Question Up to 50” tv needed

How will I know whether I’m watching HDR or not? I thought sky were supposed to me broadcasting HDR by now. The TV will for a while be right next to my router. Should I connect in by Ethernet or WiFi? The stand has been built, the tv arrives on Friday.
 
The Sky box is certainly capable of HDR but that doesn't mean the Netflix app will work with it. You'd have to try and see.

Should be easy to tell since the picture modes change between HDR and SDR. If you change picture modes and can only choose between Dolby Vision ones then HDR is working. If the picture modes are standard and not Dolby Vision then its not HDR.

Ethernet connection is always more reliable than WiFi if you can do it.
 
How do you know which picture mode is being used? I’m assuming the manual will tell me how to copy settings over. Will the integrated button on the remote be the same as setting an app up as using it? I’m assuming that I will assign a picture mode to each input and it will be chosen dependent on whether it’s a SDR or HDR signal.
 
Looks like Netflix is available on sky q, says it has been from November. I’ve also read that I need a 2.0 hdmi lead to get HDR. Is that correct and if so how do I tell if I have it?
 
You hit the menu button on the remote, go to picture settings and there you can see the picture preset.

The Netflix button on the remote just launches the Netflix app on the TV without you manually having to find it from your list of apps.

It's pretty straightforward, the reason a lot of stuff isn't explained in manuals now is because it should be intuitive to pick up when you actually get the TV and spend some time using it.

Netflix is certainly available on Sky Q but I'm not sure HDR will work with it. You also need to make sure you have Netflix premium plan to watch content in UHD and HDR.
 
Well the tv is in and looks v impressive. One thing I have noticed is that it doesn’t look as sharp as my 37” Bravia. On that you get immense detail. This looks a little unfocused. I’ve followed the custom setting as shown on rtings and also using sport and cinema setting. Any suggestions please? Update, looks better now but some of the settings seem way too low. The brightness on 9 is v dark. I've upped that to 35 but watching the queens gambit via the netflix app on dolby vision also seems dark.
 

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Hey buddy glad you are impressed with the TV! HD stuff won't look as sharp as a native display because it has to be upscaled a lot more on a 4k TV, 4k is 4x the pixels of HD, so stuff has to be 'stretched' more you can experiment with the reality creation setting when using content that isn't UHD yet to try and bring out some extra sharpness.

When you use SDR content like regular Sky TV you'll want to adjust the backlight appropriate to your rooms lighting, or using the automatic light sensor. The rtings.com suggestion will be based on a dark room, and may not be the same for your living room. Don't worry about it being too low or too high, it won't affect image accuracy.

As for HDR content like the Queen's Gambit on Netflix, backlight must always be on the maximum setting, as HDR is designed to deliver bright, spectacular highlights. If the picture is still dim, you can try raising the contrast enhancer setting, or even gamma.

You should use one preset for all SDR, whether its sport, regular TV or even streaming. I'd use the custom one rtings.com suggest. For Dolby Vision HDR content, try using Dolby Vision bright instead of Dolby Vision dark if you are watching in bright conditions. HDR is all about contrast, so will look best with the lights off.
 
I’ve got the light sensor off at the moment as per rtings.com. Some pictures look brighter than others though. When I turn it on using UHD via sky I have to put it to max otherwise it’s too dark. They suggest 9 on brightness, on custom SDR it’s at 25!! The brightness setting is the backlight isn’t it?
Would you recommend getting a picture to your brightness level the switching the light sensor on?
 
The brightness setting is the backlight yes. rtings.com disabled the light sensor for calibration measurements, you don't have to keep it disabled. You can set brightness as you wish for SDR. If its too dim, raise it. It won't mean the picture is less accurate if you do so.

With HDR the light sensor needs to be off and brightness on full. The TV should default to max brightness on each preset when using HDR.

