Podcast #1004: Netflixland and is your TV's Sharpness too high?

Are you ready for Netflixland? We discuss how Netflix is opening up an e-commerce site. We also take a look at the best Roku TVs in 2021 and why you should not set your TV's sharpness very high. As usual we read your emails and discuss the week's news.

Netflix Shop??

Netflix opened an e-commerce site on Thursday where you can buy things like caps, necklaces, hoodies, and, yes, underwear—much of it branded with popular Netflix movies and TV series. The move is part of a larger push for the company to compete with Disney's streaming business, which is propped up by revenue from its merchandising and theme parks. Shop at Netflix

The Best Roku TVs in 2021 (Tom's Guide)

The best Roku TVs combine great smart TV features with value prices, but not all Roku TVs are created equal. Full article here...

Why you should never increase the sharpness on your TV

Let's say you're adjusting your TV settings and you think it wouldn't hurt to get a sharper and better image. You should know that increasing the sharpness is, in fact, counterintuitive. On most TVs, maxing out the sharpness will actually add something called "edge enhancement," which can diminish the fine resolution in the image you're looking at. Full article here...

If your sharpness is set too high, you might not be benefiting from all the crisp detail that's possible in that fancy 4K TV. Sometimes the best setting is actually 0, while on most TVs the setting is best in the bottom 20% or so. Here's why you should turn down the sharpness control. Your eyes will thank you.

Sharpness means edge enhancement

On nearly all TVs, the sharpness control adds something called "edge enhancement." That's exactly what it sounds like. The edges in the image are enhanced, essentially by adding a thin outline or halo to them. This makes them more visible.

While unenhanced images can look soft by comparison, especially at first, they're actually more detailed because they show fine textures in walls, pores on faces and tiny hairs -- all of which can be hidden by too much edge enhancement.

What's the best TV setting then?

The easiest way to check is switch your TV to the Movie or Cinema picture preset, and see where the sharpness control is in that mode. Whatever that number is, it's a good place to start.

Want to fine-tune it? While watching a variety of content, especially 4K if you have a 4K TV, turn the control down from that starting point and see what happens. Does the fine detail disappear? If so, that's too low. Ideally, you'll be able to find the spot that offers the most actual detail and the least additional noise. Don't be surprised if that number is 0.

Looking sharp? Keep looking

TV manufacturers love edge enhancement, largely because it makes their TVs seem super detailed when viewed in a store. If you go to your TV right now and turn the sharpness control all the way down the picture is absolutely going to look soft. Much like with high color temperatures, anyone who isn't used to making fine adjustments to their TV controls has gotten used to a certain "look" to their TV's picture. So at first, even the correct sharpness setting might seem soft, especially if your TV has been in the Vivid or Dynamic picture mode.

Try the new, lower sharpness setting for a few days. If you then don't like the look of the un-enhanced image, that's fine. Turn it back up. But I bet when you do the "original" setting will look weird.