Calibrating an HDTV...Why do I need to hire a professional?

[alimoalem]

Hey guys.

My question may be stupid but when calibrating a TV, why does one need to get a professional? Why can't I just use the settings someone else has on their own professionally-calibrated set? We recently bought a Panasonic G10. I know my dad won't pay for a professional calibration. Would using someone else's professionally-calibrated settings be our best choice?

Also, what does a tech do when calibrating a set? They just change contrast/RGB/etc. values, right? Or is there something extra?

TIA, guys.

 

[PurdueRy]

Hey guys.

My question may be stupid but when calibrating a TV, why does one need to get a professional? Why can't I just use the settings someone else has on their own professionally-calibrated set? We recently bought a Panasonic G10. I know my dad won't pay for a professional calibration. Would using someone else's professionally-calibrated settings be our best choice?

Also, what does a tech do when calibrating a set? They just change contrast/RGB/etc. values, right? Or is there something extra?

TIA, guys.

Because every set it slightly different.

In the good news, in my experience, at least in plasmas(haven't calibrated a LCD TV besides my computer monitor) TV's are much more accurate now on their "standard" setting than they use to be in CRT TV days. I find most need very little adjustment in tint and saturation when taken off "vivid" mode.

A service professional has better tools to judge the best settings to contrast, brightness, etc. You can do pretty well with a calibration disk but it all depends how picky you are. I've always done it myself.

Back when CRT TVs ruled the service menu was very important for geometry. Not sure if service menus nowadays still have important adjustments picture wise in them.

 

[de8212]

Another factor would be the light in the room. The person that posted the settings might have more/less ambient light and that can make a big difference in alot of the settings.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I MUCH prefer the avia (spelling? haven't used it in awhile..) and another one I bought, called perfect black maybe? Anyhow, I did it myself and was happy with the results..

Edit:

Pretty sure the software was called "getgray"

 

[The-Noid]

http://www.amazon.com/ColorVision-S3...2962936&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-...2962957&sr=8-1

and a blu-ray player is what you need. A bit of time and some greyscale instructions you can get a perfect picture.

 

[kalrith]

http://www.amazon.com/ColorVision-S3...2962936&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-...2962957&sr=8-1

and a blu-ray player is what you need. A bit of time and some greyscale instructions you can get a perfect picture.

I wouldn't say a perfect picture, but the difference between using someone else's settings and going the avia route is likely larger (and much less expensive) than the difference between avia and using a professional reviewer.

There are two possible problems with trying to calibrate your TV yourself in lieu of using a professional. One is the inability to calibrate sources without a DVD/BD player (i.e. DVRs and STBs). You can calibrate your BD player and then use those same settings for the DVR/STB, but the settings won't be accurate for any other sources.

The other possible problem is if your TV requires use of the service menu for calibration. My TV (Pioneer 5080) is like this; however, the resourceful folks at avsforum have mentioned how to get into the service menu and which settings to change. Of course, I could screw up my TV if I do something wrong, so it is a risky move on my part to do this, but I still plan to do it anyways. Certain TVs like the Pioneer Elites can be perfectly calibrated by using nothing but the user menus; however, I would say that's the exception and not the norm.

What most people want to achieve is the best picture possible without breaking the bank. Some settle for using other users' settings, but as others have said, each TV is different, and each environment is different. In fact you're supposed to calibrate your TV again every couple years, because of the decrease in brightness after usage will nullify the calibration done when your TV was brighter. Using DVE (and even using those settings for all sources) will probably be sufficient for most people. I recommend following Avical's DVE User-Level Video Calibration Tutorial. Also, be sure to calibrate the TV in a darkened setting.

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108543-1.html

http://forums.cnet.com/hdtv-picture...&messageType=1&tag=srchbr&query=panasonic+g10


I used the recommendedsettings for my 50" x-1 and with a few minor tweaks, have a near perfect picture for both Dish Network broadcasts and DVD. I haven't found a Blu-ray movie to test it with...yet. (tweaks include a slight bump in the color and in the sharpness settings)

 

[ManBearPig]

Hey guys.