Part of the problem with getting used to a new TV is the swap between HDR and SDR, HDR is very, very bright, so going back to SDR can be very dim by comparison. You'll find you probably end up watching SDR a lot brighter than you used to because of this.
 
Im currently watching sky sports UHD and it was barely bright enough at max brightness in a darkened room so I turned the sensor off and the brightness is now on 16.

Netflix is available on hdr via sky am I better with my custom settings to watch it or go through the app and use Dolby vision? My custom setting isn’t available when watching the Netflix app and even the bright setting seems quite dark.
 
Ah you meant the light sensor is making the picture too dark. You can set it manually if you want, it doesn't matter either way.

I don't know if Sky have Dolby Vision HDR working yet, you can try it and see. It may just be HDR10 via the Sky box.

I'd use the built in app for Netflix. Make sure brightness is on full when you use it. Make sure light sensor is disabled when you use it.

Each preset can be chosen based on SDR or HDR, so your custom preset won't be available when you watch HDR content like Dolby Vision. I'd use Dolby Vision bright and make sure the backlight is full, you can also try the things I suggested in my last post like raising contrast enhancer or gamma.
 
I've set it manually but the light can vary in the lounge and more so when the TV goes into the conservatory so wanted to set the light sensor but it made the TV darker than i wanted it even at the maximum of 50!!

Sky dont have dolby vision available yet, just HDR10. The next series i watch will be through the app on Dolby bright. Not sure if you will know this but i have a Sony blu ray player which is a few years old. I presume that this is only transmitting 1080p.

BTW, i hope you arent against organised religion. We have just been for a walk in our village and i donated £10 on youe behalf to the church choir who were singing christmas carols. again for all the advice you have given me its the least i can do.
 
They should let you configure the light sensor, it would be useful. It's the same on my TV.
Yes the Sony Blu-Ray is probably a HD only model. It will work fine but if you want to play the latest UHD Blu-Rays you'll need a newer UHD Player.

Thank you and that's a kind gesture. I am happy to have helped you.
 
I’m very grateful that you have helped me and you may have more to do if I buy and the tv when this one goes into the conservatory!!

One thing I can’t work out to do is how to copy custom settings from one input to another. I’ve googled it and looked through the instructions. Do you have any idea please?
 
If the option isn't there at the bottom of the picture settings options then it can't be done. My Hisense TV has an option to 'apply to all inputs'.

If its not available, you'll have to take a photo or similar and copy them over manually to each input.

Hope you had a nice Christmas!
 
Had a great Christmas thanks, hope you did too. Have been watching the crown in HDR Dolby Vision and very good it is too. Ive read back on a couple of your comments. I've had the HDR logo come up when watching things on sky and its stayed in the custom setting albeit with some automatic setting changes. I presume that this means its HDR but a different system to dolby.

Also, and i know that this is subjective, but i currently have the TV wired into my hifi via the headphone output. The amp and speakers are very good, both cost more than the TV. Would the sound be significantly better if i get a small DAC and use that through the optical outlet? Also would a reasonable soundbar sound better than both? And as a final, i've installed a sound base to my in laws tv but it has never really worked properly for either their Sony TV with either sky or blu ray. I know that some of the Tv settings need to be changed, where would i find out what to change please, do you know? The instruction book is very poor.
 
I've had the HDR logo come up when watching things on sky and its stayed in the custom setting albeit with some automatic setting changes. I presume that this means its HDR but a different system to dolby.
I think Sky use HLG HDR on their HDR content, some may also be HDR10. There's different settings based on which type of HDR is being used, so its correct behavior yes.
Would the sound be significantly better if i get a small DAC and use that through the optical outlet?
I expect it would if you have a decent sound setup. The DAC from TVs will be pretty poor. Also depends on the DAC you buy, cheap ones may not be an improvement at all but ones from this list I'm sure will be:

For TV watching and movies though, I'm not sure its worth it compared to music.
Also would a reasonable soundbar sound better than both?
For movie and TV watching it should be, not for music. Depends also how much you spend and how good your existing speakers are.
And as a final, i've installed a sound base to my in laws tv but it has never really worked properly for either their Sony TV with either sky or blu ray. I know that some of the Tv settings need to be changed, where would i find out what to change please, do you know? The instruction book is very poor.
What make/model is the soundbase and TV?
How did you connect things up?
 
