SONY madVR Envy Video Processor User Guide
- June 4, 2024
- Sony
Table of Contents
Envy
Setup Guide
Introduction
Welcome to the Envy Sony Setup Guide. Although setting up the Envy itself is
often as simple as plugging in the HDMI cables and entering the projector’s
peak brightness, it is important that your projector be set optimally for use
in conjunction with the Envy. This guide covers the recommended set up for
Sony projectors when used with Envy.
Please make all the menu changes with “Base Settings” selected in the Profile
Bar (the bottom selection in each Envy menu) so the changes will be permanent.
Otherwise, if you make changes when “Active Settings” is selected in the
Profile Bar, the changes will only be temporary and later lost, unless you use
the “Save to Base” option. For a better understanding of how settings in the
Envy work, please see Introduction to Profiles guide at
www.madvrenvy.com/#downloads.
Sony Configuration
The following steps are recommended to best configure the Sony for use with the Envy.
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First, let’s configure important settings in the Envy’s Display Configuration menu. Press the top right button on the Envy remote to access this menu. Then follow the steps below. An example of the completed settings is shown in the image on the next page.
A. Resolution setting: If you are using a screen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 or larger, such as a 2.35 or 2.40, set the “Resolution” option in this menu to 4096 x 2160. This will make full use of the full Sony panel and provide additional brightness. After changing to 4096 x 2160, adjust your lens zoom position to fit the screen. If using a 16:9 screen, set the “Resolution” to 3840 x 2160 (4096 would be slightly detrimental for 16:9 screens).
B. Peak Luminance: Peak Luminance is a measure of the brightest image your display achieves for a specific system configuration. This depends on several factors, including your display’s lumens, lens position, iris position, lamp/laser power mode, calibration settings, throw distance, and your screen size and gain.
The best way to determine your peak luminance is to display a 100% white pattern and measure it using 3rd party calibration software or a handheld lux meter. If measuring with calibration software, enter the “cd/m2” measurement as your nits value. If using a lux meter, you will need to convert the lux reading to nits or foot-lamberts. Please ask your dealer for assistance if needed. -
Next, go to the Envy Display Calibration menu (shown below). To access this menu, press the top-right button on the Envy remote, then press the right arrow button once. Here we will focus on the Transfer Function and Gamut settings.
It is critical that the Envy Transfer Function value set here matches the Gamma Correction setting in the Sony menu. We recommend setting both the Envy Transfer function and Sony Gamma Correction to 2.4. You can access the Gamma Correction setting in the Sony from the main “Picture” menu by selecting “Expert Setting”. Check the Gamma Correction value in the Sony and set it to 2.4 if not already set there. Note – if using a 3D LUT there are exceptions to this where a Gamma Correction value of 2.2 may be needed ask your calibrator for details. -
Next, change the Gamut in this same Envy menu to DCI-P3. Otherwise, when using RGB output to the Sony (highly recommended), the image will be undersaturated. Note that when using a 3D LUT, the Transfer Function and Gamut options are not available in the menu, because in that case, the LUT fully manages the Transfer Function and Gamut.
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Note: Please leave the HDR Flag set to Off. Setting this on will cause problems with HDR images, unless you know exactly why you are turning on this flag, which is for advance use only.
Before continuing, make certain that you save these changes to the Base Configuration.
Otherwise, the changes you make here will revert on the next signal change. To save these changes to the Base Configuration, highlight either of the values that shows an orange TEMP tag and press the green button on the Envy remote. If you have made the changes with Base Configuration already selected at the bottom of the menu, then this step is not necessary. -
If using a scope screen (a screen that has an aspect ratio of 1.85 or greater, such as 2.35 or 2.40 aspect ratio), please go to the Envy Screen Configuration menu, and under Screen Boundaries, click Run Assistant. Then follow the on-screen instructions. This is a critical step to ensure the Envy menus are properly positioned and that content is displayed properly.
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ALL other settings in the various Envy Configuration Menus should be left on AUTO, unless you have a particularly good and specific reason to change it. Often people change these settings without understanding the fully impact. A good example is the HDR Flag set. Some people change this to On, thinking that would be a good thing. In almost all cases this should be left in Auto (and Envy will not set the flag, intentionally). Note that changing the “Configuration” items should not be confused with the changing the Envy Settings Menu (the Envy remote control button with the 3 sliders on it) – those are there for you to change to suit your tastes.
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In the Sony “Picture” menu, we recommend turning Reality Creation Off. Or using it lightly, such as Resolution at 15 or lower, Noise Filtering – Off, Defocus Optimization – Off. Sharpness of 15 is generally optimal but feel welcome to set it to taste.
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In the Sony Cinema Black Pro menu, we recommend dynamic control set to Full (but it is OK to use limited or off, perhaps even more “correct” to use Off, but this can be set to taste). For Laser Light Output we recommend on Max, to maximize the brightness available for HDR. If this causes the Sony fan to run a bit too loud, you can use a slightly lower setting for max without impacting the brightness much, while quieting the Sony fan.