My question may be stupid but when calibrating a TV, why does one need to get a professional? Why can't I just use the settings someone else has on their own professionally-calibrated set? We recently bought a Panasonic G10. I know my dad won't pay for a professional calibration. Would using someone else's professionally-calibrated settings be our best choice?

Also, what does a tech do when calibrating a set? They just change contrast/RGB/etc. values, right? Or is there something extra?

TIA, guys.

weird question, but are you a teacher?

 

[alimoalem]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've found them very helpful.

So, just a follow up question. While using someone else's settings will likely not give me the best picture possible, will it at least provide a better picture than the out-of-the-box settings? We are happy with the out-of-the-box settings of the G10, but it's always nice to get a better picture if we can.

Kazaam, my last name does mean teacher, but I'm a university student, so no, I'm not a teacher

 

[jtvang125]

Most TVs only allow the user to adjust a limited amount of PQ controls. More can be accessed through the service menu but it's not recommended to go into it and start changing things because it can seriously mess up your TV. A competent, professional calibrator will go into the service menu using sophisticated equipment and adjust these additional settings. If you own a top model TV then its recommended to have it professionally calibrated to get the best picture for your setting. This isn't cheap though so many people are satisfied with just using calibration DVDs or just using other people's settings.

I recently bought a Panny G10 and was thinking about getting it professionally calibrated but after seeing the results with using other people's settings I changed my mind. Just a few changes on some settings in THX mode gave a awesome picture already so no need for extra $$$ that can be used on the rest of my HT system.

 

[zerocool84]

Even after I used a THX calibration Blu-ray it made the picture in my CRT HDTV look a lot better. I already paid for the Blu-ray so didn't have to spend any extra money. Obviously wasn't the best but it did help a lot.

 

[alimoalem]

I recently bought a Panny G10 and was thinking about getting it professionally calibrated but after seeing the results with using other people's settings I changed my mind. Just a few changes on some settings in THX mode gave a awesome picture already so no need for extra $$$ that can be used on the rest of my HT system.

Care to share your settings?

Also, did you just use the G10 owner's thread on AVS Forums, or was there another thread that helped you?

Thanks.

 

[Noubourne]

Customizing your settings will often improve things, but it does nothing to match colors and grayscale to the ISF standard.

Anyone who says they have a "perfect" picture without having a professional come calibrate it is either uninformed or just plain wrong.

 

[brainhulk]

Just a warning, a LOT of people are dissapointed with professionally calibrated pictures that are so called the most "accurate" pictures.

Why? people buy these HDTV sets for the wow factor they can give to pictures. The most accurate picture many times fails to wow.

If you are one of these people that likes to get wowed. Do not waste your money to get professionally calibrated. use a disc, use another person's calibrated settings, and adjust it to what you like. for free!

 

[Muadib]

Just a warning, a LOT of people are dissapointed with professionally calibrated pictures that are so called the most "accurate" pictures.

Why? people buy these HDTV sets for the wow factor they can give to pictures. The most accurate picture many times fails to wow.

If you are one of these people that likes to get wowed. Do not waste your money to get professionally calibrated. use a disc, use another person's calibrated settings, and adjust it to what you like. for free!

Sad but true.

 

[NorVan75]

If you wish to go beyond guessing, but are not quite sure if a professional calibration is for you then one alternative is to use this http://spyder.datacolor.com/product-ht-s3tv.php to calibrate your panel.
It is a device that is connected to a PC, then a reading device is hung on the panel.
The reader will look at what the panel is doing then guide you through having you adjust settings until an expected output is reached.
This is not quite the same as what a professional calibration will do and it will expect that you know how to adjust your various panel settings.
I used my Spyder to tweak my panel (Sony KDL-46XBR4 LCD) and after several sessions I have a visibly better image.
I recommend that you record all the various panel settings, then force the panel to re-assert it's factory settings, then set the panel up using a Spyder.
Record all these settings in a spreadsheet for quick and easy referral for your settings.

A not expensive device that can help home users calibrate their own panels.