DCP export with crushed blacks

Anything and everything to do with DCP-o-matic.
dearaustintown
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2024 12:50 pm

DCP export with crushed blacks

Post by dearaustintown »

I haven't had this issue with other DCP exports. I am working on a film that was shot originally on 1080P not sure if this has anything to do with it, but the ProRes master after coloring and sound mixing is not stretched to 2K. The gamma should be rec709 and I've tried a few options moving gamma 2.4 vs the default 2.2 and still getting the same results of really crushed degraded blacks in any of the night time scenes of the film. Even though they are a bit pushed already it is not to the degree shown in the DCP export. Settings and comparison are provided below:

Hardware: Mac Studio M2 Max / 32GB Ram
macOS: 13.6.9

dcp-o-matic version: 2.16.91

Export settings:
File: ProRes4222 5.1 sound mix 1920x1080 (color profile HD (1-1-1), 23.937fps
video colour: rec. 709
range: video (MPEG, 16-235)
dcp video: DCI flat, 2k, 24 fps

I have a due to date to deliver to the theater so any help would be appreciated. I did test a 422HQ ProRes file as well but it was worse. If I moved the range to full Jpeg it muted all the blacks even for the credit screens to a dark grey.
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Carsten
Posts: 2804
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:11 pm
Location: Germany

Re: DCP export with crushed blacks

Post by Carsten »

Hard to say wether there is something wrong with the source leading to this result. Can you make so critical scenes of the source available in it's original format? Did you try different gamma options with a custom color conversion preset?
dearaustintown
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2024 12:50 pm

Re: DCP export with crushed blacks

Post by dearaustintown »

So yesterday I went into a frenzy thinking of options because yes I tried changing the gamma settings as well. So I took the dcp export and played it through a different computer which was a M2 laptop, and a different monitor and it didn't have crushed blacks. This is lending me to think it might be my calibrated monitor in my studio with the max m2 computer? I am going to the theater since the screening is local to test the dcp and see if the difference shows. I might have wasted time here, I apologize.
Carsten
Posts: 2804
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:11 pm
Location: Germany

Re: DCP export with crushed blacks

Post by Carsten »

It may indeed be that your monitor calibration is not suitable for cinema gamma simulation. Apple notebooks usually show a very dependable color rendering out of the box.