Video Calibration - a new part of my "hobby"

[JJinID]

I've been keeping myself busy the past couple of weeks working with my own new video calibration equipment. I purchased a beginner DIY package which consists of a i1 Display2 colorimeter, CalMan 4 software package, and the SpectraCal Get Gray DVD (I can link to it if Ivan allows but don't want to break any rules). As a part of the deal I also was able to attend two 90 minute online training sessions, one for TV/Video calibration and one for PC monitor calibration (which is a slightly different process and SW license is extra).

I've always been interested in this topic and have had two of my displays (previous Pioneer Elite RPTV and current Panny Plasma) professionally ISF calibrated so I have a good idea of the benefits of calibration and what things essentially "should" look like. I have a just over one year old Sony 55" LCD in my living room that had not yet been fully calibrated (just by me with Spears and Munsil Blu-Ray pattern disc) and I wanted to get it all the way there.

The new CalMan 4 software has workflow patterns to step you though each part of the process in the proper sequence. There is a bit of a learning curve to understand how each part works but if you have some basic familiarity with the test patterns and previous experience with calibration DVDs and how to measure them it's not difficult. The main thing for me to figure out was more about the software settings to get the prompts and graphs set up the way I wanted them for more precise measuring. The meter I have probably isn't the best or most accurate but it gets things very close and MUCH BETTER than calibrating by eye and test patterns alone, especially with grayscale which you can't do by eye alone.

I've done a few practice calibrations now and did one for my dad this past weekend on his TV and I have to say it has been worth the investment and time spent. I'm pretty much a perfectionist so I'm still tinkering with settings on my LCD and eventually I will see if I need to tune up my ISF calibrated plasma.

I do have to say that on my Sony the colors and detail of the picture look even more natural and real as a result of my efforts. I don't know how far down the rabbit hole I will go in terms of investing in a better calibration equipment - will see on that. Other than not getting enough sleep lately I am having a lot of fun with this and I highly recommend the package I purchased for those looking to dip their toes in the water with performing their own video calibrations. I hope you find the sharing of my thoughts and experiences valuable and if there is interest we can use this thread to ask questions or share our experiences.

[Masterlu]

Good for you Jeff!

I use Sencore equipment.

[JJinID]

I thought I would post an update showing the pictures from the CalMan 4 software of my TV's performance, post-calibration. This is the best I have been able to do within the tolerances of my 55" Sony LCD set. I wish I had saved the pre-calibration pictures to show how much of a difference doing the calibration made and how far off the default settings are on the set, even in "Cinema" mode which is the most accurate out of the box. I could probably reset the TV back to defaults and take some if anyone is interested in seeing the "before" shots.

Here's what some of the post-calibration measurement pictures look like:







Having the TV calibrated makes a significant difference in the enjoyment of watching shows and movies. I highly recommend you either have a qualified professional do this for you, or make an attempt to learn to do it yourself!

[TommyC]

I plan to hire a ISF certified tech to calibrate my 65VT30 in the summer! Can't wait!

[Masterlu]

Nice work Jeff, how are your black levels?

[JJinID]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Nice work Jeff, how are your black levels?

Thanks Ivan. It looks like I didn't save my black level luminance into my report. I'll have to remeasure that and let you know. The TV's performance in this area is decent but not great. I want to say around .11 fL with full brightness set at ~33 fL.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by JJinID

Thanks Ivan. It looks like I didn't save my black level luminance into my report. I'll have to remeasure that and let you know. The TV's performance in this area is decent but not great. I want to say around .11 fL with full brightness set at ~33 fL.

You're talking the talk, and walking the walk!

[Whart]

Years ago, I had some Joe Kane-trained guys come to my house to calibrate my then projector which was a big NEC with some custom boards. (I think, at the time, Runco may have been using a similar NEC projector, and then rebuilding it to their specs- this has got to be 1995?) Anyway, shortly after they did their thing, my video guru at the time (I still talk to him occassionally), the infamous "Izzy" from NYC came to my house, took one look at the projector, and said "You 'fk'd dis up' Vat did you do?' (said with Israeli accent). Iz then proceeded to tweak the thing by eye/knowledge and honestly, it did look better. I can't tell you what he did, but I'm guessing there's still some subject tweaking, even after you get the basics right. I really haven't touched my DLP projector that replaced it (now aging) once he set it up.
Recently, when I got a modest Samsung for our den system, I cheated and went to a site (it may be an ISF sanctioned site) that has recommended settings for different brands/models of flat screen TVs. It looked pretty good, more filmic, less like that nasty tear your eyes out look of store demo TVs. With good source material it is actually a pleasure to watch, and took me all of about 10 minutes to do the 'cheater' method.
Do you know the site I'm talking about (for the lazy, cheap and less technically inclined)?

[BlueChiaro]

Originally Posted by Whart

Recently, when I got a modest Samsung for our den system, I cheated and went to a site (it may be an ISF sanctioned site) that has recommended settings for different brands/models of flat screen TVs. It looked pretty good, more filmic, less like that nasty tear your eyes out look of store demo TVs. With good source material it is actually a pleasure to watch, and took me all of about 10 minutes to do the 'cheater' method.
Do you know the site I'm talking about (for the lazy, cheap and less technically inclined)?

Hi, Whart...the main problem with using settings from such a site is that mass produced monitors have substantial variance from one unit to another. If you and I have the same model TV and use the same settings, they aren't going to give the same result. I'm glad that this gave you improvement, but if you're getting excellent results, then it's likely more coincidental than anything. At least that's my view on it, and I highly doubt that an "ISF sanctioned site" would disseminate data for this purpose...kinda flies in the face of what they represent.

With all that being said, it can surely give you starting point. And, for what it's worth, never get into a service menu without writing down ALL of the settings. I actually took pictures of each screen prior to adjustment to confirm each data point.

[TommyC]

There are several sites posting recommended settings. However, each TV is different, these recommended settings can only be a starting point. They are better than factory preset, but an ISF calibration is often better.