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TV calibration -- good for picture quality and the environment, says THX

by Steven Kim posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 12:33PM

THX green
The wizened ones at THX have added yet another reason to actually spend some time calibrating your TV -- energy savings. Videophiles have long known that moving out of "torch mode" is good for the electric bill, but we're hoping that putting the THX logo behind the message will help move better picture quality to the mainstream. You know, because not everyone knows that TVs aren't supposed to pull double duty as tanning lamps and space heaters. For those people, maybe the 15 - 50-percent energy savings will get them to check out the THX calibration screens. Yearly electricity savings of about $50 aren't enough to offset a professional calibration, but if you're going to spend $1,000 on a TV, it's just silly to not spend 15-minutes to get things dialed in better than the out of the box settings.

Qdeo Blu-ray test disc promises more nits to pick and adjustments to obsess over

by Steven Kim posted Aug 19th 2009 at 4:02PM

Qdeo logoPristine transfers and favorite demo material aside, if you're an obsessive-compulsive videophile like us, one of the first discs you reach for after unboxing that new TV is a calibration disc. You know, the ones with the exciting test patterns and narration that empty a room really fast. Make space in your arsenal for one more of those riveting discs, because Marvell is bringing out its Qdeo Blu-ray disc to help you evaluate your setup, and with a focus on noise reduction, format conversion and image enhancement, this disc could be a good fit for modern systems that have the ability to stack tweak upon tweak at the player, receiver and TV. We'll admit that we're always a little leery of electronics manufacturers that issue their own test discs, but as long as no foul play is uncovered, it certainly can't hurt to have another choice on the market; some test patterns just work better for some people.

Xbox 360 TV Calibration app pops up on Community Games

by Richard Lawler posted Mar 31st 2009 at 3:13PM


For most of this month, one of the top 10 ranked Community Games on Major Nelson's list hasn't been a game at all, the TV Calibration app is a 200 point ($2.50) tool loaded with plenty of test patterns to make sure your video setup is configured perfectly. There's also a free trial, so we loaded it up and can say it does exactly what it says it does. Most games have at least some PQ optimization helpers, but it's unlikely you'll be able to get this detailed information about pixel mapping and test color patterns with a Gears of War disc, and hey, you gotta make sure those Netflix streams look their best on your HDTV. Other calibration tools may have a few more tests and work on more than one device, but for the price it seems to be a good value. Check out the gallery to see a few of the patterns included, or download it from the marketplace and give it a try.

Gallery: TV Calibration for Xbox 360

  • Color pattern test
  • Overscan test
  • Color bars

Spears & Munsil ships Blu-ray High Definition Benchmark calibration disc

by Darren Murph posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 7:47PM


Until now, Digital Video Essentials was pretty much the only legitimate option when it came to calibrating via Blu-ray player. At long last, a little competition has stepped into the field. Stacey Spears and Don Munsil -- creators of the DVD Player Benchmark and Progressive Scan Shootout at Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity -- has just released the Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark: Blu-ray Edition. The disc is chock full of test material and calibration patterns to help HD junkies adjust their home theater systems for optimal playback, and according to co-creator Stacey Spears, all of the material was created from scratch. Coincidentally enough, this very disc was bundled with our OPPO BDP-83 test deck, but given that it's on sale now at Amazon and direct from OPPO, we suppose that's not too terribly shocking. MSRP is pegged at $24.99, and you'll find lots more details waiting in the read link.

