Modern TVs

Is it really important to have calibration on an LCD television?

Public Comments

1. It was for us. We had satellite plus a 360 and for a while nothing seemed to sync up.
2. Very, very few consumers need a professional display calibration. With few exceptions many of today’s displays are much improved over those of the past and have at least one display or picture mode that will provide acceptable grayscale performance straight out of the box. Consumers that purchase a good quality, well-designed display will rarely benefit from a professional calibration not to mention that such a service could potentially make your picture fidelity worse if you were unfortunate enough to hire a less than competent calibration service. Furthermore, there are many consumers that simply will not enjoy an accurate, optimized and/or “calibrated” video image while others cannot because their viewing environment is less than optimal (or in some cases because a consumer has color deficient vision.) Like most consumers your best bet (assuming you own a reasonably well designed, well built LCD TV,) is to purchase or rent one or more of the popular display optimization (aka “calibration”) discs listed below in order to properly optimize your display’s settings. If after attempting to optimize your TV picture you’re still dissatisfied then you may want to contact one of the calibration services I’ve listed below. However, under no circumstance do I recommend that a consumer pay $250 to $400 for a professional display calibration on a television which has an MSRP of roughly less than five times the cost of the calibration. ######## RESOURCES ######## I purchased a Sony 52" XBR4 LCD TV on Best Buy? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080314095743AAGGb8x Calibration LCD TV? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080323143544AAD8R2e Is D6487K too low of a color temperature for an LCD TV? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080324173810AAHkg1g How to calibrate an HDTV? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080222220308AAW29iP (Additional resources) ________________________ Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (Blu-ray or HD DVD) Digital Video Essentials Pro (DVD) http://www.videoessentials.com Ovation Multimedia Avia II (DVD) http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/products.html DisplayMate (Multimedia Edition or Windows Video Edition) http://www.displaymate.com/complete.html (Note: “Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics” on would be the best choice if you had to pick only one disc.) ________________________ CNET’s quick guide to TV calibration http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6463_7-5085739-1.html Video: How to Calibrate Your TV http://reviews.cnet.com/Calibrate_your_TV/4660-12443_7-6534987.html Calibrating your TV http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1765771&type=story Sound and Vision Magazine - TV Tweaks - Part One House Calls http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=82&article_id=233&page_number=1&print_page=y AWH - How to Calibrate a Television FAQ http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/how2adj.html Grayscale Calibration of Home Theater Televisions http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/calibrate-your-system/grayscale-calibration-of-home-theater-televisions Learn to Calibrate your LCD Television http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv/lcd-tv-calibration.html Calibration 101 http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=599522 Running The Gamut(s) http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=599512 Hitting The Mark http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=601342 Selling Calibration Services http://www.proavmagazine.com/industry-news-print.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=601343 Video Display Calibration http://www.sencore.com/products/AVRFCalibration.htm Adjusting Five User Controls on a Display to Maximize Performance – Flash http://www.sencore.com/newsletter/VP300.html Calibration – What Is Wrong with This Picture? http://www.sencore.com/newsletter/July05/WhatIsWrong.htm Index of Articles Related to Display Calibration http://www.sencore.com/newsletter/archivedarticles.htm#colorprocolor TweakTV http://www.tweaktv.com Imaging Science Theatre 2000 Special Edition http://www.widescreenreview.com/wsr_issue_ist.php Michael TLV Tips http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/michaeltlv_tips.html Keohi HDTV - Expert Tips - Panel of Experts http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/panelofexperts.html ISF Calibration Discussion and Information http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=311 AVS Forum - Display Calibration http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=139 AVS Forum - LCD Flat Panel Displays http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166 Joe Kane Productions - Resources http://www.videoessentials.com/resources.php Charles Poynton: “Brightness” and “Contrast” Controls http://www.poynton.com/notes/brightness_and_contrast/ Gamma FAQ http://www.poynton.com/notes/colour_and_gamma/GammaFAQ.html Color FAQ http://www.poynton.com/notes/colour_and_gamma/ColorFAQ.html http://www.poynton.com/ColorFAQ.html Color Technology and Resources http://www.poynton.com/Poynton-color.html http://www.poynton.com/notes/links/color-links.html ________________________ TweakTV http://www.tweaktv.com Imaging Science Foundation http://www.imagingscience.com Though there may be many other qualified individuals, the following display calibration professionals are some of the best currently available if you want or need a calibration from a competent professional. Each service provider uses high performance calibration equipment accompanied by ample experience and an excellent reputation. W. Jeff Meier - AccuCal http://www.accucal.org Lion Audio-Video Consultants http://www.lionav.com Kevin Miller http://www.isftv.com Busch Home Theater http://www.buschhometheater.com/isf_calibration.htm  
3. not on an LCD, factory settings are more than sufficiant, but if you want to change things do it to how you think it improves the picture. Calibration is a waste of money. Dont let Best Buy convince you into doing it.