why do some hdtv/blu ray player combinations look better than others?

[marc]

I have been trying to set up a home theater (hdtv + blu ray player) system that will be eye catching, colors and graphics popping to the eye and with the best, sharpest resolution such that it would seem the person on the tv looks like he's in the same room with you. I have seen displays in Best Buys, Circuit City, etc. They were incredible, the colors popped out, the graphics and details of people were 10 times more life like then if they were in the same room as you.

I attempted to duplicate this quality. I bought an HDTV with what I thought were some of the best options you can choose - a Resolution of 1080P, a contrast resolution of 10,000 to 1, and I bought a Sylvania Blu Ray Player. I am also using the recomended HDMI Cable.

The picture is pretty good. However it is not nearly as fetching as the picture in the store. It has a grainy appearance at times (maybe because I'm sitting just 4 feet away from the 37 inch screen) The colors aren't popping as much, but more importantly, the blu ray dvds that I'm watching are not showing me a picture in which the people in the movie look 10x better than if they were in the same room with me (like how the one in the store appeared). I thought 10,000 to one was an excellent contrast ratio, and the TV is a Sharp, a name brand. I thought Sylvania (though not a name brand) was a good enough Blu Ray to deliver great picture. It has output capability of up to 1080P24.

The only things that I can think of are: maybe the setup in the store has an HDTV with like 5 billion to 1 contrast ratio? Does the brand name of the Blu Ray player make a significant difference?

Hope someone can help my nip thisone in the bud once and for all. Thanks!
I should also add that I have tested some of the best (recently made, visually stunning) Blu Ray DVDs in there and they don't look nearly as good as the store system on display.

 

[peterd]

If you are trying to duplicate the store, then you must buy the TV you see in the store and leave the settings as they are. However, it should be noted that most TVs ship to the store with what's called "torch mode" or store room calibrations. What that means is the manufacturers want to attract your eye, so they crank up the brightness and contrast. That way they'll look more stunning in a bright room. But these showrooms aren't where you're watching TV, so it really isn't a fair comparison. Besides, it's impossible to remember how a TV looked on a showroom when comparing how your TV looks in your TV room.

Once you get a TV home you should calibrate it with a calibration disc. I recommend the Digital Video Essentials HD disc (or tweaktv.com) Once you figure out how to work it, your picture quality will improve, sometimes dramatically. But it still won't look like the TVs do on the showroom floor. And that's a good thing because those TVs are not calibrated properly.

A properly calibrated TV will not always look stunning in a flashy way. True color tones, good contrast and the appropriate brightness should render the image as it was meant to be seen. This means if the movie has toned down colors on purpose the TV won't make it look bright and flashy. In other words, a well-calibrated TV will do a good job of presenting the source material the way it was meant to be seen.

Your HDMI cable is probably fine, although retailers often recommend over-priced cables. So you probably paid too much for it. As far as the player goes, there CAN a difference between a really good player and a really bad player. Complex electronics aren't all the same. Some are better than others.

If I were to recommend anything, I'd say take it all back and start over. Get a better TV--a plasma made by Pioneer, Panasonic or Samsung. Get a Blu-ray player made by Sony, Samsung or Panasonic. Look for sales, read the professional and owner reviews.