[BUG] Serious black clipping / gamma issue on Galaxy Notes

[paleh0rse]

In the AT&T ICS leak for the Note, it appears they raised the black level from (0, 0, 0) to (6, 6, 6). Initial reports indicate that this has slightly improved video playback in apps like Netflix and YouTube, but it did not eliminate the black clipping issue altogether.

The clipping simply occurs between 7 and 6 now, rather than between 1 and 0.

 

[jamesbecker79]

Ummm.....any problem that requires watching a specific video in a dark room doesn't sound like too huge an issue to me. (Ref the first linked XDA thread).

 

[paleh0rse]

Ummm.....any problem that requires watching a specific video in a dark room doesn't sound like too huge an issue to me. (Ref the first linked XDA thread).

The problem is always there -- it's simply easier to demonstrate in a darker room. With most Notes, the room doesn't have to be completely dark to clearly see the problem, just "darker."

Feel free to dismiss it or downplay it if you don't see it with however you choose to use the phone...

 

[PaulF]

Ummm.....any problem that requires watching a specific video in a dark room doesn't sound like too huge an issue to me. (Ref the first linked XDA thread).

Reminds me of the time a lady complained about a nude beach on Cedar Lake in Minneapolis. When they pointed out she couldn't see the beach, she said "I can see it if I stand on the corner of my deck with binoculars...".

 

[paleh0rse]

Reminds me of the time a lady complained about a nude beach on Cedar Lake in Minneapolis. When they pointed out she couldn't see the beach, she said "I can see it if I stand on the corner of my deck with binoculars...".

One would have to be blind (or live in a Best Buy showroom?) to not see this problem on their Note if they ever attempt to view photos, Netflix, YouTube, or other media that contain dark scenes.

Or, they could work for Samsung... I guess that's always an option?

Maybe you guys don't care if your Netflix movies look like 8-bit Atari games, but myself and countless others do...

 

[jontalk]

While I don't own a Note I have to agree with Palehorse.. If it looks like a rose and smells like a rose.. guess what?

It's a rose. In this case though, it's a serious FLAW. And I know all you guys love your G Note, but as someone deliberating over what phone I will get next, I'm not feeling good about this flaw since part of the reason for such a big screen is to WATCH videos or all types. If I found this flaw in my Panasonic 1080p plasma, they would eat it!

My $.02

 

[mavrrick]

First I think if you are getting this phone for the purpose of watching movies that is a bit rediculous. It is nice to be able to, but I didn't even test it until I saw what Palehorse posted. I enjoy all of the other benifits the bigger HD screen brings for other functionality.

With that said i have tested it though, and my note does experience the black clipping issue, but it seems under certain circumtstances. it is strange that i can be at home with the lights dimmed and can see it all over the place, yet at my office the same video hardly shows it.

I would also point out though that of all of the video's i have that i have tested only one showed it at all. maybe it is because of how the video was encoded, but the issue wasn't there.

Clearly there is room for improvement, but it is important to use a proper perspective when looking at things like this.

 

[paleh0rse]

First I think if you are getting this phone for the purpose of watching movies that is a bit rediculous...

Says who? You?! I personally watch full-length shows and movies on this device every day during my three hour commutes to and from work -- and it genuinely sucks when some of the videos look like crap thanks to this flaw.

It also sucks when you try to take a photo at night, or in a dark room, and the screen doesn't accurately display what you're shooting. My black and white pets look like black and white blobs on this screen!

It also sucks when HD wallpapers with dark transitions look like 8-bit sketches.

I'm pretty damn sure owners who use this phone for HD multimedia are not in the minority.

That said, if this issue was a deal-breaker, I would have returned it when I had a chance.

It's not, so I didn't.

The intent of this post, as well as the thousands of related posts on XDA, is to draw attention to the issue in order to find a fix from Samsung itself, or the community. Period.

 

[Teseract]

It's a little better in the ICS leak, but the "fix" is just to crush to black higher up. If you look at a test gradient like this:

http://www.moparhowto.com/gradient.png

... you can see on a computer monitor down to like, 14-15 before it fades slowly to black.

On the G-Note, 21-11 are one color and plainly visible, and 10-7 are a little grayer, then it's suddenly pitch black from 1-6 on ICS. This masks the issue but doesn't eliminate it. Videos look a bit better but anything dark is still obviously not right.

