TV Settings

[doctemple]

I finally gave in and bought a 40 inch Samsung HDTV ("Smart TV"). It hasn't been delivered yet and I am dying to see The Show on it. I have never played the game in high definition. I was wondering if any of you who have a Samsung or similar tv and could give me some suggestions on picture/screen settings. I know you have to experiment, but I am looking for some starting points. Also, I do not have cable, so I will have to stream off the Internet. Any of you stream MLB games and, if so, how? Thanks!!!

[godylla]

Re: TV Settings

Honestly, when I got my Samsung, I just plugged in my PS3 and started playing and tweeked from there (brightness, sharpness etc.). As far as streaming MLB games, if you have a good internet connection you should have no problem in streaming in HD. A hard connection would usually yield the best results with streaming, but I have had no issues reaching HD quality with the NHL streaming service and a wireless connection. Enjoy HD, sir! Your opinion on all your games will change once played in HD.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: TV Settings

If your TV has a gaming mode, use it.

Also, turn off all filters and processors (noise reduction, etc).

I do not know the lag rate on your specific TV but since this is a timing based game, anything standing between your console/the image on the screen/your input will put you at a noticeable disadvantage compared to gaming in SD.

AVS Forums is also a good place to search and ask questions about matters such as these.

Now that we've got that out of the way, get ready to behold. I remember when I upgraded my TV specifically for The Show. It was jaw dropping.

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

Honestly, when I got my Samsung, I just plugged in my PS3 and started playing and tweeked from there (brightness, sharpness etc.). As far as streaming MLB games, if you have a good internet connection you should have no problem in streaming in HD. A hard connection would usually yield the best results with streaming, but I have had no issues reaching HD quality with the NHL streaming service and a wireless connection. Enjoy HD, sir! Your opinion on all your games will change once played in HD.

Thanks! I have been playing The Show on old TVs since 2006. I am sure the difference will be astounding! I saw where you can get a MLB streaming package for $79 that covers the whole season. My Internet is wireless so I think I will try it. Do you play EA Sports NHL 14? I see that it gets good reviews.

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

If your TV has a gaming mode, use it.

Also, turn off all filters and processors (noise reduction, etc).

I do not know the lag rate on your specific TV but since this is a timing based game, anything standing between your console/the image on the screen/your input will put you at a noticeable disadvantage compared to gaming in SD.

AVS Forums is also a good place to search and ask questions about matters such as these.

Now that we've got that out of the way, get ready to behold. I remember when I upgraded my TV specifically for The Show. It was jaw dropping.

Thanks Heroes! Good suggestions! I think my tv has a 120 hz refresh rate. I don't know if that is what you mean by lag rate. Now if I can just save up enough money to get a PS4!!!

[dj will]

Re: TV Settings

I'm not sure if you are getting a newer model, but I had mine for about 3 years, and gaming mode really helps with lag issues, however everything is pretty much straight forward as long as you use an hdmi cable, I would suggest to use an amp instead of the tv stock audio, the game sounds way much better with the amp if you have one.

[seanjeezy]

Re: TV Settings

Just picked up a 40" Samsung myself during Black Friday, if you know the model # I might be able to help you out with the calibration. For input lag, if you go to this website you can see how much input lag your TV has. I have the UN40F5500 and its been great so far, the trick with Samsung TVs is to not use game mode but instead change the labels of your HDMI ports to "PC". I believe PC mode turns off most of the post-processing effects for you, and you are still able to edit picture quality as well. Some models are fine just using game mode, but I would err on the safe side and just use PC mode since the amount of lag will always be equal to or less than game mode.

Edit:

OK, I see you mentioned 120HZ so you probably have the 6300 model - you absolutely need to enable PC mode to ensure the lowest amount of lag possible.

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

Just picked up a 40" Samsung myself during Black Friday, if you know the model # I might be able to help you out with the calibration. For input lag, if you go to this website you can see how much input lag your TV has. I have the UN40F5500 and its been great so far, the trick with Samsung TVs is to not use game mode but instead change the labels of your HDMI ports to "PC". I believe PC mode turns off most of the post-processing effects for you, and you are still able to edit picture quality as well. Some models are fine just using game mode, but I would err on the safe side and just use PC mode since the amount of lag will always be equal to or less than game mode.

