Surely other DVD players are also digital. It is only this Sony DVP-S7000 that has this raised black level for some reason. It is like the player is incapable of outputting the black every other device can.
A good explanation of the issue is that if one were to use a calibration disc, the resulting calibration would only be valid for this player, unlike if the disc was used on another player where the calibration would be valid for any other source.
I would just say it's a bad player, but this is a reference level player that has gotten excellent reviews for its picture quality (and black level!).
The connection is simple composite to a 20" Panasonic tube TV. The component and S-video outputs exhibit the same behavior. The player does not seem to have adjustable black level (though some online sources claim it does). The only way to counteract this is to lower the brightness on the TV to make the black become actual black just for this player.
The review I'm referring to:
http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_...r-11-2000.html.
EDIT: Interestingly, the DVD player that to my eyes has good black level has different numbers for black in the corresponding review:
http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_...er-3-2001.html. I don't know how to make sense of these numbers. Why is there a difference? To my eyes the PS2 has the correct black level. The review mentions "setup" like you do, so I assume you and they are talking about the same thing.
EDIT 2: The review says:
Quote:
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There is no setup on the outputs, and there is no way to add it. If you calibrate your TV based on the PS2, then TV broadcasts will appear washed out because you have brightness set higher than it should be. If you have configured your TV based on another DVD player, then the blacks will be clipped and you will lose all shadow detail when you look at the PS 2.
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But this is the exact opposite of what I see. Everything else, even the idle screen of a VCR has black as black, tapes have good black, LDs routed through the VCR have good blacks, and the PS2 has good black. The S7000, from the moment it turns on, ramps up the black level. This change from the VCR idle black to the S7000's idle black can be seen. What am I missing? The only logical conclusion I can make is that the S7000 is the only equipment calibrated for 7.5 IRE in my setup, and that the VCR outputs VHS and input blacks as 0 IRE for some reason.
If I lower the brightness to what the S7000 wants, tapes lose significant shadow detail and the picture becomes very dark.