On Gingerbread it's the same color all the way down to 1. Essentially, on the G-note, you either get a couple shades of gray or pitch black with nothing in between.

 

[mavrrick]

Is it a issue certainly, but tryig to make a moutain out of a ant hill possibly.

 

[paleh0rse]

Is it a issue certainly, but tryig to make a moutain out of a ant hill possibly.

you obviously don't use your phone the same way a lot of us do, but why do you keep downplaying the issue for those of us who do suffer from it more often?

 

[PaulF]

One would have to be blind (or live in a Best Buy showroom?) to not see this problem on their Note if they ever attempt to view photos, Netflix, YouTube, or other media that contain dark scenes.

Or, they could work for Samsung... I guess that's always an option?

Maybe you guys don't care if your Netflix movies look like 8-bit Atari games, but myself and countless others do...

Or maybe my Note doesn't have the problem. The "star field" vid on my Note looks exactly the same as on my PC. I still don't get it.

 

[paleh0rse]

Or maybe my Note doesn't have the problem. The "star field" vid on my Note looks exactly the same as on my PC. I still don't get it.

Do the proper gamma test from the second link in the OP.

 

[Thor20003]

Hi, first post here. We have two G-Notes, so I compared my note to my wife's side by side and found that hers had issues playing the moving starfield video but mine looked very good. I updated all of her apps, which included Flash to version 11, and retried it. Now hers is working as well as mine. So if you have not updated all of you apps, give that a try before exchanging. I did not look to see which other apps were included in the updates but it seems to have helped. It updated about 10 different apps.

I hope this may help some of you having the issue.

Thanks

 

[paleh0rse]

Hi, first post here. We have two G-Notes, so I compared my note to my wife's side by side and found that hers had issues playing the moving starfield video but mine looked very good. I updated all of her apps, which included Flash to version 11, and retried it. Now hers is working as well as mine. So if you have not updated all of you apps, give that a try before exchanging. I did not look to see which other apps were included in the updates but it seems to have helped. It updated about 10 different apps.

I hope this may help some of you having the issue.

Thanks

please find a darker room abd do the proper gamma test using the instructions and test image found in the second link in the OP.

Report back with your findings. Better yet, post photographs (NOT screenshots!)...

 

[Thor20003]

It does not get any darker than the room I was in. No windows, door closed, lights out. I also did the number chart previously and it looks fine also.

Thanks

 

[PaulF]

Do the proper gamma test from the second link in the OP.

I may be getting it finally.

I tried it with Quick Pic and it failed.
PS Express worked fine.

http://market.android.com/search?q=pname:com.adobe.psmobile

 

[paleh0rse]

It does not get any darker than the room I was in. No windows, door closed, lights out. I also did the number chart previously and it looks fine also.

Thanks

looks "fine," how? what's the lowest number grey box you can see before it changes to black?

Yours would only be the second Note, of thousands tested, that supposedly doesn't suffer from pronounced clipping; so, a photo would be great.

 

[PaulF]

looks "fine," how? what's the lowest number grey box you can see before it changes to black?

Yours would only be the second Note, of thousands tested, that supposedly doesn't suffer from pronounced clipping; so, a photo would be great.

Please read my post again. fail=>clipped. Please try Photo Shop Express. Now that I know what is going on, I will have some thoughts(wild guesses) on what I think is happening if PS Express works for you.

I do not read XDA unless forced to. For instance, your link has 11 pages of works for me or not. The post that really ticks me off is, "Thanks I'll try it when I get home". Only one person out the thousands that read that cares, if that.

This turning out to be interesting.

 

[paleh0rse]

Please read my post again. fail=>clipped. Please try Photo Shop Express. Now that I know what is going on, I will have some thoughts(wild guesses) on what I think is happening if PS Express works for you.

I do not read XDA unless forced to. For instance, your link has 11 pages of works for me or not. The post that really ticks me off is, "Thanks I'll try it when I get home". Only one person out the thousands that read that cares, if that.

This turning out to be interesting.

You can skip all the PS Express stuff -- you're barking up the wrong tree.

supercurio, an n7000 owner and dev, has already dug into the kernel on that version of the Note and discovered Samsung's poorly coded gamma implementation (the actual chipset interaction). He stated that he may be able to fix it once Samsung releases the ICS source for the n7000. He may also be willing to port the fix to the AT&T model if we send him one.

Here's a more technical discussion to bring you up to speed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1430847