TV Calibration is it worth it?

[CitronBull]

I need to find out from people who had their TV calibrated professionally. Is it worth it or should I just save up and buy a new TV.

I have a 51" Sony 51WS510 HD RPTV. I headed over to my friends house to watch 2nd half of the NFL playoffs on his 50" Samsung Plasma TV. WOW!!!!!! His TV made my TV look like I was watching the NFL on SD. I was blown away! Does anyone here any experience in getting their TV calibrated? I know 1080p with HD DVD or BLU RAY is the eventual goal. Is the picture difference worth paying extra $$$$ to calibrate?

 

[majorloser]

There are some thing a professional can do to a RPTV that the home owner can't. I have read reviews were they calibration service company has replaced the front projection screen and lined the inside of the cabinet with a light absorbing material to prevent internal reflections. I believe the review was in HT Mag. They said the outcome was a huge improvement.

I will say though, that comparing a rear projection to a plasma might be the difference here. The plasma will appear brighter and there may have been better image processing of the broadcast from one set to the other. The plasma might havea better contrast ratio and a better comb filter. I don't know what you are using as the HD source either, DSS or cable. Satelite and cable boxes aren't know for their stellar pictures in most cases.

As far as is professional calibration worth it. I don't know, is taking your car to the dealership better than doing maintenance yourself? I personally use Digital Video Essentials for calibration. Works fine for my front projector setup. Not the easiest disk to use the first time through it but still good.

 

[chicagomd]

I would say yes, TV callibration is well worth it.

Start off with one of the callibration disks like DVE or Avia, and see how it compares to the plasma. But remember that the source material and resolution are going to have a major effect on the picture.

A pair of $5,000 speakers will not always sound better than a pair of $1,000 speakers depending on the room environment and the source material. I think the same thing goes for displays. A well callibrated TV with a good DVD player will probably out-perform a much more expensive set

The plamsa is "light"...have your buddy bring it over a hook it up to your system and see if it really looks that much better. If you are lucky, he might forget to take it with him when he leaves..

 

[ht_addict]

I need to find out from people who had their TV calibrated professionally. Is it worth it or should I just save up and buy a new TV.

I have a 51" Sony 51WS510 HD RPTV. I headed over to my friends house to watch 2nd half of the NFL playoffs on his 50" Samsung Plasma TV. WOW!!!!!! His TV made my TV look like I was watching the NFL on SD. I was blown away! Does anyone here any experience in getting their TV calibrated? I know 1080p with HD DVD or BLU RAY is the eventual goal. Is the picture difference worth paying extra $$$$ to calibrate?

Yes! I paid $275CDN to have my 47" RPTV done and the difference was noticeable. Greyscale was off and so was the convergence. Now all is well.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I need to find out from people who had their TV calibrated professionally. Is it worth it or should I just save up and buy a new TV.

I have a 51" Sony 51WS510 HD RPTV. I headed over to my friends house to watch 2nd half of the NFL playoffs on his 50" Samsung Plasma TV. WOW!!!!!! His TV made my TV look like I was watching the NFL on SD. I was blown away! Does anyone here any experience in getting their TV calibrated? I know 1080p with HD DVD or BLU RAY is the eventual goal. Is the picture difference worth paying extra $$$$ to calibrate?

Did you ask your buddy if his TV calibrated by a pro? And who?
If not, out of the box in the vast majority of the cases is not a true picture what is being transmitted but pushed to the extremes to give a WOW factor. Maybe that is what you saw?

Another consideration is the two TVs themselves. One may have more lumens that the other? That will change after a proper calibration too. Brighter may impress but may not be realistic.

 

[CitronBull]

calibrate

No, I didn't ask my buddy if his TV was professionally calibrated. I know he got it from Magnolia so I guess he didn't.

 

[Emusica]

plasma calibration?

I have the Panny "50 Plasma and I just used the Avia calibration DVD. It didn't really work all that well, but there was a lot of info about tint, hue, brightness, etc., that was very usefull. Some of the actual test patterns didn't work at all but it gave me an idea of what to look for. Does anyone know if there is a calibration dvd that is optimized for plasma tv's? I don't think this DVD was really intended for plasma.

I think the Avia software would work in your situation.

 

[~JC~]

DVE disc

The DVE disc is definitely difficult to use for the novice, and I had heard that it was. The initial section on contrast explains that it is not intended for digital displays, which "will be covered later" I'm not completely sure when that occurs, and it certainly is not illustrated, as "blooming" is, for the crt.

Is there a section here or elsewhere, that explains the proper use of this disc, on a more basic level, that the non-ISF person can effectively use??

