Geek Squad "Uber" Calibration - Worth it?

[takezo]

Originally Posted by UlicBelouve

I have some additional questions on calibration. Just got a new 1080p TV last night (Sharp LC-32GP1U, need to update my signature).

They were also pitching the ISF Calibration done by Geek Squad to me. Now, the demos of the calibrated versus uncalibrated were impressive. However, I do not really want to pay for that type of calibration.

I have the DVD of AVIA Guide to Home Theatre, and started some calibration there. I may also do the Sony calibration off of the Talledega Nights Blu-Ray. I am also planning on getting the Terminator 2 Blu-Ray this week anyways, and I gather that this has a THX Optimizer.

Are these going to be adequate adjustments? I know I cannot compete with ISF calibration, but how far off will I be in terms of quality? I have put together a culmination of tips from this and other forums. So if I arm myself with the following tools, should I be good?

- AVIA Guide to Home theatre DVD
- Sony Optimization from Talledega Nights Blu-ray
- THX Optimization from Terminator 2

Any other tips would be appreciated, I've seen the other forums on backlight settings, noise reduction, and sharpness. If there are any specific pointers for the Sharp LC-32GP1U, that would be appreciated too.

I just want to get the best possible picture without ISF Calibration, but if I will come nowhere close on my own, let me know, and suggest avenues for getting an ISF Calibration (don't have the best faith in Geek Squad).

You can calibrate your TV your self for free, using the very remote it came with. People tend to forget that, you can calibrate contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, and even backlight level (LCDs only). Manufacturer defaults are very bland, may have too high brightness, too much contrast, and not enough saturation. I had a THX optimizing applet on my Akira (Japanese Animated movie) disk, used it on my TV when i first got it. It showed me how to adjust all those setting i said before, to get the best PQ. After my TV looked 3x better than before, all without spending a penny.

[Xerious]

i'm a big proponent of DIY... especially something as simple as this... use a Sony BD and use the easter egg code to get the calibration settings...

[CptGreedle]

As a professional Digital Imaging Technician, I know monitor calibration well enough to give you enough info on how the pros do it.
There are a number of tools available for calibrating a system, and the best are expensive and probably not in a normal person's budget. So having a professional use their tools is the best idea and much cheaper.
There are tools that can read the different color values and wavelengths as well as the sharpness, flicker, temperature (color), distortion, etc... of screens. The best optimization will adjust the levels of the colors, matching them to an ideal graph, making sure that all the shades of each primary color (RGB) are balanced and meet the ideal graph as close as possible, especially concentrating on the shadows which are often the hardest to adjust. They will also adjust the pure white/black levels to make sure the lightest light is set at 6500K (or equivalent) (this is the light level/brightness, I won't go into detail), and the black is not too light (LCDs tend to have blacks that "glow" due to the nature of the screen), and to make sure they are pure and free of residual color. They will then also adjust the sharpness of the image to make sure distortion and blurriness are balanced properly. They then adjust other features of the screen to get the best image. THX certification is not really all that great and I would not rely on it. But there are other good certifications that work very well.
Also, a good calibration will include the sound, whether it is a 2 channel stereo, or a 9.1 surround sound system. I know that BEST BUY offers a wonderful and very professional service for this through the Magnolia center, but it costs around $300 for the entire service. You can get the cheaper service for about $100, but it is basically adjusting the image based on graphs on the screen, and not using special tools, something you can do yourself at home.
There are movies that have optimization/calibration features, and these tend to be decent for a quick calibration, but the professional calibration is FAR superior and beyond anything any DVD/Blu-ray could do.
I highly recommend the professional calibration over everything else, as it gets the best picture and sound hands down.

[CptGreedle]

As for DIY, yes you can get a better image than the factory default settings.... but it is IMPOSSIBLE for someone to say.... adjust the blue light level at the 3/4 tone by removing red or green without affecting the rest of the system. It is also impossible to remove a magenta color in the highlights or a green effect in the shadows. It may be possible to adjust these on some TVs without special tools, but adjusting them properly requires specialized tools.

It's also important to note that each TV will calibrate differently. You may see how other people calibrate their systems, but it is not going to be the same for other TVs.

[WickyWoo]

You can calibrate your TV your self for free, using the very remote it came with. People tend to forget that, you can calibrate contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, and even backlight level (LCDs only). Manufacturer defaults are very bland, may have too high brightness, too much contrast, and not enough saturation. I had a THX optimizing applet on my Akira (Japanese Animated movie) disk, used it on my TV when i first got it. It showed me how to adjust all those setting i said before, to get the best PQ. After my TV looked 3x better than before, all without spending a penny.

THX Optimode is for that title only. It specifically helps you to adjust to that particular film's highs and lows

While it'll give you a base calibration, you really need Avia or DVE

[T-Town Oil]

if nothing else, wait for a month or 2 until DVE hor blu-ray comes out. i used the standard DVE dvd and it worked wonders. DVE (digital video essentials)

[UlicBelouve]

I applied the settings from both CNET (bleh) and tntkain. The one's from tntkain just looked better. Then I used the optimization off of the Talledega Nights, and had to make very minimal adjustments. The CNET recommendations I listed at the beginning would make the whites look a bit grey or yellow. So I'm right in not respecting their opinions.

I'll rerun the AVIA guide, and maybe the THX optimization....but I think I'm set after watching the casino scenes in Casino Royal (you have green on the table, red on the chips/cards/lipstick, reflections from dresses or glasses, great black/white contrast on the tuxedos....I think it should be a staple scene for Blu-ray calibration).

