Graphical issues that look like compression artifacts

I've been trying to get help on this from various tech forums to no avail, so I'm going to crosspost it here if that's okay.

UPDATE: Ok you really can't see it, nor can I on less bright screens. How about this: These are photos. http://imgur.com/a/ERqjR
UPDATE 2: Of course Imgur would be idiotic as soon as I post this. Mirror: http://min.us/mNzeLUWUI1dqW

Hello. Lately I've been seeing a lot of graphical issues on everything that look like compression artifacts. I figured that before, on my smaller screen I just couldn't see them and they were just normal on TV shows and most people didn't care.

But it's happening in video game cutscenes (not in actual gameplay, though).
You might not be able to see these problems, it might just be me, but here goes nothing - these are from the opening cinematic in Hitman Absolution. Mainly noticeable in the edges, and also on the back of his head: (no real spoilers, literally first few seconds):

Link one
Link two
Link three

It's also happened in Max Payne 3 but I'm sure those screenshots will suffice.

So is this normal or is it some sort of problem with my computer? Even if you can't see them, can you just assume that I can and still try to diagnose my problem? Here are my specs:

GPU: AMD Sapphire HD7970 Vapor-X GHZ Edition
CPU: Intel i53570k
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 16GB @ ~1600mhz
Cooler: Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E EXTREME
PSU: Corsair TX750w
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB
HD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB

All my graphical drivers are up to date as far as I'm aware (using Catalyst 12.11).

So, any ideas?

Here's a secondary problem which may just be a bug with Hitman Absolution: I don't hear any voices in cutscenes. At first, I thought it was a rather questionable artistic decision, but then they'd have lengthy conversations and I realised it wasn't supposed to be like that.

Quote:

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All my graphical drivers are up to date as far as I'm aware (using Catalyst 12.11).

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Well, catalyst 12.11 is a beta driver.Are the cutscenes in these games pre-rendered? I am geussing it's either a codec problem, a AMD video playback problem, or just because you set your monitor MUCH more brightly then intended, and these artifacts are just oversights no one noticed (Or just another problem in your screen).

Heck, it might just be your screen. Have you tried setting it to factory defaults?

Yeah. Believe me, this screen is bright as fuck on default settings. I've got it to 5 out of 100 brightness. It's a Benq Xl2420t monitor. 12.11 drivers seem to be very popular and a big leap forward, increasing BF3 performance by like 30% (amazingly) so I doubt it's a problem with them.

Have you tried adjusting the "Color Profile" for your monitor? You can find those settings in the "Monitor" control panel in windows (press Calibrate Colours) - Alternatively, you can look for a colour profile on the internet.
In the catalyst control center there is also a "Video Colour" setting which is just for hte playback of video (if the problem solely occurs there)

Your photos are far brighter than the screenshots, on my screen. It may just be that your monitor is too bright. Try calibrating it with this site.

I actually couldn't run the game with the Beta drivers, so maybe try the official ones.