HD Video Shot with Canon 60D not looking good on HDTV. Any idea why?

[FalconSG]

I have shot a few HD video clips at 1080 25fps with my Canon 60D. They look great on the laptop monitors. However, when I play the videos on my full HD LED TV, the videos look quite bad in the sense that the contrast and sharpness seem to be quite high. The things captured in the video looks quite glaring to the eye.

Can anyone shed some lights on why this happens? How do I correct this problem?

Thanks!

[bcmy91]

Probably due to the TV settings! Looks great on my Samsung full hd led tv to me!

[DXNMedia]

there are too many variables that can cause the problem you're describing, but it pretty much boils down to how your video is captured in terms of your exposure vs the dynamic range that your TV can handle, and how your TV is calibrated.

[XsenseX]

If it looks fine on your laptop. It shouldn't be anything to do with your camera.

LED TV have the tendency to over sharpen and push the contrast higher to make things look sharper.

But because the LCD on the 60D is usually nice to look at, sometimes, you don't really realize that its abit too bright until you see it on the big screen.

Try filming again, this time, choose the ISO to be a little bit darker with what you usually like to film in. See if that helps ...

If you want to go into color grading and correction, its an entire different set of skills.

[FalconSG]

I did an experiment today by dialing down the exposure, using the lowest ISO, dialing down the contrast and sharpness.
I then played back the video on the LED TV. It looks slightly better. So I suspect it's the TV's problem.
So XsenseX, I think you are right about the LED TV tendency to over sharpen and pushing the contrast higher.

By the way, do you recommend enabling or disabling the Highlight Tone Priority? I find it produces better contrast when enabled. But some people recommend to disable it. What is your thought?

[eleveninth]

I did an experiment today by dialing down the exposure, using the lowest ISO, dialing down the contrast and sharpness.
I then played back the video on the LED TV. It looks slightly better. So I suspect it's the TV's problem.
So XsenseX, I think you are right about the LED TV tendency to over sharpen and pushing the contrast higher.

By the way, do you recommend enabling or disabling the Highlight Tone Priority? I find it produces better contrast when enabled. But some people recommend to disable it. What is your thought?

Disabled cos vincent laforet says so.

[XsenseX]

See which one gives you the look you prefer ... There is no right/wrong here.

If you are into doing filming professionally, its different. For us, Everything is turned off or flat so you get the most basic image and then we color grade and correct from there to get the look we want.

Cheers

[FalconSG]

You know, DSLR produces really nice visual. I use the 50mm 1.4 prime lens.
But the main drawback is its inability to auto-focus on a moving object. I think there is no solution to this, right?
Most probably I might be getting a proper camcorder to shoot scenes with moving objects, like the Sony NX70P or NX5P. They are pricey but looks like a camcorder is the best solution to the auto-focus issue I guess. Am I getting this correct, I wonder?

[XsenseX]

Yeah ... There is no best of both worlds unless you go up to the $6000 and above, cameras.

[eleveninth]

You know, DSLR produces really nice visual. I use the 50mm 1.4 prime lens.
But the main drawback is its inability to auto-focus on a moving object. I think there is no solution to this, right?
Most probably I might be getting a proper camcorder to shoot scenes with moving objects, like the Sony NX70P or NX5P. They are pricey but looks like a camcorder is the best solution to the auto-focus issue I guess. Am I getting this correct, I wonder?

2 words. FOLLOW FOCUS.

[FalconSG]

Thanks eleveninth! I am following your advice.

[FalconSG]

I read a few articles that say Canon DSLRs do not produce good quality HD video because they capture less than 1080 lines of images. This probably explain why the video output to HD TV is not very nice compared to PC monitor.