-do","es-ec","es-sv","es-gt","es-hn","es-mx","es-ni","es-pa","es-py","es-pe","es-pr","es-es","es-uy","es-ve"],"timezone":"America\/Los_Angeles","dateFormat":"d \u0027de\u0027 MMMM \u0027de\u0027 yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d \u0027de\u0027 MMMM \u0027de\u0027 yyyy","short_date":"d\/M\/yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","currency_name":"USD","hasDfll":false,"showShareCounts":"false","dataBag":"showTabs":false,"hasDfll":false,"dfllLabel":null,"bestLabel":null,"guideLabel":null,"bestList":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"buyingGuide":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"id":"71dbea39-71fb-4a6e-8559-72c20aafde5f","typeName":"cnet_topic_edition_data_bag","id":"ecc88cac-0ac2-11e3-a1a0-0017a43b40ac","typeName":"content_topic_edition"],"paging":"total":4,"limit":15,"offset":0,"slug":"home-entertainment","name":"Home Entertainment","canonicalUrl":null,"languages":"data":["language":"en","slug":"home-entertainment","name":"Home Entertainment","id":"aad8e1af-f43f-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","typeName":"content_topic_language","language":"es","slug":"entretenimiento-en-casa","name":"Entretenimiento en casa","id":"43ebe440-0458-11e3-8262-0291187b029a","typeName":"content_topic_language"],"paging":"total":2,"limit":15,"offset":0,"topicPath":[],"id":"1c3d24e4-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","typeName":"content_topic","authors":["username":"GeoffMorrison","email":"gomorrison@gmail.com","image":"id":"710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759","filename":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2011-10-17 12:34:31","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/-30xh7L4wcan-xBMBSV9TUZyUxk=\/2011\/10\/17\/710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759\/headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Geoffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Morrison","authorBio":"Geoffrey Morrison is a writer\/photographer for CNET, Forbes, and The New York Times. He also the Editor-at-large for The Wirecutter. He has written for Sound&Vision magazine, Home Theater magazine, and was the Editor in Chief of Home Entertainment magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Television\/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling novel, <a website and its sequel, Undersea Atrophia, are available in paperback and as an ebook on Amazon. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com.","title":null,"socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"TechWriterGeoff","twitter":"TechWriterGeoff","googlePlus":"+GeoffreyMorrison914","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"a6f98612-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user"],"wordCount":832,"objectId":"82e94f34-8c86-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d","sequence":0,"time":17,"id":"e0eb07d5-93a9-11e3-a24e-d4ae52e62bcc","availableOn":["edition":"au","slug":"tv-picture-settings-how-to-adjust-contrast-brightness-picture-mode-and-more","edition":"es","slug":"como-configurar-un-televisor-a-ojo","edition":"uk","slug":"tv-picture-settings-how-to-adjust-contrast-brightness-picture-mode-and-more","edition":"us","slug":"tv-picture-settings-how-to-adjust-contrast-brightness-picture-mode-and-more"],"title":"TV picture settings: How to adjust contrast, brightness, picture mode and more","description":"Dialing in a different TV calibration can make your TV better without costing you a dime. Here\u0027s where to start.","image":null,"promoTitle":null,"promoDescription":null,"promoImage":"id":"24e4557c-4a8a-4b66-9ad2-ed9da16cb42c","vanityUrl":null,"dateCreated":"date":"2020-10-27 20:17:08","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"author":"username":"sarahtew","email":"stew@redventures.com","image":"id":"71107719-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759","filename":"SarahTewHS2012urbanSuare01.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2012-11-30 13:33:23","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"SarahTewHS2012urbanSuare01.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/OqnsqCtynR8t1e7hMPtgvLGIPrM=\/2012\/11\/30\/71107719-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759\/SarahTewHS2012urbanSuare01.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Sarah","middleName":"","lastName":"Tew","authorBio":null,"title":"Senior Photographer \/ Reviews","socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"sarahtewphotography","twitter":"sarahtew","googlePlus":"+SarahTew","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"d2c76ef8-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user","primaryCollection":null,"secondaryCollections":null,"tags":"data":[],"paging":"total":0,"limit":15,"offset":0,"typeName":"content_image","typeName":"content_article","typeLabel":"Article","dateCreated":"date":"2013-12-15 19:41:14","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"dateUpdated":"date":"2013-12-30 11:40:00","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"datePublished":"date":"2021-04-13 17:27:04","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"published":true,"metaData":"collection":"id":"627b2dec-54c7-4259-a061-557d4a53c237","status":"UNPUBLISHED","slug":"tech-tips","vanityUrl":null,"datePublished":null,"dateCreated":"date":"2021-04-07 19:34:15","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"availableOn":[],"image":null,"author":"username":"kentgerman","email":"kgerman@redventures.com","image":"id":"2710930b-8d74-11e3-a24e-d4ae52e62bcc","filename":"Kent_German.