Am I getting the best picture possible? What should I do?

[jimmymiro12]

Ok so I was wondering if I am getting the best picture quality possible out of my tv.

I have a 50" Plasma- Samsung PN50A650 (1080p)



The Blu-ray player is hooked up from a 1080p HDMI cable to the TV. When I look to get info about the blu-ray what comes up is

1920x1080 24Hz (I may have put the numbers in the wrong place but I think it is correct)

So is there anything i should do to get better quality or is it top notch now?

Thanks

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

TV Calibration
and a good Surge Protector...

then you are good

[Beta Man]

yep... Calibration.... if you don't want to pay for the professional calibration (Highly recommended) at least spring for a calibration disk.

Some will claim a Power Conditioner will give added benefit.... but I certainly can't say I'm getting any improvement with mine.

[Driver_King]

This should work just fine. Granted it is for the model below it, but it shouldn't make much of a difference.

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

yep... Calibration.... if you don't want to pay for the professional calibration (Highly recommended) at least spring for a calibration disk.

Some will claim a Power Conditioner will give added benefit.... but I certainly can't say I'm getting any improvement with mine.

I notice improvement with my power conditioner, but more for audio than anything..

[WvuBill22185]

What your gonan get is what most people call a good picture, calibration does do its job but I'd do it yourself, don;t spend the money!

[BStecke]

Originally Posted by WvuBill22185

What your gonan get is what most people call a good picture, calibration does do its job but I'd do it yourself, don;t spend the money!

You do know that a professional calibration does far more than what you can adjust in the user menu, right?

[PNF]

Originally Posted by BStecke

You do know that a professional calibration does far more than what you can adjust in the user menu, right?

like what?


I didnt pay for a pro calibration, I just downloaded the settings that pro calibration people used on my set. Anything else that they can do that we cant?

[Johk]

Originally Posted by PNF

like what?


I didnt pay for a pro calibration, I just downloaded the settings that pro calibration people used on my set. Anything else that they can do that we cant?

First of all, settings are different for each display (each individual display even if its the same brand and same model) and can be optimized for a viewing environment and conditions. Using settings from other users can definitely help but they need to be adjusted for each particular display.

Individual users can make some adjustments using the user menu but these adjustments are limited. It can bring the set to a certain level but not beyond that. A pro-calibration will make the optimal setting for a specific display (and for each inputs) under specific conditions using professional equipment (that can be worth a lot!). They will correct the gray scale to 6500 Kelvin, set the contrast, brightness, color, and tint controls based on the viewing environment using the settings in the user menu and in the service menu. Basically they will bring a display as close as possible to the reference in order to display the source material the way it was intended.

I didn't get my set calibrated yet but I plan on doing it real soon.

It may not be for everybody and the cost is significant (well for most of us...) but if you are serious about getting the best PQ possible it's definitely something to consider!

[cdot2four]

I'm going to be buying a plasma this week should I break it in before having it calibrated?

Thanks

[BStecke]

Originally Posted by cdot2four

I'm going to be buying a plasma this week should I break it in before having it calibrated?

Thanks

Yes. There's a "break in" disc that you can download over at AVS, heah. Typically the suggested total break in time is 1000 hours.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by cdot2four

I'm going to be buying a plasma this week should I break it in before having it calibrated?

Thanks

nah.... I think it's safe to say bombarding it with the resolution contained on Blu-ray is enough to "excercise" the set..... nothing special really needs to be done, but if you want to use the disk, it's worth it for peace of mind I guess.

enjoy the new set!!!!! **off topic, but why are they T.V. "sets" ???? ***

[SS316SRV]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

enjoy the new set!!!!! **off topic, but why are they T.V. "sets" ???? ***

Why is it called a "pair of underwear" when you only put on one (if any ).

[PNF]

Originally Posted by Johk

First of all, settings are different for each display (each individual display even if its the same brand and same model) and can be optimized for a viewing environment and conditions. Using settings from other users can definitely help but they need to be adjusted for each particular display.

Individual users can make some adjustments using the user menu but these adjustments are limited. It can bring the set to a certain level but not beyond that. A pro-calibration will make the optimal setting for a specific display (and for each inputs) under specific conditions using professional equipment (that can be worth a lot!). They will correct the gray scale to 6500 Kelvin, set the contrast, brightness, color, and tint controls based on the viewing environment using the settings in the user menu and in the service menu. Basically they will bring a display as close as possible to the reference in order to display the source material the way it was intended.

I didn't get my set calibrated yet but I plan on doing it real soon.

It may not be for everybody and the cost is significant (well for most of us...) but if you are serious about getting the best PQ possible it's definitely something to consider!

Sorry, am I missing something here? I dont think you have told me much more information than what's posted. Your long post can be summarized in 1 sentence: Pro calibration will calibrate your TV set based on the environment.(lighting, seating position, TV placement, etc?)