Gallery: Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark tunes up your Blu-ray player

Dialing back display brightness is good for picture quality and your wallet

by Steven Kim posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:52PM

Green LCD display
We've said it before, and we'll say it again -- once a TV has been moved from the store shelf into your shopping cart, the ultra-bright "torch mode" has served its only good purpose. Sadly, however, a study presented at the Ergonomics Symposium on Flat Panel Displays turned up more than 80-percent of the LCDs in the mode favored by alpine skiing fans, and almost 80-percent had the ambient light sensors disabled. That's bad news for picture quality, but also bad for energy consumption -- the study found that four factors (viewing angle, viewer age, content luminance and ambient lighting) can be used to determine an ergonomically correct display luminance, and we'd go out on a limb to say that the "dynamic" mode disregards what's "correct." Savings by dialing back the display can save energy by a not-too-shabby 20-30-percent. Statisticians can throw stones at the sample of 83 homes, but based on how many times we've found supernova whites and neon greens while visiting homes, it sounds about right.

Integra rolls ISF calibration into top-end AV receivers, preamp-processor

by Steven Kim posted Aug 25th 2008 at 1:56PM

Integra DHC-9.9 preamp-processor
Here's an idea that makes sense -- since AV receivers do the video switching and format conversion, why not put the image calibration in there, too? Integra is doing exactly that with its DTR-8.9 ($1,900) and DTR-9.9 ($2,600) receivers, as well as the DHC-9.9 ($2,000) preamp-processor. Better yet, this functionality will conform to ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) protocols so all you pixel-peepers can sleep easy. This makes it possible to calibrate your video sources independently, so you're not limited by the number of inputs you have on your display device. The only problem we see with this is that your ISF tech has to shoulder the extra work of setting up more calibrations.

SoundSense unveils sophisticated Noise Cancellation System for audio purists

by Darren Murph posted Aug 1st 2008 at 11:29AM

For home theater owners that love audio as much as (if not more than) video, unwanted noise is a real downer. Thankfully, the sound engineers at SoundSense completely agree, and now the company known for its acoustic dampening solutions is delivering a Noise Cancellation System that reportedly eliminates all that excess noise when you fire up your speakers and amplifiers. Put simply, the process simply utilizes a small microphone and speaker; the "noise-canceling speaker emits sound with opposite qualities of the noise source, thus eliminating distracting sounds." We've no idea how costly said solution will be, nor if it will be easy for novices to use, but don't hesitate to give SoundSense a call and see what it'll take to zap the interference lingering in your HT.

How-to guide simplifies calibration for new HDTV owners

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 9:37PM


We'll go ahead and get this out of the way: seasoned HDTV owners won't likely gain much from this one, but those brand new to the world of high-definition are probably wondering what on Earth "calibration" even means. Rather than simply brushing it aside and dealing with those factory settings, we'd suggest tapping the read link for a simplistic guide that explains how to get your new set looking its finest. Be warned -- you'll probably have to spend some dollars if you expect class-A results, but anyone who has calibrated their own TV will likely agree that it's worth it.

Industry professionals chime in with preferred demo material

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 8:55AM


Okay, so there are a few titles out there on Blu-ray, DVD and / or CD that simply shine. Those are undoubtedly the ones you bring out when looking to wow onlookers who are checking out your setup for the first time. But wouldn't you like to know which titles industry professionals use to seal deals and land clients? Thanks to a feature over at CE Pro, now you can. Bigwigs from SpeakerCraft, Richard Gray's Power Company and the Imaging Science Foundation were questioned about their favorite source material, and just to name a few, Cars, Casino Royale, The Fifth Element (the remastered version, obviously), Vertical Limit and Contact (DVD) made the cut. Hit up the read link for the full list.

CNET's HDTV picture settings database takes the edge off calibration

by Darren Murph posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 5:30AM

Just uttering the word "calibration" around an HDTV newbie will either elicit a blank stare or a lowered head. Nah, that hasn't been scientifically proven or anything, but we'd surmise that most folks avoid advanced tweaking for fear of screwing something up or just wasting too much time and effort. Thankfully, CNET has started up an HDTV picture settings database, which will show viewers the optimal setup they found on each set taken in for review. Granted, this means that not every single set will be there, and there's still aways to go before it's really fleshed out, but it's not a bad resource for $0.00.

