How do you calibrate your hdtv??

[George99]

Maybe calibrate is too strong a word.  Probably should have been:  How do you adjust your hdtv for best picture on HD and SD??

A while back when I got my hdtv set (A Sharp Aquos LCD TV) I just connected it up and watched everything with the factory settings. I was just thilled with that; I didn't bother to worry about adjusting it.  Seemed to work fine. Recently as I became more observant, I noticed some movies were not quite right, colors seemed a little off, contrast not right,  etc..  I connected my old trusty Sony Wega 27 inch tube TV (SD only) to the same composite video (through a separate connection) and compared pictures on two sets side-by-side. There was a significant difference.  My old Sony always had a very excellent picture and it showed up here big time.. But now I have found that I can virtually duplicate the picture quality of the Sony on my Aquos by making adjustments and turning on and off certain settings. Now it is head and shoulders above the old Sony on SD.  I dare not watch the QVC channel as the picture is so good I might end up buying something ..

Anyone else gone through similar experience?

George

[Skipjack]

Look into getting a calibration DVD like AVIA or Video Essentials.  Shop around the 'net for the best price.

I used Avia and noticed an improvement.  I did it mostly to get my set out of the factory "torch mode" (I have an RPTV, so burn-in is a hazard).  But, colors seem more natural to me and the contrast is better.

[Mark Strube]

If you don't want to spend the extra money, find any recent DVD you own that is THX certified. It will have a calibration tool in the menu. (Just go to the set-up menu, and click on the THX icon.) Very useful... and free! (If you already own a DVD like that.)

[StarvingForHDTV]

I calibrated with Avia and then I fine tuned watching real programming.

[George99]

Please help me out here.  If I use one of the DVD calibration NTSC DVDs mentioned (Avia , etc) how does that help me with SD cable TV (in this case TWC)? Aren't  DVD and cable TV  (analog SD) slightly different signals with different levels, phase shifts etc??   What am I missing? Or is the DVD just to get you into ballpark, so to speak?

[Mark Strube]

I generally configure mine for DVD... cable and HDTV aren't too far out of the settings for that (in my case at least, it's dependant on your specific components). I also think it matters the most with DVD's. Regular cable tv isn't gonna look so great no matter what, and it's hard to make HD look bad.

In my case, the black level (brightness) setting for my DVD player is just a tad bit too high for HD, but I'd rather have it be spot on for DVD's, since those have a lower bitrate, a black level set too high will cause you to see a lot of artifacting and noise... whereas with HD it's not quite as big of a deal. (I actually prefer my black level a bit too high for HD, some scenes still tend to look too "black" or dark for my taste.)

[Paul S.]

Get DVE or Avia. Then, save 300 and get Eliab to come and really calibrate the mother sucker.

[Chinatown]

Digital video essentials [DVD videorecording] / Joe Kane Productions ; writer, producer, director, Joe Kane.  
Publisher [United States] : DVD International, [2003]
Edition Widescreen.


I pasted this off the County Cat website. Its free to county residents. Used it myself several months ago.  Did a nice job

[720p]

Look into getting a calibration DVD like AVIA or Video Essentials.  Shop around the 'net for the best price.

Do these or any similar programs help in getting rid of overscan?

[Mark Strube]

Not unless there are settings in the user menu for adjusting overscan. Otherwise you'd have to get into the hidden service menus, and I'd leave that to a professional.

[Skipjack]

Do these or any similar programs help in getting rid of overscan?

Like Mark said.  Overscan is a symptom of the TV's settings. Unless you have a way of adjusting it, all the disk can do is maybe show you how far off your overscan is.

On my HDX83 Toshiba, it's pretty easy to go in to the service menu and adjust overscan and the like... However, at the same time going into the service menu can be pretty hazardous if you're not careful.  So, it's something I'd recommend doing, but if you screw it up, I'll plead the 5th.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I have a Pioneer RPTV.  I adjusted the overscan by settings in the service menu.  When I got back out I realized I would have to rebuild the convergence grid if I didn't want everything to appear distorted.  I decided it wasn't worth the trouble, and went back to my moderate overscan settings.