calibration discs???

[Spyder-Dan]

I keep reading about HDTV calibration by either a professional or from a do-it-yourself disc. My question is, - are these calibration discs worth purchasing? It would seem that if you adjust your HDTV as to how you like it then why buy a calibration disc. Also, I have a few dvds that came with a "THX Optimizer" feature (for example, Dario Argento's "OPERA" from Anchor Bay Entertainment 2001) and I wonder if the content on these "calibration discs" is the same as the "THX Optimizer" feature?. Any takes on this?

[plowmanjoe]

calibration discs are worth it. avia and dve are the ones i know of. they are good for calibrating the audio as well. there are blu-rays movies out there that have some test images to calibrate as well. i think all sony disks and ratatouille as well.

it is important if you want accurate colors.

[bhampton]

The only full fledged calibration disc on Blu Ray that I know of is Digital Video Essentials.

Now,... a disc of that sort goes deeper then the THX Optimode patterns but for many end users proper adjustment of Brightness, Contrast and maybe Saturation, Hue, and Sharpness is all that's wanted. In that case THX patterns will get the job done.

DVE tends to be cheap for what it is and it has lots of great Home Theater information. I own it on Blu Ray and DVD and also the Laserdisc version from way back that was called "A Video Standard".

-Brian

[Johnny Vinyl]

I would also recommend the DVE:HD Basics calibration disc. A professional calibration is expensive, but the best way to get optimum levels.

[ZMan]

Originally Posted by John72953

I would also recommend the DVE:HD Basics calibration disc. A professional calibration is expensive, but the best way to get optimum levels.

I purchased this disc and got surprisingly good results.

[Rustmonkey]

Plus DVE comes with color filters, so no need to order them seperately (like the THX glasses)

[perjim1957]

Quick question on the calibration dvd's, I have heard that by increasing the high def part of your TV, at the same time it does decrease the SD viewing, is that true???, Considering that most cable providers still are mostly SD. I would consider this a disadvantage, no??

[brett_day]

i would say that is not true, in my case anyway. after i calibrated my panny plasma, the sd channels looked fantastic! i could not be happier with the results. i used dve hd basics

[Lucy Diamond]

Originally Posted by Spyder-Dan

I keep reading about HDTV calibration by either a professional or from a do-it-yourself disc. My question is, - are these calibration discs worth purchasing? It would seem that if you adjust your HDTV as to how you like it then why buy a calibration disc. Also, I have a few dvds that came with a "THX Optimizer" feature (for example, Dario Argento's "OPERA" from Anchor Bay Entertainment 2001) and I wonder if the content on these "calibration discs" is the same as the "THX Optimizer" feature?. Any takes on this?

A THX optimizer will get you in the right Zip code for now, but The HD Basics disc will do wonders for you contrast.

I once replied to a thread like this and this Kat chimed in and said I was crazy, because he spent 16GRAND on a professional calibration and you can't compare the two.

For the record...before he/ she comes back...OBVIOUSLY you can do better then the HD Basics disc, but for 15 bucks, you can get damn near FULL enjoyment out of your TV and what you don't know won't kill you.
So NOW...you can spend the other $15,945 on Beer, lap dances and coke for the kids AND...maybe buy yourself a nice economy car too.

[ZMan]

Originally Posted by perjim1957

Quick question on the calibration dvd's, I have heard that by increasing the high def part of your TV, at the same time it does decrease the SD viewing, is that true???, Considering that most cable providers still are mostly SD. I would consider this a disadvantage, no??

Once I used the calibration disc and glasses I found that my SD channels look better than they did before HD calibration.