TV Calibration. Is it worth it to get your new tv calibrated? We just bought a Sony Bravia LCD 46" tv?

Question

TV Calibration. Is it worth it to get your new tv calibrated? We just bought a Sony Bravia LCD 46" tv?

Answer 1

Depends on the cost I suppose.  A TV that is calibrated appropriately for the room in which you will view it can save on energy costs and decrease any eye strain.  They sell DVDs that allow you to do this on your own.  (you can find them on Amazon if nothing else)

I could be wrong but if you buy your TV from Best Buy for instance and pay to have it installed, I think calibrating is part of the deal  but again I could be wrong as I always buy online.

Answer 2

Yes, you should calibrate your TV. It will make your viewing experience all the more enjoyable.

You will find that all the default settings on the TV are set to "vivid". The saturation and colour is much too high on this setting, ie, people's skin looks orange and unatural. You should change your settings to "standard", as it gives the picture more realistic skin tones. Also, it doesn't strain your eyes as much, especailly when viewing the TV in a dark room.

The above poster was right - you can buy calibration DVDs that give you step by step instructions on how to perfectly calibrate your TV. If you want to save a few bucks, you can go out and rent (if you don't already own) a copy of "Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones". These DVDs have a THX calibartor located in the menu.

Good luck and enjoy the new TV.

Answer 3

The service is in fact worth it.

1) Flat Panel televisions usually run about 17,500 degrees Kelvin on the inside. After an ISF calibration it will run about 6,500 degrees kelvin. This not only reduces the amount of electricity use to power your television it will increase the life of your tv and reduce the incidence of failure.

2) When a TV leaves the manufacturer, they don't know which television is going to be put on display at Best Buy and Circuit City or wherever, so the manufacturer sets all of their tvs so the blues are really rich and vibrant and the reds really pop out at you. The manufacturers know that these are the most attractive color to the human eye and that the television that has these colors most prominently displayed will be noticed by the customers. However, this will affect not only the color accuracy, but the definition of the image.

To test this out find a dvd with an image with a white background, then hold a piece of white printer paper up to the image. I guarantee that image will look a light shade of blue next to it. Then notice lines around objects in the same image. They will appear to be very rough and jagged. This is because the color processor in the tv is working too hard to create colors that don't exist. This can also cause color banding(meaning instead of seeing subtle detail you see large blobs of black or blue), mostly in dark images. If you are having trouble seeing detail in dark backgrounds your television needs calibrated. Also notice how everybody looks sun-burned on your television. This is because the reds have been turned up too high.

3) Calibration, true calibration, is not something that can be done with your remote control. ISF technicians do not use your remote to calibrate your television. They plug a $10,000 computer into the service port on the back of your television. This will change the mechanical settings on the inside, not just the digital settings that are controlled by the user. The calibration will adhere to standards set by the ISF, that are used in every movie theater in America. You will get the same color out of your home theater setup as you would at an actual movie theater.

You have spent several thousand dollars on a television. You ought to get the most accurate color and highest definition out of it.