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have the Panny "50 Plasma and I just used the Avia calibration DVD. It didn't really work all that well, but there was a lot of info about tint, hue, brightness, etc., that was very usefull. Some of the actual test patterns didn't work at all but it gave me an idea of what to look for. Does anyone know if there is a calibration dvd that is optimized for plasma tv's? I don't think this DVD was really intended for plasma.
I think the Avia software would work in your situation.

I believe in plasma, lcd and other pixel types digital displays, the black level is set to 0 not that 7.5, hence the reason why it will not work?

 

[Emusica]

I believe in plasma, lcd and other pixel types digital displays, the black level is set to 0 not that 7.5, hence the reason why it will not work?

Probably so, but I'm no expert. The test pattern for picture and brightness really didn't work at all.

 

[blacksquid]

I have the Panny "50 Plasma and I just used the Avia calibration DVD. It didn't really work all that well, but there was a lot of info about tint, hue, brightness, etc., that was very usefull. Some of the actual test patterns didn't work at all but it gave me an idea of what to look for. Does anyone know if there is a calibration dvd that is optimized for plasma tv's? I don't think this DVD was really intended for plasma.

I think the Avia software would work in your situation.

There is an entire forum at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=139 which deals with calibration. Check it out. Lots of good discussion.

 

[erz42]

Conversation with Samsung unedited. way to rip me off Best Buy

me: is there way to calibrate the colors myself
Max: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Max: I'll be right with you.
Max: Thank you for holding.
Max: Just to confirm, do you have a user manual?
me: yup
Max: Please refer to the page number 17 regarding the information.
me: i am talking about best buy wanted to have me spend 200$ to have them calibrate the colors
me: how about you help me through this
Max: Basically , all the Samsung TVs are calibrated and don't need any further calibration. Please check the below information regarding this.
me: why would best buy want me to spend $200 on this then
Max: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.
me: Sounds like one of your large retailers is ripping off people
Max: Samsung HDTVs are carefully calibrated and configured at the factory with several picture settings for your convenience. Most Samsung HDTV owners will be extremely happy with these factory settings and will have no need for additional calibration.
me: Why would Best Buy try to convince customers buying your tv's to pay $200 to have them come out an d calibrate it then?
Max: I will be right with you.
Max: We're not authorized to comment on third part policies but generally, Samsung HDTVs don't need the calibration.
me: very interesting

 

[Ares]

Here's the thing you do need to calibrate a TV so Samung is wrong on that, also Best Buy's calibration is not worth the $200 price tag since what they do is a basic calibration something you can do with the THX optimizer found on most THX certified movies.

 

[krzywica]

This is quickly turning into a facepalm thread....

I have the Panny "50 Plasma and I just used the Avia calibration DVD. It didn't really work all that well, but there was a lot of info about tint, hue, brightness, etc., that was very usefull. Some of the actual test patterns didn't work at all but it gave me an idea of what to look for. Does anyone know if there is a calibration dvd that is optimized for plasma tv's? I don't think this DVD was really intended for plasma.

I think the Avia software would work in your situation.

Avia will work just fine with any plasma, I have used both DVE and Avia DVD and Avia II and they all work just fine if you take a little time to understand the display technology that you are calibrating.

Probably so, but I'm no expert. The test pattern for picture and brightness really didn't work at all.

Go to the section of your TV for picture and reset to defaults. Now try it again. If your TV has "profiles" that you can set calibrate the TV at least twice. Once when your room is the brightest in the middle of the day and once for when everything is dark.

me: is there way to calibrate the colors myself
Max: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Max: I'll be right with you.
Max: Thank you for holding.
Max: Just to confirm, do you have a user manual?
me: yup
Max: Please refer to the page number 17 regarding the information.
me: i am talking about best buy wanted to have me spend 200$ to have them calibrate the colors
me: how about you help me through this
Max: Basically , all the Samsung TVs are calibrated and don't need any further calibration. Please check the below information regarding this.
me: why would best buy want me to spend $200 on this then
Max: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.
me: Sounds like one of your large retailers is ripping off people
Max: Samsung HDTVs are carefully calibrated and configured at the factory with several picture settings for your convenience. Most Samsung HDTV owners will be extremely happy with these factory settings and will have no need for additional calibration.
me: Why would Best Buy try to convince customers buying your tv's to pay $200 to have them come out an d calibrate it then?
Max: I will be right with you.
Max: We're not authorized to comment on third part policies but generally, Samsung HDTVs don't need the calibration.
me: very interesting

Did you really expect anything less from a level 1 support rep? It appears that your not even talking to technical support.

 

[bandphan]

It appears that your not even talking to technical support.

he wasnt... its these guys

 

[gmichael]

he wasnt... its these guys

He was probaly texting someone in India.