My biggest complaint with Live Action Trek vs the two Animation shows is that they seem obsessed with giving us a black ship on a black background. It’s nice to be given a reprieve, even if for only one episode.
this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2023
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Part of the issue is compression. Most modern compression algorithms bias towards light areas of the picture. On high bandwidth streams, this is no issue. If the stream is highly compressed, the backs can become blocky and details are lost.
On top of this are suboptimal viewing conditions. Non HDR, background light, or poorly configured (or limited capability) screens. All of these punish the black parts of the image more than the bright.
I can't speak to the compression on P+ as I'm in the UK so most new Trek is on Netflix, Amazon or the high seas for me and I haven't noticed much blocking it artifacts even on a 65 inch screen.
I think I optimal viewing conditions are the biggest issue. People who don't know how to set up and calibrate their TV or watch on an inappropriate device like a laptop, tablet or phone.
I'm not surprised directors like Lynch and Nolan get annoyed. They put all the works into making the best cinema experience, then people ruin it by leaving motion-clarity on on their TV or watching on a six inch screen with tinny headphones on the way to work.
I mean, I don't care what the directors think. They can make things for mass appeal, or they can make things for enthusiasts who invest in top-quality TVs with the latest tech every few years, and who invest a lot of time calibrating their TV and putting up the right curtains to block out the sunlight. If they're making it for enthusiasts, great. But these directors are supposed making things for mass appeal, so they should make TV and movies easily consumable in the ways that average people watch.
I watch for the stories, characters, etc. I honestly don't care that DS9 will never be remastered, it's fine the way it is. But I do care when half the bridge is black because Discovery went to black alert, and I guess that means I can't see anymore :P
.(edit: I actually enjoyed "watching" new trek on my phone with the audio description track on while I was doing dishes. Mostly listening actually.)
Your last paragraph literally made me wince. That's some major disrespect to the people who work on the show turning it into an audiobook.
It's not as if I watch everything that way. Just when I want to enjoy some star trek and can't look all the time. Besides, the audio description tracks are meant for the blind to enjoy the show, they're quite well written and produced. They are also great at surfacing details about the settings or characters which the writers/directors wanted to be noticed, but I wouldn't have focused on. So they really open up a new and great perspective. And it's a lot cheaper than buying a new TV every few years so I can see all the newer shades of black lol.