I dont have the website with me, but I did find a spreadsheet that have quite a few different "Pro" settings for my XBR4 set. (i.e. This is the pro setting in an relatively bright room. This is the pro setting in a basement, etc)


So, I guess I was looking for an answer such as that there is a specific hidden service menu that ONLY professional service people can unlock and calibrate, or something like that.....

Oh well, if you have the money to spend, go for pro calibration. I'd just use the google search and DVE disc to calibrate. Cost me $25. After all, the TV is only $3000, why spend another 5-10% of the TV cost on calibration. (I'd just get another 10 blus, hehe)

[Beta Man]

I'm told they use a computer type interface to activate a menu or group of them, that can't be accessed by the consumer........

Has anyone ACTUALLY SEEN this??? or is it a myth that has been passed along as gospel for so long, that people believe it (It wouldn't surprise me if it were true, i just want to know)

So, for instance, everything from a top of the line Panny Plasma, to the Westinghouse/Vizio has a "hidden" menu??? I just find it hard to believe these tweaks can be achieved, and these "pro's" can access and interpret this info on every type of T.V..... wouldn't the manufacturer make it accessible to the consumer??? and if not.... WHY NOT?

[musicman1999]

I have seen it, had it done to my set. Took a couple of hours and involved what appeared to be thousands of dollars of gear(just a guess) but all i can say is that it was well worth it.

bill

[GGX]

ISF calibration is the way to go if you are serious about your movies.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by musicman1999

I have seen it, had it done to my set. Took a couple of hours and involved what appeared to be thousands of dollars of gear(just a guess) but all i can say is that it was well worth it.

bill

That's the input I was looking for!!!! thanks!

I however, won't be doing it, since I have an Old Aquos (720p) and don't think the rate-of-return will be worth it on my Projector... I'll just control the light completely, use the AVIA settings, and spend the money I saved on the calibration on an extra bulb

[Jafo]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I'm told they use a computer type interface to activate a menu or group of them, that can't be accessed by the consumer........

Has anyone ACTUALLY SEEN this??? or is it a myth that has been passed along as gospel for so long, that people believe it (It wouldn't surprise me if it were true, i just want to know)

So, for instance, everything from a top of the line Panny Plasma, to the Westinghouse/Vizio has a "hidden" menu??? I just find it hard to believe these tweaks can be achieved, and these "pro's" can access and interpret this info on every type of T.V..... wouldn't the manufacturer make it accessible to the consumer??? and if not.... WHY NOT?

http://www.controlcal.com/

As for why the manufacturer doesn't what the consumer in there, most consumers would muck it up, and cause the TV to not perform as it should or worse.

[Johk]

Originally Posted by PNF

Sorry, am I missing something here? I dont think you have told me much more information than what's posted. Your long post can be summarized in 1 sentence: Pro calibration will calibrate your TV set based on the environment.(lighting, seating position, TV placement, etc?)

True. That's a good summary.

The only thing that I would add to that, is that you need special training and equipments (like a color analyzer, etc.) to achieve a proper calibration (and some calibration technicians are better than other).

For additional references on calibration check out the Calibrate your HDTV thread. I'm not a professional technician and I don't sell those services therefore I can't give you the same input that someone in the business could give you!

Originally Posted by PNF

So, I guess I was looking for an answer such as that there is a specific hidden service menu that ONLY professional service people can unlock and calibrate, or something like that.....

Access to the service menu depends on the TV, the two following sites list access codes for several make/model:

http://www.bruzziforum.com/vbf/forumdisplay.php?f=5
http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/how2adj.html

With these codes, anybody can access the service menu.

Originally Posted by PNF

Oh well, if you have the money to spend, go for pro calibration. I'd just use the google search and DVE disc to calibrate. Cost me $25. After all, the TV is only $3000, why spend another 5-10% of the TV cost on calibration. (I'd just get another 10 blus, hehe)

That's your call. I have DVE myself and it's great. Your settings will definitely be better that someone who leaves his display in torch mode because it's bright and colorful! I just wanted to point out that it can be better. Maybe you get to 80% when you do the calibration with DVE and then a technician can bring it to 95%. I agree with you that for the price, not many people will find that the extra 15% will be worth the dough. (by the way the % are just for the purpose of this explanation).

For my part, I won't try to make adjustments in the service menu myself because for most of the adjustment you will only get it worse if you don't have the tools needed to measure and interpret the data.

The only thing I ever adjusted on a service menu was on my HDTV CRT set and I adjusted the vertical position of the screen and I attempted to adjust the overscan. Anyway, you soon realize that one setting affects many others and that was just geometry settings. Imagine doing something similar for colors, contrast, grayscale which are really subjective if you don't have a method to quantify accurately what you see.