Friday, May 10, 2013

How to calibrate an HDTV?

Q. I know there are programs you can get and install on a laptop, then connect it to the HDTV and calibrate the picture to the best it can be. Does anyone know where I can get one of these programs? I kind of want to do it the best way possible instead of using the DVD's that help you do it. Thanks.

A. Though there may be other display ‘calibration’ software, the only stand-alone display calibration/optimization software for end users, of which I’m familiar, is the following:

     DisplayMate for Windows Video Edition
     http://www.displaymate.com/infodmwv.html
     Complete DisplayMate Product Line
     http://www.displaymate.com/complete.html

At best software such as DisplayMate (or even a ‘calibration’ DVD,) without the use of precision test and measurement equipment, will be limited to the task of evaluating and optimizing the picture settings of your display(s). There will be little or no difference in the results whether you use DisplayMate for Windows Video Edition software or either of the popular ‘calibration’ DVDs. It’s also important to keep in mind that you will not be able to effectively calibrate your display’s grayscale to D65 (or D55 for graphic arts applications) without proper instrumentation.

Software and/or ‘calibration’ DVDs alone are far from the “best way” to ‘calibrate’ and optimize a display, however if you’re like the majority of people, and you’re using a relatively new, good quality fixed-pixel display, then such products should easily help you achieve more-than-adequate results without breaking the bank.

######## RESOURCES ########

CNET’s Quick Guide to TV Calibration
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6463_7-5085739-1.html
Video: How to Calibrate Your TV
http://reviews.cnet.com/Calibrate_your_TV/4660-12443_7-6534987.html

Imaging Science Theatre 2000 Special Edition
http://www.widescreenreview.com/wsr_issue_ist.php

Sound and Vision Magazine
TV Tweaks - Part One House Calls
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=82&article_id=233&page_number=1&print_page=y

AWH - How to Calibrate a Television FAQ
http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/how2adj.html

Grayscale Calibration of Home Theater Televisions
http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/calibrate-your-system/grayscale-calibration-of-home-theater-televisions

Learn to Calibrate your LCD Television
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv/lcd-tv-calibration.html

Calibration 101
http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=599522
Hitting The Mark
http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=601342
Running The Gamut(s)
http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=599512
Selling Calibration Services
http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=601343

Video Display Calibration
http://www.sencore.com/products/AVRFCalibration.htm
Adjusting Five User Controls on a Display
to Maximize Performance
http://www.sencore.com/newsletter/VP300.html
Calibration – What Is Wrong with This Picture?
http://www.sencore.com/newsletter/July05/WhatIsWrong.htm
Index of Articles Related to Display Calibration
http://www.sencore.com/newsletter/archivedarticles.htm#colorprocolor

Michael TLV Tips
http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/michaeltlv_tips.html
Keohi HDTV - Expert Tips - Panel of Experts
http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/panelofexperts.html

Digital Video Essentials Questions and Answers
http://www.videoessentials.com/DVEQ&A.php
Joe Kane Productions - Glossary
http://www.videoessentials.com/glossary.php

ISF Calibration Discussion and Information
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=311
Display Calibration - AVS Forum
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=139

######## DIY EQUIPMENT ########

GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2 Colorimeter
http://usa.gretagmacbethstore.com/index.cfm/act/catalog.cfm/subcategory/Eye-One%20Solutions/category/Eye-One/browse/null/MenuGroup/__Menu%20USA%20New.htm

Datacolor Spyder3Elite™, Spyder3Pro™, or Spyder2PRO™ Colorimeters
http://www.colorvision.com/products.php
 


do plasma tvs have the soap opera effect even though they are not lcds?
Q. i notice plasmas as having great picture but displaying images smoother at 600hz than they were meant to be from most video sources(24-60hz) in use today can they still have soap opera effect even though people say they don't

A. Be careful here. There are 2 major problems with LCD panels and neither of them are the "Soap Opera" effect.

The over-lit, high-contrast picture is caused by SOFTWARE inside the HDTV trying to enhance the picture. It basically look for dim areas and brightens them, then looks for tiny details and increases the contrast around them so they 'pop' out.