[Image courtesy of Audio-Ideas]

THX to release Optimizer Blu-ray disc

by Richard Lawler posted May 15th 2008 at 1:39PM

It's apparently not too late for THX to squeeze its high definition test material onto a Blu-ray disc, as it's informed CNET of plans to do just that. Look forward to an "expanded version" of the THX Optimizer that ships with certain movies, but built for a less technical audience than a disc like Digital Video Essentials. Of course, the box probably won't include a sticker to proclaim your generic LCD THX-Certified, but you'll always know it is in your heart (or maybe you won't, since the company declined to say exactly what the "secret sauce" of factors is that garners a display the special label).

ControlCAL grants 8th-gen Kuro owners access to ISFccc calibration controls

by Darren Murph posted Apr 11th 2008 at 6:07PM


Hey, 8th-generation Kuro owners -- got a hankering to really get behind the scenes and tweak 'til your heart's content? If you, like many, spent a good chunk of your kid's college fund on a brand new plasma and don't have the coinage to pay for professional applications to unlock access to the full array of ISFccc controls, ControlCAL's got your back. The v1.4 RC1 has just been loosed (in Beta), which grants owners of Pioneer's famed PDP with access to more calibration controls than they can shake a stick at. Excited? Confused? Either way, we'd advise you to check out the links below if you're ready to dive in.

Read - ControlCAL adds 8G C3 support for Kuro Elites
Read - ControlCAL Kuro discussions at AVSForum

Sarnoff develops new test patterns for digital TV equipment

by Steven Kim posted Apr 10th 2008 at 11:07PM

Sarnoff develops new test patterns for digital TV equipment
Around these parts, "Joe Kane" is pretty much synonymous with "test patterns." The latest round of DVE has finally completed its winding journey to the land of HD DVD and Blu-ray, and just in time, too. A real grand-daddy of TV, Sarnoff Corp., will be showing off some new digital test patterns at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show next week. If you've never heard of Sarnoff, look into David Sarnoff and Philo Farnsworth for a fascinating bit of TV history. The tried and true test patterns are useful, but show their analog roots with things like overscan, for example. These new test patterns are constructed for today's digital signal chain and take things like bit depth and format conversion into consideration. Don't put that new copy of DVE in the shredder just yet, though -- this test material is aimed at broadcasters. Rest easy with your DVE adjustments, at least for now.


[Image courtesy ReverseTimePage]

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Mar 25th 2008 at 1:36PM


You did remember that Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics was launching today, didn't you? If not, we're here to remind you and pass along an in-depth review of the calibration disc while we're at it. The kind folks over at UltimateAVMag were able to grab hold of both the HD DVD and Blu-ray version of the disc, and put simply, it does everything you'd expect it to and possibly a bit more. Hailed as having "the most user-friendly set of test materials to date," reviewers had a difficult time finding any niggles within HD Basics. Interestingly, the HD DVD version was seen as "clearly superior, not only for its My Favorites function, but also for its speedier menu response, predictable display of text, 5.1 and 6.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtracks, and reliable performance with the 720p demo material." As for the BD flavor, the fact that bookmarking and Dolby TrueHD are "optional" on the format made it "difficult to author a robust disc for all players." Still, those hoping to make their display look its best will likely be thrilled with this one, but check out the full review in the read link below before cracking open that wallet.

Joe Kane offers upgrade pricing for forthcoming DVE: HD Basics

by Darren Murph posted Mar 8th 2008 at 9:28AM


Not only is ESPNews HD slated to launch this month, but the long-awaited HD Basics disc from Joe Kane Productions is finally hitting shelves on March 25th. Interestingly, Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics will still be made available on Blu-ray and HD DVD, so those adamant about keeping a red player around can still get in on the calibration action. Best of all, users who purchased the original Digital Video Essentials HD DVD last year will be able to procure the forthcoming successor disc for just $14.95 on either format by ordering online and sending in the case wrap from the first DVE HD DVD. As for everyone else? You'll be coughing up $29.95.




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