I'm happy and proud of my LCD, despite its smaller size, etc. And that's what I want, to be proud of the LCD I just purchased.

I'll take a lot of the stuff I came accross, details, etc., and try to make a really good start for Calibration 101. I think it will help that I know very little, so it will be appealing to other beginners.

Edit: CptGreedle, I've always respected your input, and it's great that you can help me out like this. I will strongly consider that calibration, but perhaps in a few months, to see if the current settings really bother me (plus, I will be relocating). I've also noted from the demonstration at Best Buy that there is a temperature difference after calibration (the screen runs cooler). That may also be a plus. I think I was just real apprehensive of it because it was being pushed on me with everything else at the point of the sale.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Xerious

i'm a big proponent of DIY... especially something as simple as this... use a Sony BD and use the easter egg code to get the calibration settings...

what is this easter egg you speak of lol

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by supersix14

what is this easter egg you speak of lol

using any sony studio bluray...at the menu press the numbers 7-6-6-9 (spells S-O-N-Y) and a calibration test screen will come up. Not the easiest thing to use, but for those that know how, it can help.

[MouseRider]

Originally Posted by takezo

You can calibrate your TV your self for free, using the very remote it came with. People tend to forget that, you can calibrate contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, and even backlight level (LCDs only). Manufacturer defaults are very bland, may have too high brightness, too much contrast, and not enough saturation. I had a THX optimizing applet on my Akira (Japanese Animated movie) disk, used it on my TV when i first got it. It showed me how to adjust all those setting i said before, to get the best PQ. After my TV looked 3x better than before, all without spending a penny.

Well, I think the big difference here, as several others have pointed out, is you can either "Adjust" your display or you can "Calibrate" it.

Everybody can adjust their own display by using the controls that are easily accessible with the help of visual test screens and some simple aids like color filters specifically designed for visual adjustment of displays.

Calibrating your display on the other hand does involve controls that are typically not exposed to the consumer but can be accessed through the use of service codes. There's a pretty good reason why the manufacturers don't want these controls to be easily accessible because they can really mess up the picture if you don't understand what you are doing.

Calibration also uses measurement instruments like colorimeters and is never simply visual.

CptGreedle had a good summary in his message.

[crackinhedz]

VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer

[BStecke]

Hmm . . . I didn't know anyone associated with Best Buy was ISF certified . . . my fiance works at Best Buy, and I've always wanted an ISF calibration, so I'll have to see how much of a discount she gets.

[MouseRider]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer's Computer

Maybe that's where the new TV series "Chuck" got their plot from.

The main character works for a company called the "Nerd Herd" and he apparently sneaks a peek at some video and ends up getting secret info downloaded into his brain.

[Dadds]

The "geek squad" is a joke.

[supersix4]

lol now I'm worried if I let them come out and do it (I got $100 off my tv to let them come out for free) they could really mess it up maybe I just won't pick up the phone or tell them someone else from there already contacted me


If they screw something up or I don't like it can I just set to factory defaults from the menu? Or is them playing around in the deep service menu out of reach for the factor settings restore?

[ocbrad]

I just bought a new TV and am fairly new to the world of LED, but I was reading through the posts and thought I'd ask for some help.

The TV I bought is a Sony KDL-46HX800 (3D) and I really don't want to pay $300 for something I would be happy with doing by playing around with the advanced settings. I don't want to mess with any of the 3D settings at this point, I just want to get a great picture in general. The TV has an "Advanced Video Settings" option as well as a "Pro Picture Setup" area, but I have no idea where to begin. I use the TV to watch mainly movies/television shows on bluray and sports.

Does anyone have any recommended settings for getting the best picture from the TV, or know of a website I can go to research how to get a great picture?

Thanks in advance.

[aristotles]

Is calibration beyond the settings you can access via the picture setting through your remote even necessary for an LCD flat panel? I can understand how DLP or other rear projection systems might need adjustment but LCD is basically a digital monitor.

It seems like a waste of money to me to get someone to alter your settings on a flat panel. Just take your remote and start experimenting.

I personally have discovered that turning off Sharpen, edge enhancement and detail enhancement gives me the best picture for all cable shows and the best picture for all but the softest encoded Blu-ray/HD DVD titles.

[SS316SRV]

Originally Posted by aristotles

Is calibration beyond the settings you can access via the picture setting through your remote even necessary for an LCD flat panel? I can understand how DLP or other rear projection systems might need adjustment but LCD is basically a digital monitor.

It seems like a waste of money to me to get someone to alter your settings on a flat panel. Just take your remote and start experimenting.

I personally have discovered that turning off Sharpen, edge enhancement and detail enhancement gives me the best picture for all cable shows and the best picture for all but the softest encoded Blu-ray/HD DVD titles.

This has been answered above, twice I think. Yes it is different.

[Zaphod]

I wouldn't trust the Geek Squad to plug in my TV let alone go in and mess with the settings!

[talbers23]

they change settings that you can not access through the normal control panels. what they are changing, if not done right can wreck your tv as well, thats why you pay them to do it. they have insurance if they mess up your fine. the details in blacks and color accuracy is amazingly better. only get it done on a plasma though. it makes the phosphorus gases burn much less intensely and saves a ton on electricity bills as well. burn in is also reduced to almost a non issue. hope this helped.