Edit:

OK, I see you mentioned 120HZ so you probably have the 6300 model - you absolutely need to enable PC mode to ensure the lowest amount of lag possible.

Hey Sean, my model is SAUN40EH5300. I would have never thought to use PC mode. Another kind person like you suggested the HDMI cable so I have that as well. Thanks for your help! Hopefully the TV will be here soon.

[Blzer]

Re: TV Settings

1) Buy a DarbeeVision Darblet.
2) Wow yourself.

But seriously, the first thing I'd suggest is whatever preset you use (either use Movie picture preset for all calibration controls enabled or turn on Game Mode), disable anything that seems to be a "processor" if possible. This includes but is not limited to: Dynamic Contrast, Black Tone, Edge Enhancement, Motion Lighting, Digital Noise Filter, MPEG Noise Filter, DNIe, and Motion Judder Canceler. I'm sure if you have an LED there are even more things that you can disable like Local Dimming or something, I'm not sure. This is all meant for having the best response time possible (and really, a calibrated television would have these turned off anyway to get your image as true to the source material as possible).

In Game Mode (and other picture presets not called Movie), some of these things are grayed out and can't be disabled, so you'll have to live with it if it automatically uses it. The reason people suggest Game Mode though is because it tries to suspend as much post-processing as possible to reduce input lag. I have not perceived the difference on any of my four Samsung televisions I have owned (one 2007 LCD, one 2011 plasma, one 2013 plasma, and one 2013 low-end LED monitor), but it is what it is I guess. Input lag varies set-to-set, too. My 2011 Sammy plasma has the best response time of all of these by far, by the way.

Also, try turning Sharpness all the way down to zero and see if it doesn't appear too soft. If it doesn't, that's a fine setting to leave it on. I couldn't possibly see Sharpness any higher than 10. Contrast starts to show pinking in the whites when above 95, so I'd settle between 85 - 95 for that. Try maximizing Cell Light (at 20 I believe) and lower Brightness from there until your shadow detail starts crushing, then keep it one notch above that. It might be as low as 35 or as high as 55 that you need it at because sets vary. I'd also probably just keep Gamma and Flesh Tone at 0. I wouldn't throw the Color option anywhere lower than 48 or higher than 50, so just leave it at 50. It's already in the right place. The rest of the "tweaking options" you're asking about are really just about the white and color balances anyway; this includes Tint and Tone as well. If a Warm option seems off, try Standard. I wouldn't recommend Cool though.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Oh yeah, and what I meant by DarbeeVision Darblet is if you want your stuff to pop a bit more, this little device will help across all of your sources. This YouTube video does not do the thing justice, but check this out if you want to see an example what kind of detail it can bring out in your baseball title:


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aY-Vp9g1wIc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

1) Buy a DarbeeVision Darblet.
2) Wow yourself.

But seriously, the first thing I'd suggest is whatever preset you use (either use Movie picture preset for all calibration controls enabled or turn on Game Mode), disable anything that seems to be a "processor" if possible. This includes but is not limited to: Dynamic Contrast, Black Tone, Edge Enhancement, Motion Lighting, Digital Noise Filter, MPEG Noise Filter, DNIe, and Motion Judder Canceler. I'm sure if you have an LED there are even more things that you can disable like Local Dimming or something, I'm not sure. This is all meant for having the best response time possible (and really, a calibrated television would have these turned off anyway to get your image as true to the source material as possible).

In Game Mode (and other picture presets not called Movie), some of these things are grayed out and can't be disabled, so you'll have to live with it if it automatically uses it. The reason people suggest Game Mode though is because it tries to suspend as much post-processing as possible to reduce input lag. I have not perceived the difference on any of my four Samsung televisions I have owned (one 2007 LCD, one 2011 plasma, one 2013 plasma, and one 2013 low-end LED monitor), but it is what it is I guess. Input lag varies set-to-set, too. My 2011 Sammy plasma has the best response time of all of these by far, by the way.