This makes the screen look like a overly-lit scene from a soap-opera giving the name.

You can usually turn off these effects in the TV setup menu. Since Samsung makes both LCD and Plasma televisions with similar software, I suspect you can find a Samsung plasma that will show the soap opera effect.

I have only seen this on a huge LCD panel at a Magnolia store inside a BestBuy. I was in shock. The picture WAS enhanced, but looked so artificial. I called over a salesperson and asked why the huge screen near the entrance was rigged to give such a horrible image. The answer was that it was done deliberately so customers could compare to the other televisions that had been calibrated by the Geek Squad and have a better picture.

Now the soap-opera effect has nothing to do with Calibration. But they probably spend 10 seconds turning it off during a calibration visit so... technically not faud, but misleading.


i just got my panasonic HDTV calibrated from best buy do i need to change any of the settings like color etc.?
Q. all of the settings are back to what i believe is factory default, i shouldnt need to change any of it should i?!

A. It sounds to me like you were not given a satisfactory explanation of the complete display calibration process, which wouldn’t really surprise me coming from a “big-box” retailer such as Best Buy.

A professional display calibration includes a precision instrument-based calibration of the white-point across the display’s entire gray-scale, setting the Inverse Gamma Correction to its proper value, AND optimization of the user-accessible picture settings, i.e., the black level (Brightness), peak white level (Contrast or Picture), chroma saturation (Color), chroma hue (Tint), and luma signal frequency peaking (Sharpness) settings, among others. The entire process is performed using the highest performance, color-accurate picture mode of the display device. If you wish to enjoy the full benefit of your professional display calibration and optimization you must use the picture mode for which your TV was calibrated.

As I stated earlier, the user-accessible picture controls should have been optimized for your viewing environment. (It is possible with some displays, depending on the specific brand and model, to optimize the picture controls separately for both day and night viewing conditions and store them in the display’s non-volatile memory.) That said you are free to alter the picture controls to your liking though you really defeat much of the purpose of a professional display calibration at that point.

If your display is (re)set to factory default then that is usually an indication that you are NOT currently using the proper ‘calibrated’ picture mode…or that you somehow inadvertently reset the settings on your display thereby erasing the ‘calibrated’ settings. In either case you should call the Best Buy service department that serviced your display to find out which picture mode was calibrated or read through the pre-post display calibration report that they should have provided you.

######################## RESOURCES ########################

“Ten Steps to Set Up Your New HDTV without a Calibration”
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/?p=259

“Greyscale & Colour Calibration for Dummies”
http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
– “CalMAN Calibration Bootcamp: A Crash Course in the Science of Calibration”
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/technical-articles/898-spectracal-calibration-bootcamp-a-crash-course-in-the-science-of-calibration.html
– “Professional Display Calibration: What It Is and What It Means to Your Home Theater Experience”
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/technical-articles/488-a-secrets-technical-article.html
– “DIY HDTV Calibration Software Overview: A Comparison of ColorHCFR, ChromaPure, and CalMAN”
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/diy/813-diy-calibration-overview.html

“Picture Perfect: TV Calibration Demystified”
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/2007/01/picture-perfect-tv-calibration-demystified

Yahoo! Answers
– Is it really important to have calibration on an LCD television?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080513224233AAhUvQ0
– I purchased a Sony 52” XBR4 LCD TV on Best Buy?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080314095743AAGGb8x
– Calibration LCD TV?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080323143544AAD8R2e
– Is D6487K too low of a color temperature for an LCD TV?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080324173810AAHkg1g
– How to calibrate an HDTV?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080222220308AAW29iP
– Is it necessary to calibrate an LCD flat screen TV?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080804114715AAutmDe
– *Plasma TV calibration - peoples opinions?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100904022244AAzqYgz

Display Calibration Resources
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhpmqnbb_4g8mtjzdf
 





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