Video Calibration
The calibrator's
job is to deliver the right
picture, the whole picture, and nothing but the picture.
Utilizing a state-of-the art color analyzer system
together with the industry reference test patterns and video clips, we
will calibrate your display to the NTSC and HDTV standards.
However, calibration is not all about the equipment. There is no
substitute for experience and training, and
we take pride in being one of the most dedicated service companies when it comes to research and attention to detail.
We will calibrate your display the same way the
professionals have it set up in the broadcast studios. A proper
calibration is essential to be able to reproduce the programming content
in an accurate way. When a display is properly set up, you will be able
to see what the director of the program intended you to see, not
artifacts caused by incorrect settings.
Front-panel settings optimized include:
- Black Level (a.k.a. Brightness)
- White Level (a.k.a. Contrast/Picture)
- Chroma Level (a.k.a. Color/Saturation)
- Chroma Phase (a.k.a. Tint)
- Sharpness
Advanced settings optimized, through front-panel or
service menu:
- Gray scale tracking to D65
broadcasting standard (C.I.E. 1931)
- Overscan
- Additional Color Decoder adjustments
- Gamma curve adjustments
- Disabling of SVM and other "enhancements"
that hide picture detail
- Other internal tweaks to enhance resolution etc (depending on set).
- Color gamut
Why would I pay for this? Why isn't the TV set up
correctly from the factory?
In a perfect world, it would be! However, the
main reason televisions are very poorly set up, out of the box, is that they are configured to be
able to compete with other televisions in a bright showroom. Since the human eye
will always prefer a brighter display over a dimmer one, cranking white level up
sells TV sets. However, it's disastrous for picture quality. Most
televisions also display white with a strong blueish tinge, for the same reason.
A blue white will always seem brighter than a more neutral gray white. Why
are laundry detergents blue? They contain blue coloring
to make your shirts "whiter than white"! All this competing over which set
has the brightest picture also has another side effect. Since so much blue
is added, people's skin tones don't look right. So how did the television
industry tackle this? Easy, just make all red color information more red
(also known as "red push") to compensate!
These "tricks" (and others) are designed to make you pick
their set in a side-by-side comparison. However, they do not give you a
good or accurate picture. Only by following the NTSC and/or HDTV standards
can we deliver the right picture!
For examples of common issues, please follow this
link.
There are several other reasons televisions need
calibration:
- Room environment. Since not
all television end up in the same room with the same lighting, you need
to set it up where it's supposed to be used. The factory can't
do this for you.
- Different sources. For a
calibration to be optimal, it should be done with the actual source
equipment you intend to use. Calibration should be done with
your DVD player, not the factory's or retailers. There can be a
10% difference between DVD players in what signal they send to the
television. Even the same model from the same manufacturer differs
between units!
- Protect your investment. Proper
calibration extends the lifetime of the display.
And of course, the primary reason, the picture
will look much better. It will let you focus on the content of the programming,
instead of annoying distractions and artifacts.
For a more in-depth explanation of the importance of
gray-scale calibration, click here.
Pricing
- Direct view sets: $400
- Rear/Front Projectors: $500
- Optional Color Gamut calibration (if
available in display): $100
- External Video Processor calibration: $400
Discounts are available if more than one set is
calibrated during the same visit. All pricing includes customized reports
showing gray scale tracking pre and post calibration.
Equipment used
-
Progressive Labs
MicroSpec spectroradiometer
-
Progressive Labs C-5
color analyzer
-
Progressive Labs CA-6X color
analyzer with optional LCD flat panel Probe
- A Visual
Standard TVS Pro optical comparator
- Sony PVM-96 reference D65 studio monitor
-
Ovation Multimedia
Avia Pro test patterns reference suite
-
Joe Kane's
Digital Video Essentials Professional SD and HD DVD
- Accupel
HDG-4000 HD/SD/DVI pattern generator
- Various BluRay calibration discs.
Work we do NOT perform
- CRT Rear/Front projector focus and convergence
- CRT Direct View focus and convergence
Models we do NOT work on, since they can't be
calibrated accurately
- Sharp Aquos LCD panels
- Mitsubishi Rear Projection sets
Audio Calibration
