CompuServe Messages

3DS doesn't really give you "super Black" as defined in video glossary terms. ie 0- -10 IRE black levels. In order to achieve what you want you must feed your video signal from your frame buffer (PAR) through a processing amp and adjust the black level (pedestal) to that level using a wave form monitor for visual calibration. This waveform monitor is important because if you adjust the black levels too low they may trigger the horizontal and vertical sweep at the improper time. See GY comments as to what 3DS really does but calls it super black. Your PAR or frame buffer is set to always give you 7.5 IRE black no matter what you do in software. As to comparing to other work: Be sure you are comparing apples to apples ie same animation, displayed on the same equipment. Others you refer to may have just figured out how to tweak the gamma and adjust lighting better than you have. Thgey may also have been using video equipment with better signal to noise figures than you do. Video noise on blacks will manifest itself as white specks causing the blacks to gray out. Signal to noise on betacam SP tape is better than SVHS and on D-1 is non existent. Hope this is some help. Don Landis