Have an HDTV? Use this neat trick to unlock better picture quality

Komando.com ^ | November 19, 2014 | Kim Komando

[EveningStar]

... Calibrating your HDTV doesn't have to cost as much as the TV itself. A calibration disc is a thrifty way to get professional-grade results for less.

What's a calibration disc? It's a disc that holds information for tweaking your HDTV's color and brightness levels.

You don't have to buy a calibration disc, though - you can make your own with a free download from AVS. Not only is it free, it comes with a support staff in AVS's knowledgeable forum ...

[Delta Dawn]

You need to be careful jy8z...you don’t want to be banned from FR for posting a racist image...

[newfreep]

Bump

[nascarnation]

LOL great post.

[Inyo-Mono]

You’re welcome. The copy I bought from the guy is really nice.

[Sans-Culotte]

Yeah, it was my understanding that today's TVs had calibration built in and that they didn't need this. That said I'm a beginner and still learning.

TVs out of the box are often set on what is derisively referred to as "torch mode". The brightness and contrast are boosted to give an appearance that everything, whether shot on film or not, looks like it shot on videotape or is being broadcast live. Some people also call it the "soap opera effect" because films look like soap operas rather than film.

IMO, a well calibrated TV should display on its screen on the viewer's end the same thing that the program creators saw on the transmitting end. You can make your TV picture look like anything you want. You can turn everything green if that's what you like. I just want mine to faithfully display the programming as the programmers (film makers, producers) intended.

[ironman]

I use calibration disks on all my smaller HD sets. But for my big RPTV a 10 yr old Mits I had a professional ISF calibrator do it. Amazing process exceptional results. Very film like picture. Still have that set just waiting for it to fail so I can justify newer technology.
https://www.imagingscience.com

[clintonh8r]

When I bought my Pioneer Kuro Pro Elite I had it professionally calibrated for about $400. Given the cost and the quality of the screen it was money well spent. I still haven't seen a screen that can beat it for picture quality. Before calibrating I ran a continuous loop DVD for at least a full day. The DVD was designed to prevent burn-in, and it worked.

Coincidentally, I contacted the calibrator through various posts on AVS.

[Pajamajan]

Bookmark

[itsahoot]

I notice that older tv shows from the 1960’s tend to be more colorful.

I notice that most movies today are dark and grainy on purpose. I guess it makes sets cheaper to build.

Can't wait for 4k to become popular because they will have to get much darker, maybe even black.

[mowowie]

Soap Opera Effect also come from the motion smoothing feature on a lot of TV’s.
Try turning it off then on full blast and the effect if very noticeable.
Best to turn it off completely.