Most of us get our TVs professionally set up when we first buy them, but you might not know that the default settings on your TV are probably doing more harm than good when it comes to watching movies.
Movies in the cinema and on Blu-ray are meant to be viewed in a specific color space called Rec. 709, which covers the full range of colors that a TV can display. However, most TVs out-of-the-box are set to DCI-P3, a wider color space that is meant for HDR (High Dynamic Range) content. While HDR content benefits from the wider color space, SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) content like most movies and TV shows will actually look worse.
Here's Why Rec 709 is Best for Movies
If you watch a movie encoded in Rec 709 on a TV set to DCI-P3, the TV must use a process called color gamut mapping to translate the movie's colors to those that can be displayed on the wider DCI-P3 gamut. This translation can result in oversaturation, loss of detail, and color inaccuracies.
On the other hand, if you watch HDR content on a TV that is set to DCI-P3, the TV will be able to display the content accurately and you will not notice any negative effects. Of course, you can also watch SDR content on a TV that is set to DCI-P3, but you will still not notice any significant improvement in picture quality.
How to Turn Off DCI-P3
If you want to watch movies and TV shows in their intended color space, you will need to turn off DCI-P3 on your TV. The steps to do this vary from one TV to another, but here is a general overview:
1. Access the TV's system settings.
2. Look for a setting called "Color Space" or "Color Gamut".
3. Select "Rec 709" from the available options.
4. Save your settings.
Once you have turned off DCI-P3, your TV will be set to the optimal color space for watching movies and TV shows. You should notice an improvement in the overall picture quality.