A DVD and CD have a darker background on a computer monitor then on a
television.  Why? and what can be done when creating the CD and DVD to
correct this?

It has something to do with the default gamma setting for NTSC being
lower (or is it higher?) than the settings used on typical computer
monitors.

But the vivid-mode on the TV sure does darken things up.

First remember that a TV is nothing but a low-resolution monitor. (Or
a monitor is nothing but a high resolution TV without a tuner)

CRT monitors vary widely in how bright they are.  How the manufacturer
tweaks its design depends on how they are meant to be viewed. (Your TV
is meant to be viewed 8-15 feet away, and you monitor is meant to be
viewed 2-3 feet away.

As for what can you do about it?  Well, there is no simple solution. 
I believe you can set a gamma adjustment on the DVD itself when
mastering to tweak how bright or dark the picture is display by any
DVD player.  (Also, you could adjust the movie directly when you
master it) Unfortunately, both of these solutions affect how the DVD
is viewed on either you monitor or TV.

As a practical solution, master you media for one medium or another.
Make it look good on your TV, and just adjust your player's settings
when you view it on you PC.

Also, I’d recommend http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ It has a pretty high
density of knowledge about mastering VCD's and DVD's.


	/Leon Horne
	/MitRa