This is about a weird symptom i m having with black level which becomes washed gray even though everything is properly configured and black should be black.
My setup at the moment is X86 mini PC running LE > HDMI cable to Yamaha AVR input > Yamaha AVR output HDMI cable to Samsung TV input. The black level setting option in LE is NOT checked to "limited range", so the black produced by LE should be deep black. And we can see it really IS black, when the PC is connected DIRECTLY to the TV via HDMI.
But, when i run the signal through the Yamaha AVR, the black displayed on the TV bacomes gray. Of course the setting in LE is not changed, i mean when i do check that box in settings for limited range, the black on the TV becomes even more ...whiter gray So, there is no cure via LE setup (?) There is also no cure via AVR menu (there is no related setting for video signal treatment there)
Leaving for last the Samsung TV, where there IS a setting about HDMI black level, which is set to AUTO by default. A setting that works fine when the PC is directly plugged in the TV. No changed needed, auto detect works. In my setup (via AVR) manually changing the setting to LOW on the TV menu, "fixes" the problem, BUT everytime the TV restarts, i guess it "reads" info from the HDMI cable, and is switching back to gray-looking black!!!.
You could say its the Yamaha AVR, which "adds" a property to the HDMI signal that is interpreted by the TV as a different black level (?) or, NOT passing-through the correct signal properties, that would allow the TV to set the correct black level (?) Whatever the case may be, at this point it looks like its tha AVR's malfunction. Afterall, the levels are FINE when the LE PC is connected DIRECTLY to the TV.
BUT... There is a BUT, hence this post here at the LE forum, and not at some Yamaha forum You see, the levels are FINE when an Amlogic S905X5 cheapo device running CoreElec is used at the same setup, connected via the same cables! Rulling out (?) the malfunction of AVR or TV.
So, i m thinking, its a mystery.
Anyone else had this weird problem before? Any ideas where to look?