calibrating tv - wish i had known this...

[ratso]

... before buying a tv. if you want to REALLY calibrate your tv correctly (and yes, as this explains there is a CORRECT way to calibrate one. whether or not you like it will depend on how much you like the super bright best-buy type calibrations) here is how to do it. cheaper then getting an ISF guy out to your house, and you can do it on all your sets.

(alright, WTH i can't post a link? that's just stupid. OK so go to curtpalme.com go to the faqs/tips/manuals tab and click on the link to "greyscale and colour calibration for dummies."

all my tv's look great now, and i have the graphs to prove it. i would have been a lot more careful about buying a tv with adjustable RGB high and low end, adjustable gamma and a true color management system for the primary and secondary colors. but even just fixing your greyscale will greatly improve your tv's picture.

p.s. although i haven't tried both, i recommend the eye-one sensor.

 

[perkey84]

I perfer to stay lockedup in the house for three days. adjusting it the way that i want it. the tv may look great on one channel but look like trash when you change the channel. just play with it.

 

[Alex2507]

Should I throw my Avia II Calibration Disc away?

 

[mike c]

i got an AVIA II calibration disc from SVS (free) ... it was empty (save for the colored films)

and because it was free - i didn't have the heart to complain

 

[Alex2507]

i got an AVIA II calibration disc from SVS (free) ... it was empty (save for the colored films)

and because it was free - i didn't have the heart to complain

I paid a little extra for mine to get it quicker and then didn't use it for two weeks. Amazon was selling them for $30 last week, shipped. I paid $50 some months back.

 

[mike c]

does it really make a big difference? im kinda hesitating to spend 30 bucks on a "calibration disc"

 

[Alex2507]

does it really make a big difference? im kinda hesitating to spend 30 bucks on a "calibration disc"

Oh my goodness. Yes it makes a big enough difference that comparing uncalibrated TV's is pointless. A calibrated cheap 32" LCD looked better than an uncalibrated 50" Panny plasma in my living room side by side. It does cool audio stuff too. Essential audio stuff. The impact on sound quality and picture quiality provided by a clibration disc and a RS SPL meter have in my case been profound.

I'm having trouble getting my mind around you hesitating to spend $30.
I spent $50 on that but only $207 on a second sub.

If annunaki is on your ignore list or something you need to make up with him and reap the benefits. Joking of course but he is an information freak of nature regarding this stuff. You have been hanging out in the sub forum too much. Oh my goodness.

Read this:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43204

 

[bandphan]

Id recommend it for any display. ^^ +1. The nice thing about the dyi, if you invest very little you can get results that very close to an actual isf.

 

[Halon451]

(alright, WTH i can't post a link? that's just stupid. OK so go to curtpalme.com go to the faqs/tips/manuals tab and click on the link to "greyscale and colour calibration for dummies."

That only led me to a bunch of links on Projectors, did I miss something?

I've got a couple of the recommended discs, plus one that I downloaded (referenced in another thread for "GetGray Calibration Disc"), plus the THX calibration patterns on my Star Wars DVD. I've used them all, and the absolute best settings I've gotten for my set thus far have been decidedly split between each of these - in other words, there is a marginal difference in "ideal" settings for each disc you put in, and could have different effects depending on which source you're calibrating to. There is always this potential. For example, one disc's recommended color saturation levels left people's skin tones too bright and reddish, while another disc's levels left them slightly under-colored. The key was to split the difference and find the settings that were "close" to each of the various discs ideal levels, as much as practical, and then fine tune it visually once you've established a known good starting point, and only by very small increments. And I always set the color temperature to "warm" or 6500K, depending on how it's listed on any given model.

 

[bandphan]

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457

here you go buddy

 

[Halon451]

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457

here you go buddy

Ah, thanks. I've actually seen this before, now that I'm looking at it again. Anything labeled "for Dummies" immediately draws me in for some reason...

 

[jostenmeat]

I suffer a bit of neon green every now and then, like in bandphan's link with the RS1 shots.

Good thing I don't watch sports on the HT with all that baseball, football, soccer grass...

outboard VP is expensive.

I don't have much to complain about, but I guess I can always find something.

I did basic Avia cal every 200-250 hrs so far. But, there's not much dramatic change from default for me, nor after 200 hour increments. The brightness has subtly dropped, but I actually prefer how it looks now. I've heard some folks are using the same PJ, and when nearing 1000 hours, they are dropping to about 100 lumens only... and they like it!

 

[mike c]

ok, im ordering one

 

[Adam]

Mike, I'm guessing that SVS would have sent you another one...with the DVD in it this time. After all, you probably account for half of their annual sales.

 

[EJ1]

I find it fun self-calibrating using HCFR software and a colorimeter. The only thing I hate is the repetitive nature of the tests during tweaking.

 

[mike c]

Mike, I'm guessing that SVS would have sent you another one...with the DVD in it this time. After all, you probably account for half of their annual sales.

yeah, they probably would have ...

but i can't even form the sentence i would have sent them:

"hey, the disc you sent me FREE was empty... umm send me another one?"

"funny thing ... the AVIA II disc was empty ... yes, i got it sealed ... send me another one?"

they actually sent me TWO discs ... both sealed, i gave one to a friend (who lives far away) [that was the time i bought my 3rd and 4th Ultra and that friend who i convinced to buy 2 for himself (so there were 4 ultras in that transaction)]

i get to have the empty one i have reverse good luck ... it's like the equivalent of winning the lottery 10x in your life except i get the crappy end.

 

[jonnythan]

I borrowed a friend's calibration disc and gels.

Ended up changing the contrast by 1. Brightness stayed the same, and the colors stayed about the same.

You can eyeball it pretty well if you pay attention.

 

[Alex2507]

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457

This looks complicated, confusing and expensive if you factor in not having a laptop.

They should have a Drywaller's Audioholics:
1. Dith ith a powah kawd.
2. Dith ith a wawll owtlet.
3. Get your tounge outa there you freakin' retard!

outboard VP is expensive.
I did basic Avia cal every 200-250 hrs so far. But, there's not much dramatic change from default for me,

If you mean a change PQ wise, I think you would notice more of a change if you had a display to compare it against for before and after calibration. I didn't say that very well but I mean in the same room playing the same material at the same time. I'm thinking that you can't mean your values for all the different settings stayed close to default.

I borrowed a friend's calibration disc and gels.

Ended up changing the contrast by 1. Brightness stayed the same, and the colors stayed about the same.

You can eyeball it pretty well if you pay attention.

Maybe you can but not me. There are too many variables that affect each other. I bet you have either been doing this for a while or you are gifted in the visual realm. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you have some sort of savant thing going on. Like you can calibrate any TV with one eye closed but you can't tie your shoes.

I admire your ability.

 

[bandphan]

One of the problems with eyeballing it or using others settings, is that most sets do not roll off the line equal. So two identical sets with the same settings might have different test results.

 

[Adam]

but i can't even form the sentence i would have sent them:

"hey, the disc you sent me FREE was empty... umm send me another one?"

"funny thing ... the AVIA II disc was empty ... yes, i got it sealed ... send me another one?"

I'm guessing either of those would work just fine. You could always try going the other way, such as: "Hey, you sent me an AVIA II disc set with no disc in it! What are you trying to pull, here? Now I feel like I need to take my Ultras apart and see if you left anything out of those." J/K.