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2012-12-05 11:47:22","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"Kent_German.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/P0k9tBC84y3TIj2k8gXc9m9R3SM=\/2012\/12\/05\/2710930b-8d74-11e3-a24e-d4ae52e62bcc\/Kent_German.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Kent","middleName":"","lastName":"German","authorBio":"Kent German is the senior managing editor for Features. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he\u0027s worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not at work, he\u0027s planning his next vacation, going for a run, or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).","title":"Senior Managing Editor \/ Features","socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"110958662323419","twitter":"KentGerman","googlePlus":"112549837043074135452","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"8f95aa22-8176-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user","typeName":"content_collection","section":"how_to","blog":null,"type":null,"promoTitle":null,"promoDescription":null,"editions":["key":"us","label":"US","prefix":"","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_US","locales":["en-us"],"timezone":"America\/Los_Angeles","dateFormat":"MMMM d, yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"MMMM d, yyyy","short_date":"MMM d, yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"USD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","key":"uk","label":"UK","prefix":"uk\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_GB","locales":["en-gb","en-ie"],"timezone":"Europe\/London","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"GBP","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","key":"au","label":"AU","prefix":"au\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_AU","locales":["en-au"],"timezone":"Australia\/Sydney","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy, h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"AUD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true"],"slug":"tv-picture-settings-how-to-adjust-contrast-brightness-picture-mode-and-more","status":"LIVE","vanityUrl":null,"author":"username":"GeoffMorrison","email":"gomorrison@gmail.com","image":"id":"710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759","filename":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2011-10-17 12:34:31","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/-30xh7L4wcan-xBMBSV9TUZyUxk=\/2011\/10\/17\/710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759\/headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Geoffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Morrison","authorBio":"Geoffrey Morrison is a writer\/photographer for CNET, Forbes, and The New York Times. He also the Editor-at-large for The Wirecutter. He has written for Sound&Vision magazine, Home Theater magazine, and was the Editor in Chief of Home Entertainment magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Television\/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling novel, <a website and its sequel, Undersea Atrophia, are available in paperback and as an ebook on Amazon. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com.","title":null,"socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"TechWriterGeoff","twitter":"TechWriterGeoff","googlePlus":"+GeoffreyMorrison914","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"a6f98612-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user","topic":"id":"1bf2fd92-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","slug":"tvs","dateCreated":"date":"-0001-11-30 00:00:00","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"editions":"data":["topic":"1bf2fd92-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","edition":"key":"au","label":"AU","prefix":"au\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_AU","locales":["en-au"],"timezone":"Australia\/Sydney","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy, h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"AUD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","id":"132f7057-5bfe-475f-850c-6782cbc8c04d","typeName":"content_topic_edition","topic":"1bf2fd92-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","edition":"key":"us","label":"US","prefix":"","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_US","locales":["en-us"],"timezone":"America\/Los_Angeles","dateFormat":"MMMM d, yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"MMMM d, yyyy","short_date":"MMM d, yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"USD","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","id":"a50604cb-f43f-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","typeName":"content_topic_edition","topic":"1bf2fd92-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","edition":"key":"uk","label":"UK","prefix":"uk\/","lang":"en","translationLocale":"en_GB","locales":["en-gb","en-ie"],"timezone":"Europe\/London","dateFormat":"d MMMM yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d MMMM yyyy","short_date":"d MMM yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","month_year":"MMM yyyy","currency_name":"GBP","hasDfll":true,"showShareCounts":"true","id":"e79c4311-04af-4cd6-b339-298a9be879c4","typeName":"content_topic_edition","topic":"1bf2fd92-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","edition":"key":"es","label":"Espa\u00f1ol","prefix":"es\/","lang":"es","translationLocale":"es_US","locales":["es-us","es-ar","es-bo","es-cl","es-co","es-cr","es-cu","es-do","es-ec","es-sv","es-gt","es-hn","es-mx","es-ni","es-pa","es-py","es-pe","es-pr","es-es","es-uy","es-ve"],"timezone":"America\/Los_Angeles","dateFormat":"d \u0027de\u0027 MMMM \u0027de\u0027 yyyy h:mm a z","metadata":"long_date":"d \u0027de\u0027 MMMM \u0027de\u0027 yyyy","short_date":"d\/M\/yyyy","time":"h:mm a z","currency_name":"USD","hasDfll":false,"showShareCounts":"false","id":"ecc863c6-0ac2-11e3-a1a0-0017a43b40ac","typeName":"content_topic_edition"],"paging":"total":4,"limit":15,"offset":0,"name":"TVs","titleTag":null,"canonicalUrl":null,"noIndex":false,"seoHeadline":null,"seoMetaDescription":null,"seoNewsKeywords":null,"relAlternate":null,"relHreflang":null,"relNext":null,"relPrev":null,"seoTwitterTitle":null,"seoTwitterCreator":null,"seoTwitterImage":null,"seoTwitterDescription":null,"seoOgImage":null,"seoOgTitle":null,"typeName":"content_topic","authors":["username":"GeoffMorrison","email":"gomorrison@gmail.com","image":"id":"710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759","filename":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","dateCreated":"date":"2011-10-17 12:34:31","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3,"alt":"headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","credits":"","path":"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/-30xh7L4wcan-xBMBSV9TUZyUxk=\/2011\/10\/17\/710ff231-8ae8-11e2-9400-029118418759\/headshots_Geoffrey_Morrison_140x100.jpg","cropGravity":0,"crop":null,"caption":"","typeName":"content_image","firstName":"Geoffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Morrison","authorBio":"Geoffrey Morrison is a writer\/photographer for CNET, Forbes, and The New York Times. He also the Editor-at-large for The Wirecutter. He has written for Sound&Vision magazine, Home Theater magazine, and was the Editor in Chief of Home Entertainment magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Television\/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling novel, <a website and its sequel, Undersea Atrophia, are available in paperback and as an ebook on Amazon. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com.","title":null,"socialProfileIds":"facebookProfile":null,"facebookPage":"TechWriterGeoff","twitter":"TechWriterGeoff","googlePlus":"+GeoffreyMorrison914","instagram":null,"suppressProfile":false,"id":"a6f98612-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","typeName":"user_user"],"wordCount":2137,"objectId":"82e86e34-8c86-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d","sequence":1,"time":200, How To","time":203,"image":null,"id":"e0eb3dab-93a9-11e3-a24e-d4ae52e62bcc","typeName":"content_video_version_chapter"],"paging":"total":3,"limit":15,"offset":0,"datePublished":"2013-02-14 16:36:08","duration":213,"mpxRefId":"2335253729","ratingVChip":"1","primaryTopic":"id":"1c3d24e4-c387-11e2-8208-0291187b029a","author":"id":"fdbb6182-8175-11e2-9d12-0018fe8a00b0","firstName":"Sharon","lastName":"Profis","primaryCollection":"id":"043b8a15-f01d-441a-8401-7db7466c3747","title":"How To website
David Katzmaier/CNET
Start with the right picture mode
Sarah Tew/CNET
Backlight/OLED light
Contrast
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Brightness
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Sharpness
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Color and tint
Geoffrey Morrison
Color temperature/white balance
Motion interpolation/smoothing (the soap opera effect)
David Katzmaier/CNET
Game mode
Further steps
Watch this:
Calibrate your TV by eye
As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of <a website museums and locations around the world, including <a website submarines, <a website aircraft carriers, <a website castles, <a website graveyards and more.
You can follow his exploits on Instagram and YouTube, and on his travel blog, BaldNomad. He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-sized submarines, along with a sequel.
