# Export images poor quality in TV slideshow



## wanderlust88 (Feb 3, 2011)

I'm exporting images from lightroom 3 to make slideshows for showing on my 40" Sony 1080 HD TV using Pro Show Producer but the image quality is poor. I'm getting what I think is called posterizing - jagged edges which, on things like railings, phone wire etc., look like they are moving when I'm using Ken Burns etc..
I've tried almost every combination of export settings  -  but I can't solve the problem.
Now the details.
Images imported into Lightroom are JPEGS (this will soon change but...!)  
I don't use the Proshow Plugin as this doesn't give any flexibility to change export settings 
I'm not using the Lightroom slideshow.

My Export setup.
Export Location: Desktop
File Settings: I've tried every Format, Colour Space and Quality combination
Image Sizing: Set for my 40" TV - 35"x 20"
Output Sharpening: Screen, Standard
Metadata: not checked
Watermarking: N/A
Post Processing: Do Nothing

I use Spyder Pro to calibrate my Viewsonic VP2250wb  monitor (it's a pro monitor) but even on it, the images are not what they should be. The colour is good on the TV and the Monitor but this problem is driving me crazy:wub:

I hope someone can give me some guidance.

peter


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## Victoria Bampton (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi Peter

Posterization is smooth transitions of colour (i.e. a sky at sunset) that becomes divided into a few solid blocks of colours.  Sounds like you have a case of the jaggies.  (Who came up with these names?!?  )

What pixel dimensions are the exported photos - tv's are pretty low res so 1920x1080 px should do you, maybe a bit higher if ProShow is zooming a bit.  And you want sRGB.

What about ProShow's settings?


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 3, 2011)

The jaggies, ah yes - sounds like a communicable disease! 
Anyway, your prognosis and suggested treatment has improved the situation a lot but isn't a total cure so I'll do some more tweaking.
One other thing. My TV is set up as a second monitor so I'm wondering if it's also my graphics card that may be part of the problem even though it's a good one. Any thoughts on this?
Many thanks Victoria.
By the way, your book has been a great help. I also have George Jardine's tutorials, which I can also thoroughly recommend. I find your book and George's tutorials are a great combination.
I'll report back when I've got a total cure. 

peter


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## Graeme Brown (Feb 3, 2011)

How are you connecting the PC to the TV? With my Sony you have to connect using the HDMI input, otherwise you don't get 1920x1080 and it looks horrible. I have a DVI to HDMI cable which works great.

Keep at it, the images should look great so there will be an answer.


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## clee01l (Feb 3, 2011)

I have some questions about "Pro Show Producer" , how you are getting images to it and what the application might be doing to the image.  

I've never used "Pro Show Producer" , bit I have a Sony 1080 HDTV (Google TV).  I also have an Apple TV connected to one of the HDMI ports on the Google TV.  The Apple TV only serves 720P and I do see some posterization  on some images. 
If you are exporting an 8 bit compresses JPEG from LR and then using "Pro Show Producer" to create a further compressed 8 bit JPEG slideshow, you may be losing quality by letting "Pro Show Producer" works with a less that full size 16-bit image.  This is especially true if you master was an 8 bit JPEG from the camera!.  

If your Sony is DLNA compatible, can you view a first generation export from your LR PC across the network to the Sony?  By eliminating the "Pro Show Producer" from the equation, we can begin to see if there are quality issues that can be resolved in LR to produce the best JPEG image for the Sony.  If we can achieve that, then you might have to re-evaluate Slide show settings in "Pro Show Producer".  

As I stated earlier, I have an AppleTV and It will produce a slideshow with a playlist and images that I have exported to a folder that I have shared with iTunes.   I've also produced Slideshows of the same material using LR's Slideshow module and exporting as MPEG4.  Both of these show fine on my Sony GoogleTV (with the 720P constraints on the AppleTV already noted).   I have been careful not crop any image smaller that 1920X1080.  

Another issue is bandwidth on your home network. What is the speed of the CAT5  or wireless connection on your home network that you use to connect the Sony to the PC? You need at least 802.11n to get adequate throughput on a wireless for 1080p resolutions.  If yourt throughput is not great enough, you can get pixelation and drop-outs that are not related to the quality of the image being transmitted but are related to the quality of the image being received.


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 3, 2011)

Graeme Brown said:


> How are you connecting the PC to the TV? With my Sony you have to connect using the HDMI input, otherwise you don't get 1920x1080 and it looks horrible. I have a DVI to HDMI cable which works great.
> 
> Keep at it, the images should look great so there will be an answer.




My connection is the same as yours but this brings another question to mind. Can we also get sound through a DVI to HDMI connection? I haven't tried this yet.


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions Clee, I'll work on those right away.

peter


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks, all, for your help. I've used a lightroom slideshow direct to my TV with the same results as going through Pro Show and I've done some tweaking of my graphics card but with little improvement. The best results, although not perfect, are when I use Victoria's suggested settings and set the ATI card back to the default settings.

I've been reading stuff on the Internet which suggests that this may be an ATI graphics card problem. I'll do some more research on this.

My present image quality is just about acceptable but I'm striving for perfection!!

peter


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## Victoria Bampton (Feb 4, 2011)

Sounds like progress Peter.

In answer to DVI to HDMI, I think that's no sound.  I know I've had sound through Mini-Display Port to HDMI but even that's very temperamental.


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 4, 2011)

Update! Not directly related to Lightroom but...

I've found out that audio through a DVI-HDMI adapter is possible with the right graphics card. ATI and, I think, Nvidia have such cards but the correct adapter is required and is usually shipped with these cards.

I'm in luck. My card is a ATI Radion HD 3800 which came with the DVI adapter. I'm now listening to streaming stereo radio on my speakers (classic FM from the UK!) which are routed through the TV and it sounds great. Step two is to add sound to my slideshows.

thanks again for your advice.

peter


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## Victoria Bampton (Feb 6, 2011)

That's great to hear Peter.  I wonder how they're doing that then!


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 6, 2011)

On of life's little mysteries, I guess:thinking:

peter


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## Victoria Bampton (Feb 6, 2011)

I have to admit I've been fighting with audio over HDMI for the last week or twoo myself, since I unplugged the mini server from the tv and now it doesn't want to play ball.  I have a perfect picture, but the sound is still built-in to the Mac Mini.  I've finally given in and order a Neet Cables USB audio + mini-display port to HDMI converter, in the hope that it will save the hassle factor.  I'm not sure these things are an exact science yet.


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 7, 2011)

Please give us an update when you're up and running. Good luck.

Peter


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## Victoria Bampton (Feb 7, 2011)

I'm up and running and it works a treat!  The Neet USB/MiniDisplay/HDMI converter feeds a perfect signal to the tv.  I've now got it feeding into an HDMI splitter so it feeds both that tv and one in the next room, so I can watch recordings in either room.  It's great!


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## wanderlust88 (Feb 9, 2011)

Sounds like we've both solved our problems - great!

peter


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