Also, try turning Sharpness all the way down to zero and see if it doesn't appear too soft. If it doesn't, that's a fine setting to leave it on. I couldn't possibly see Sharpness any higher than 10. Contrast starts to show pinking in the whites when above 95, so I'd settle between 85 - 95 for that. Try maximizing Cell Light (at 20 I believe) and lower Brightness from there until your shadow detail starts crushing, then keep it one notch above that. It might be as low as 35 or as high as 55 that you need it at because sets vary. I'd also probably just keep Gamma and Flesh Tone at 0. I wouldn't throw the Color option anywhere lower than 48 or higher than 50, so just leave it at 50. It's already in the right place. The rest of the "tweaking options" you're asking about are really just about the white and color balances anyway; this includes Tint and Tone as well. If a Warm option seems off, try Standard. I wouldn't recommend Cool though.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Oh yeah, and what I meant by DarbeeVision Darblet is if you want your stuff to pop a bit more, this little device will help across all of your sources. This YouTube video does not do the thing justice, but check this out if you want to see an example what kind of detail it can bring out in your baseball title:


<iframe height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aY-Vp9g1wIc" frameBorder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

Wow! Thank you so much for going to the trouble of writing such a thorough response! If I ever get my TV I will certainly try all the things that you folks have suggested. I do plan to stream MLB games this season, if I employ the settings you are talking about, how will that effect what I see when I am not playing The Show (I do not have cable, only wireless Internet)? Also, the youtube video, is that The Show 13 footage? I have never seen any of that in any of the Show games I have been playing since 2006!

Thanks again to all of you for your help. This is an example of why I love this forum!

[Blzer]

Re: TV Settings

Wow! Thank you so much for going to the trouble of writing such a thorough response! If I ever get my TV I will certainly try all the things that you folks have suggested. I do plan to stream MLB games this season, if I employ the settings you are talking about, how will that effect what I see when I am not playing The Show (I do not have cable, only wireless Internet)? Also, the youtube video, is that The Show 13 footage? I have never seen any of that in any of the Show games I have been playing since 2006!

Thanks again to all of you for your help. This is an example of why I love this forum!

That's from The Show '12. I wish I could send you the original uncompressed file where it's running at 60 frames per second, but I don't think I have it anymore. I'll have to explore my external hard drive.

Your question is a good one, and it depends on how picky you are with settings as well as how okay you are with switching in and out of Game Mode. The thing about Game Mode is it acts just like any other preset in that it has its own picture settings, so if you're like me and you luck out on a television that has minimal input lag and you calibrate it, you don't even need to use Game Mode at all and you stick on Movie for video games, movies, and TV (such as streaming baseball).

However, you might end up being somewhere where you want settings for video games then settings for everything else, in which case you'll have to go deep into the menu every time to enable and disable Game Mode. Maybe you have a Harmony remote where one touch can take care of it, or if you're up to the challenge just remember what buttons you have to press on that remote every time.

Anyway, if you're going to stream games on your television, are you going to output them from your laptop? My laptop has an HDMI output so it works perfectly. If yours at least outputs VGA and your television you ordered has a VGA input, you can do that as well. It won't carry sound, though. You'll need some analog cables that plug into the headphone jack for that. It might be a more difficult process than you think. Of course, if you just have MLB.TV your PS3 can stream games just fine, if that's what you're asking to do.

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

That's from The Show '12. I wish I could send you the original uncompressed file where it's running at 60 frames per second, but I don't think I have it anymore. I'll have to explore my external hard drive.

Your question is a good one, and it depends on how picky you are with settings as well as how okay you are with switching in and out of Game Mode. The thing about Game Mode is it acts just like any other preset in that it has its own picture settings, so if you're like me and you luck out on a television that has minimal input lag and you calibrate it, you don't even need to use Game Mode at all and you stick on Movie for video games, movies, and TV (such as streaming baseball).

However, you might end up being somewhere where you want settings for video games then settings for everything else, in which case you'll have to go deep into the menu every time to enable and disable Game Mode. Maybe you have a Harmony remote where one touch can take care of it, or if you're up to the challenge just remember what buttons you have to press on that remote every time.

