Calling all Sport of Thrones followers watching Home of The Dragon on HBO: Your TV would possibly profit from a tune-up. The massively anticipated prequel sequence is streaming now in superb 4K HDR, with the second episode accessible beginning tonight. The primary episode, The Heirs of the Dragon, was visually gorgeous, and you might have discovered it darkish in extra methods than one.

Home of the Dragon cinematographer Fabien Wagner additionally directed quite a few GoT episodes — together with the infamously darkish third episode of season 8, The Lengthy Night time
, aka The Battle of Winterfell. When viewers complained
 that they could not observe the motion as a result of the episode regarded too darkish, Wagner blamed the TVs.

“A whole lot of the issue is that lots of people do not know the best way to tune their TVs correctly,” Wagner mentioned in a 2019 interview defending the lighting of the episode. 

Quick-forward to Could of this 12 months, when Wagner posted a Home of the Dragon trailer to his Instagram with the caption “…and it isn’t too darkish!!!!!! Even whenever you watch it in your iPhone in broad daylight 😳🤘.”

Wagner could also be (ahem) throwing shade, however both means I am keen to wager that some viewers will discover elements of Home of the Dragon too murky on their TVs. As CNET’s TV reviewer I’ve watched my share of darkish — er, “cinematic” — scenes and I can let you know he is proper about one factor: An improperly adjusted TV can smash the expertise.

To assist forestall that from taking place to you as you get pleasure from Episode 2, try my ideas under, which have been up to date from however similar to my authentic recommendation.

Flip off the lights

Like just about something on an enormous display screen, Home of the Dragon seems to be greatest when the room is darkish and filled with characters. 

Turning off the lighting in your room is among the greatest methods to enhance the image. Any mild reflecting off the display screen could make darkish scenes tougher to see and even wash out shiny scenes. Attempt to watch at evening, or a minimum of draw the curtains, and switch off as many lights as you possibly can. Should you will need to have some mild within the room, it ought to ideally be ready behind the TV so it does not hit the display screen instantly, and turned down as dim as doable. Bias lighting is your good friend.

Learn extra: Get Rid of Annoying TV Glare With These 5 Methods

Select the Film, Cinema or Calibrated image mode

All TVs have image modes that have an effect on practically each side of the picture: brightness, coloration, gamma, black degree and picture processing, amongst different issues.

Sound complicated? Loosen up, you do not essentially have to regulate any of that stuff individually to get peak image high quality. Probably the most correct image mode on any TV is nearly all the time the one referred to as Cinema (on LG), Customized (Sony), Film (Samsung, TCL) or Calibrated Darkish (Vizio). Merely selecting it can get your TV a lot of the means towards trying its greatest in a darkish room. In case your TV has a Filmmaker mode, that is an amazing alternative, too.

In comparison with modes reminiscent of Customary or Vivid, Film modes can initially look duller and fewer impactful at first. However in nearly each case, they’re going to present essentially the most real looking coloration and be tuned for dim rooms — which typically means decrease mild output, stable distinction and proper shadow element. Film mode is not for everybody, so be happy to cycle by way of the opposite modes, too. Among the greatest TVs have brighter modes which might be nonetheless correct.

Flip off the cleaning soap opera impact

On many TVs, Film modes will maintain one of many least cinematic results intact: the cleaning soap opera impact, which introduces smoothing that makes movement look buttery and fewer filmlike. You may wish to flip it off to protect the 24-frame cadence of Home of the Dragon (and many different stuff). Should you do not imagine me, take Tom Cruise’s phrase for it. 

Not each TV has the video processing that causes the cleaning soap opera impact, so if yours does not, you are within the clear. However most higher-end fashions do, as do loads of fashionable midrange TVs just like the TCL 6-Collection. And sadly, every producer buries it deep within the TV settings menu and calls it one thing totally different. LG calls it “TruMotion,” Samsung “Auto Movement Plus” or “Image Readability,” TCL “Motion smoothing,” Sony “MotionFlow” and Vizio “Movement Management.” This is the best way to discover it and switch it off.

Different settings to strive

Feeling adventurous? Your TV has myriad different settings to mess around with, and lots of have esoteric names and capabilities. Adjusting any of these settings could or could not enhance the picture to your eye, and adjusting them utilizing one scene for reference may make different scenes look worse.

Fortunately, each image mode has a “reset” operate you should use should you go too far and mess one thing up. This is a couple of settings and what they do.

Backlight: This adjusts your LCD TV’s mild output. For darkish rooms you will typically need it low, as a result of having it too excessive can wash out the picture. Notice that some TVs name the backlight setting “Brightness” or, on OLED TVs, “OLED Gentle.”

Brightness: This adjusts the brightness of “black” and shadow element. Growing it might probably make darkish areas just like the backgrounds in The Battle of Winterfell extra seen, however going too excessive can, once more, wash out the picture.

Distinction: This controls shiny particulars, and setting it too excessive can render them invisible. It is often greatest to depart it alone.

Coloration and Tint: Two extra that, a minimum of in Film modes, are often greatest left alone. If something you would possibly wish to transfer coloration a hair up or down if the picture does not look saturated sufficient (or too saturated), however doing so in a single scene can smash one other.

Gamma: There’s often a few settings right here, all of which have an effect on how darkish areas look. We suggest beginning with 2.2.

Native dimming: You probably have an LCD TV with this function (often referred to as one thing annoying like “Xtreme Black Engine Plus” or “Native distinction”) you will need it turned on to extend distinction and enhance black ranges. In most TVs I’ve reviewed, the bottom native dimming setting seems to be greatest, however be happy to cycle by way of the choices.

What about compression artifacts?

Most of the complaints round Sport of Thrones talked about bands alongside the perimeters of sunshine as the military of the lifeless advances, huge blocks of darker coloration because the Dothraki horde recedes into the evening and different points. These identical points would possibly crop up throughout Home of the Dragon, too.

Sadly these points often aren’t the TV’s fault, so that they’re tougher to appropriate. Most are attributable to video compression, the know-how used to ship video streams to your TV, and sometimes there’s nothing you are able to do. At the least not till the Blu-ray comes out. You continue to have a Blu-ray participant, proper?

In some instances you possibly can regulate out these points by making scenes darker, by decreasing the brightness management, for instance. The noise-reduction controls in your TV would possibly assist just a little. 

The problem could be your streaming bandwidth. Attempt reconnecting the system’s Wi-Fi or connecting to your router by wire if doable. The bandwidth coming into your property could be an issue too. Should you can wait a bit, strive watching later, when fewer viewers might be streaming in your neighborhood or nationwide. This is some extra ideas for enhancing streaming.

It doesn’t matter what TV you have got, a couple of tweaks can often make the picture just a little higher, whether or not you are watching Home of the Dragon, Sport of Thrones or another cinematic TV present or film.

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