Well i'm 4 series into the crown now. I'm watching on the native app in Dolby bright vision and the interior scenes seem quite dull to be honest. Its a great picture but certainly doesnt look too bright. This is with the backlight automatically set to maximum. The outdoor scenes look fabulous. I guess that the tv is set up correctly and ive been watching it too brightly before.

The in laws TV is a Sony KDL40W6058. the sound base is a q acoustics M2. Its been set up with hdmi and optical before. They have sky q and a sony blu ray player. I've set it up before but it got a bit changed somehow and couldnt get sound out of it again. Currently its unassembled. Any advice on what to do to get both the TV and blu working please. My father in law has dementia so the easiest way to get it working would be best if you can help please.
 
I don't think the Crown being dark is down to the TV, but the programming. They master a lot of HDR content in darkness, so its not uncommon for it to seem dark. Some are better than others. The entire Disney collection also suffers from the same problem. If the TV has the backlight on full its working as intended.

With your in-laws, connect HDMI 2 from the TV to the sound base. After connecting up, and both devices are powered on, in the settings of the TV make sure the TV is set to output to the soundbar and not the TV speakers.
Last step is to make sure 'Auto Surround' is turned off on the TV because the soundbar will only receiver 2ch PCM and not 5.1 audio.

Useful parts of the manual:


The HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) function is called 'Bravia Sync' by Sony. So you want to read about that in the manual. The manual refers to an 'AV Receiver' but this functionality is the same as a sound base. Toggle on the options you want enabled like automatically controlling soundbar volume, powering on with the TV, power off with the TV etc.

If you have no luck setting up bravia sync, first be sure to you have the Auto Surround turned off, and if that is definitely off, try instead connecting the sound base via an optical connection instead.

The Sky Q box and Blu-Ray player should be connected also to the TV via HDMI, but not port 2. Port 2 must be the soundbase if you are using ARC to return audio back to the soundbase.
 
Thanks for the advice. If i'm ever allowed to visit them again i'll have a go. Will this work for the blu ray player as well without having to attach anything to it? If this fails can i simply use the red and white RCA outputs to get the sound to the sound base.

Hope you had a good new year and many thanks again for the help you have given me over the past few weeks.
 
If you mean the RCA from Blu-Ray player to soundbar yes, you can do that. Just have to make sure the Blu-Ray player is set to use these for its sound rather than HDMI in the settings.

For the sake of simplicity though if it all works through the TV it would be better, if you plug the Blu-Ray player via RCA directly into the sound base then they will have to control volume using the soundbase remote control and can't use the TV remote to control it any more.

Thanks, hope you had a good new year too. Mine was quiet, but relaxing. Here's to a better year :beer:
 
Great thanks for this. I’ll have a look later. The picture setting come up as Dolby vision when we watch say the crown, is that the same as Netflix calibrated mode?
 
The netflix calibrated mode is set at off, we are watching netflix either with my custom settings or dolby vision. Are these the best ways to watch it please? And the good news is we have measured up our lounge and when the current TV goes into the conservatory she is willing to have a 55" in the lounge as its only 13cm wider than the 49" and as you say its a far better value to have a 55" and they have more features. Will no doubt i'll be asking which one to get shortly. I must admit im minded to stick with Sony. I'll have the choice of LED or OLED and the new range will be out by then. Big decisions!!
 
Yep that's right. Custom will be used when Netflix isn't HDR, and when it is, Dolby Vision will be used.

55" is certainly good news, much more choice, much better prices, much better features at larger sizes!
 

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