Anyway, if you're going to stream games on your television, are you going to output them from your laptop? My laptop has an HDMI output so it works perfectly. If yours at least outputs VGA and your television you ordered has a VGA input, you can do that as well. It won't carry sound, though. You'll need some analog cables that plug into the headphone jack for that. It might be a more difficult process than you think. Of course, if you just have MLB.TV your PS3 can stream games just fine, if that's what you're asking to do.

Wow, I didn't see that kind of stuff on MLB 12 either. I mostly play Franchise, manager only mode so maybe that stuff is in exhibition mode or I am clicking past that sort of thing. Love the part where the umpire pats the catcher on the back!!!

This MLB streaming thing is a brave new world to me. To start with I did not want to pay for a "Smart TV" (partly because I did not want a device with something I myself do not have - smarts), but since this TV was even less than others without that feature I was okay with it. But after doing some reading, it seems, if I am correct, that I can stream the MLB package through the PS3 but also, since the TV also hooks up to wireless cable, I was wondering if I even need to run it through the PS3 at all? It is a bit confusing which is why I am thankful to have folks like you on this forum who are patient with such questions. I ordered the TV from a megastore in New York and I still haven't received it. I am sure a lot of questions will be answered by just working with it once it arrives.

[Blzer]

Re: TV Settings

Wow, I didn't see that kind of stuff on MLB 12 either. I mostly play Franchise, manager only mode so maybe that stuff is in exhibition mode or I am clicking past that sort of thing. Love the part where the umpire pats the catcher on the back!!!

Just don't pitch the ball, and it will happen. To be honest, I think it's been in the game for as long as you've had it, even the PS2 versions.

This MLB streaming thing is a brave new world to me. To start with I did not want to pay for a "Smart TV" (partly because I did not want a device with something I myself do not have - smarts), but since this TV was even less than others without that feature I was okay with it. But after doing some reading, it seems, if I am correct, that I can stream the MLB package through the PS3 but also, since the TV also hooks up to wireless cable, I was wondering if I even need to run it through the PS3 at all? It is a bit confusing which is why I am thankful to have folks like you on this forum who are patient with such questions. I ordered the TV from a megastore in New York and I still haven't received it. I am sure a lot of questions will be answered by just working with it once it arrives.

MLB.TV is incredibly worth it, but make sure you know about the MLB blackout policy for local and nationally televised games. Also, I have two Smart TV's (the Samsung plasmas I mentioned earlier) and I never use the Smart features because I let my PS3 handle it all. I think the Samsung F8500 has a fast processor in it though so I might want to try it someday, but I'm wondering whether the user interface is better on the PS3 than Smart TV's. I'm hoping it will be awesome on PS4, but there isn't any information on that yet.

If you could hardwire your PS3, you should unquestionably stream it from there.

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

[quote=Blzer;2045748670]Just don't pitch the ball, and it will happen. To be honest, I think it's been in the game for as long as you've had it, even the PS2 versions.



MLB.TV is incredibly worth it, but make sure you know about the MLB blackout policy for local and nationally televised games. Also, I have two Smart TV's (the Samsung plasmas I mentioned earlier) and I never use the Smart features because I let my PS3 handle it all. I think the Samsung F8500 has a fast processor in it though so I might want to try it someday, but I'm wondering whether the user interface is better on the PS3 than Smart TV's. I'm hoping it will be awesome on PS4, but there isn't any information on that yet.

If you could hardwire your PS3, you should unquestionably stream it from there.[/

Thanks Blzer! Great suggestions!

[doctemple]

Re: TV Settings

I finally gave in and bought a 40 inch Samsung HDTV ("Smart TV"). It hasn't been delivered yet and I am dying to see The Show on it. I have never played the game in high definition. I was wondering if any of you who have a Samsung or similar tv and could give me some suggestions on picture/screen settings. I know you have to experiment, but I am looking for some starting points. Also, I do not have cable, so I will have to stream off the Internet. Any of you stream MLB games and, if so, how? Thanks!!!

Good news - the TV arrived today. Bad news - I don't get home until Friday! Haven't had a TV hooked up to my ps3 in over a week. No Show 13. I am having frickin' withdawal - foaming at the mouth, twitching, double-vision (with no stat overlay), etc. !!!!! Tried playing the game without a TV or monitor hooked to the ps3 but it just wasn't the same (though I think my hitting improved!) !!