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Sony Contrast Enhance – We recommend turning this off, but it can be used in moderation if preferred, but be sure to check it with Envy’s Contrast Recovery function while Envy is doing Tone Mapping with 4K HDR.
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Please follow these three steps to ensure the Sony switches color spaces properly based on whether the incoming signal is using the BT709 or BT2020 color space. These settings are found in the “Picture” menu, under “Expert Settings”:
A. Set the “HDR” option to Auto. This way, the Sony will automatically switch to the correct color space based on the incoming signal.
B. Play any HDR content, so that the Sony receives a BT2020 signal. Set the “Color Space” to BT2020. Alternatively choose “Color Space 2” if you wish to bypass the Sony’s P3 filter, although we do not recommend this.
C. Play any SDR BT709 content. Set the “Color Space” to “DCI” or “BT709” (the choice given depends on which Sony projector you are using. -
We recommend setting Sony’s MotionFlow to Off. When using the Sony panel at full 4096 resolution, the MotionFlow option is limited to just one mode and it can reduce max light output, impacting HDR headroom and quality. However, the MotionFlow can still be used if preferred – just be aware it can impact the overall light output.
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In the Sony “Setup” menu, set Network Management On. This will be useful once we introduce the integration that enables the Envy to control the Sony directly.
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Sony HDMI Configuration
A. Under the Sony “Function” menu, set the Dynamic Range for the HDMI ports to “Limited”, to be sure the Sony picks the proper levels (Auto will usually pick Limited, but sometimes the Sony will get it wrong and cause a level mismatch).
B. Change the HDMI Type from Standard (9 Gbps ports) to Enhanced (18 Gbps ports) for all models except the VW295ES, which does not support 18 Gbps input. Note, however, that this setting requires certified full bandwidth 18 Gbps HDMI cables. For cables over 30 feet this usually means an active fiber HDMI cable. If you have HDMI dropouts or handshaking issues after changing this setting, set the Envy HDMI Output EDID Override (on the Envy HDMI Configuration menu) to 9 Gbps, from the default of 18 Gbps. This can slightly degrade quality of 4K60 content, but is a suitable workaround until the cable situation can solved. -
Under the Sony Expert menu:
A. We recommend everything be set to Off. As discussed earlier, but bears repeating, the Gamma Correction set here should match the Envy’s Display Configuration Transfer Function setting.
B. Set the HDR mode to Auto. When Envy receives HDR, it intentionally sends SDR to the Sony. If you bypass Envy’s tone mapping using the green button on the remote, then Envy will output HDR (for HDR sources) and the Sony will use its own tone mapping. In some cases, the Sony may not switch its tone mapping to “On” in this case. Should that happen, you can manually change this setting from Auto to HDR10. However, please be sure to return it to Auto (or Off) before switching the Envy tone mapping back on.
C. Always set the Anamorphic option to Off, even if you have an anamorphic lens (in which case you will configure the Envy Screen Configuration menu settings to use its AI-based anamorphic stretch instead).
D. Aspect should be set to Auto. Regardless of the Aspect Ratio of the Screen or content, the Envy can be configured to optimize the picture size with the use of its Profile system, along with its Black Bar Detection and Management options.
**Quick Sanity Check
**
After completing the setup of the Envy with your Sony projector, we recommend
reviewing the following checklist as a final “sanity check” to help ensure
everything is set up optimally:
A. Play any 4K HDR movie (except Gemini Man or Billy Lynn). Check the Envy
Incoming Signal Menu (press OK on the Envy remote when no Envy menu is active)
and make sure that the “Framerate” shows 23.976. If instead it shows 59.94,
and you are using an Apple TV or Kaleidescape, then your source device(s) are
not set up for proper playback check our setup Apple TV and Kaleidescape
guides on our website for more information. Or if you are using a different
source device, check its settings and make sure it outputs in a “native” or
“direct” mode.
B. While playing the 4K HDR movie, check the Envy Incoming Signal Information
to make sure the “Transfer Function” shows “HDR”. If not, Envy is not
receiving HDR from the source player. This could be caused by a “rogue” device
in the HDMI chain, or if using an AVR like the Denon/Marantz, make sure it is
set to use “Enhanced” HDMI, so that it outputs the full 18 Gbps bandwidth and
is not restricted to 9 Gbps.
C. While on the Envy Incoming Signal menu, press the right arrow once to
access the Outgoing Signal Information. Make sure that the “Framerate” shown
here matches the “Framerate” from the Incoming Signal Information menu (in
this example, both should show 23.976).
D. If the colors look undersaturated or oversaturated, check the Envy Outgoing
Signal Information and verify that the Outgoing “Colorimetry” matches the
color space you expect for the current content being played (e.g., “BT.2020”
or “BT.709”), and check the Sony menu to confirm the projector is using that
correct, corresponding color space (revisit steps 9).
Additional Resources
This concludes the Sony setup instructions. We recommend also review the
Envy Introduction to Profiles guide, and the setups guides for source devices
such as Kaleidescape and Apple TV. This and other such resources are available
at www.madvrenvy.com/#download s.
Thank you and enjoy your Envy!
madVR Envy Sony Setup Guide
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