DNIe processing - why is it bad?


Recommended Posts

Pretty much what it says in the topic. A lot of people online always seem to recommend disabling the DNIe processing on Samsung televisions (is DNIe on any other brands?). I read up on Samsung's website about what it does, and it seems to me like a good thing. So, my question is, why disable it?

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty much what it says in the topic. A lot of people online always seem to recommend disabling the DNIe processing on Samsung televisions (is DNIe on any other brands?). I read up on Samsung's website about what it does, and it seems to me like a good thing. So, my question is, why disable it?

Thanks!

A quick look at the AVSForum (the place to go about these issues) and the argument I see people making about DNIe is that it over-processes the image to the extent that too much near-black information is lost (shadow detail is all crushed to black).

Generally speaking, any "extra" processing done by the manufacturer to "improve" picture quality is usually bad--it pushes the image further from the original source material, usually to impress the uneducated masses. Examples include sharpness and scan velocity modulation (SVM), among many many others. Since the ultimate goal in home theatre quality is an exact representation of the source material (as it was carefully mastered in the studio), any such post-processing that changes the picture is usually a no-no.

That being said, however, it is really up to your viewing preference. Try to get the picture as close as possible to being neutral, but feel free to tweak it to your liking. If you like what DNIe processing does to the picture, and it's subtle enough not to ruin anything, then by all means go for it. Run some test material, or watch a variety of scenes (especially some dark ones) to see what effect DNIe has, and whether it seems to be enhancing the image or degrading it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't turn DNIe off on their LCD's, at least. I'm not 100% sure about the DLP's.

It's good if you take the time to then go in and edit your image preferences. If configured properly, DNIe can give you an AMAZING image for an LC, regardless of what the "pros" may think.

On DLP's and Plasma's, it's a little much and not needed nearly as much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my company's lcds use the equivalent of DNIe, and you can turn it off. i prefer it off, just because i'm in that group of people that want the image as untouched as possible. and at least in our sets, i don't think it's refined enough yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My samsung plasma uses DNIe, the picture looks sharper and clearer, but I agree, some colour detail is lost. You can turn it off too.

The big advantage of DNIe is the enhancement of blacks, which is a weak point for LCD's. Plasmas give very vibrant colors, though, so I really don't think it would be worth it on your set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The big advantage of DNIe is the enhancement of blacks, which is a weak point for LCD's. Plasmas give very vibrant colors, though, so I really don't think it would be worth it on your set.

I'd say it is. It still makes the output picture more vibrant and "alive". Without it, it looks quite dull and blurred. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I have LN-R268W Samsung LCD HDTV and I enjoy Dnie. You don't really have the option to turn it off (though you do get a demo option where half the screen is without dnie and the other with it).

It makes a huge difference (if you use the demo as a comparison). However black levels are not perfect. The black levels have a bluish tint (not grey or anything). But I find it very accurate and not that far from CRT.

There is a feature called "Dynamic Contrast" and I would stay completely away from it. It results in better blacks, but everything else suffers (colours, accuracy, ect).

I have a small question though.. Does anyone know whether or not VGA uses Dnie? Or is it disabled?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think all major manufacturers have image processors on their display. I know Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Thoshiba, Hitachi and JVC does.

I've always felt that image processing was a way to hide some of the quality degredation from compressed SD analog signals, like standard TV. In a way, it tries to recover what was lost during the compression and signal degredation. I've read an article by a Sony engineer which discribes how a processor can try to recreate the original image by referencing other frames, and by looking for common compression artifacts and undoing it.

Some image processors go even further to add "taste" to the picture. Like enhacing blacks and making greens greener and blues bluer.

For DVDs and digital content, you could argue that it is no longer necessary. But then again, they too are compressed, although in a different way from analog signals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blueish blacks? I've never seen that on the Samsung model in question.

Yeah. A slight blueish tint on the blacks. If you look at the screen pitch black you'll see it. I would think from your comments that it's a problem with my TV set but I've seen the exact same thing on the 360 Kiosks, so I know it's fairly common.

But it's not serious, and it's not all the time that you'll notice it. I think it's simply a slight light leakage. Rather then an actual issue with the black levels. But like I said I've seen the same thing on many of those 23" sets so I don't think it's mine..

Might also be a lighting issue.. I don't have too much light in my room, and at an electronics store I'm sure there's far more light.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we have them hooked up properly (the in floor component video feeders BB uses suck and break every other week), they've looked good to me. I haven't seen the tinting you've mentioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we have them hooked up properly (the in floor component video feeders BB uses suck and break every other week), they've looked good to me. I haven't seen the tinting you've mentioned.

Hmm well I don't know what you mean by hooked up properly but.. There is a slight tint. I've noticed though that the tint is more noticeable when your viewing angle is slightly above the set. laying down on my couch and looking at it from there (where my eyes are nearly middle to middle with the set) it isn't quite as apparant.. But it is certainly there. I'm sure I noticed it on the Kiosk's.. You might want to look at a kiosk and you'll see it (Run the Call of Duty 2 demo btw).

Btw funny thing.. While I've notice some colour banding in certain areas in games, Dead or Alive 4 has none, even if you look in every nook and cranny. And it's not like the game uses less colour, in fact it's full of it lmao. And it also has night stages and still nothing. I'm thinking banding might be in the content itself, not the tv set (though the sharper/higher the clarity such as switching to VGA cables = the easier those banding issues are to see). Hell even the 720p videos included with the console seem to have banding, when some dvd's I've played at 720p on my xbox have little or none.

But anyway, even with a slight blue tint it's no big deal. It can be a bit annoying during dark films (when I'm watching at a slightly higher angle), but most of the time it's nothing to complain about.. I'm very happy with this set, and I've had truly had LCD's in the past (a computer monitor from samsung as well full of banding and light leakage on every corner lol).

But I do need to say this again.. VGA looks soo much better then anything I've run through component.. I'm still very curious if Dnie is enabled or disabled when in PC mode..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.