24th October, 2008
Video Calibration: Is It Worth It?
Mike Wood
This issue, The Integrator introduces its second columnist: A/V expert Mike Wood. Mike has worked on the staffs of Home Theater and Digital TV magazines, and as an assistant to video guru Joe Kane. He is now TV Test Manager for Samsung Electronics. We’re immensely proud to add such a widely acknowledged authority to the newsletter’s roster. –Brent Butterworth
Calibrating television displays has become big business, but should you jump in? Companies like the Imaging Science Foundation and THX, Inc charge sizable sums for you to attend their instructional classes, while measurement equipment companies like Sencore, Data Color and Konica Minolta wait in the wings to sell you expensive color meters and test generators. Some consumers are willing to spend several hundred bucks to have their TVs professionally adjusted. Even big-box retailers like Best Buy sell the service to their customers. But while TVs of even a few years ago may have been horribly miscalibrated to achieve sales floor appeal, modern televisions—with their multiple picture memories and color adjustments—make a much more calibrated image available with just a press of a button. It’s enough to make you wonder if the calibration process is still necessary.
I do believe that a calibrated picture looks better than the average show floor image. For the sake of this argument, I will define “calibration” as the adjustment of a set’s so-called color temperature using a color meter. One could go further and include the adjustment of the actual primary and secondary colors themselves, a feature increasingly available on better displays. The adjustment of basic signal levels, like brightness and contrast, can also be considered a level of calibration, (and perhaps even more beneficial), but the tools and instructions needed to use them are available on a $40 Blu-ray disc or DVD.
Metered calibration is where things get interesting. For the sake of this article, I’m only talking about TVs, not two-piece projection displays, as the latter can’t be factory-calibrated for a given screen material. As the TV test manager for Samsung Electronics, I compare our TV sets with competitors, and I also verify the measurement results of our TVs that go to and come back from equipment reviewers. I’ve noticed a few things. For one, TVs from major manufacturers usually have a setting that comes reasonably close to 6500 Kelvin (the industry standard measure of a set’s color temperature). Secondly, what differences do exist rarely amount to much in a comparative analysis. Third, measurements from different people don’t match. What I might read as 6500 Kelvin, one reviewer might measure as 6300K, and another might say is 6700K. Both reviewers argue that the set needs calibration, and after adjusting levels up or down, declare the set as “improved” and much more accurate.
One can argue that the reviewers are compensating for differences in their source equipment. But if two different Blu-ray players output color temperature settings that are several hundred degrees apart, something is horribly wrong. It’s far more likely that different equipment will need slight adjustments to settings like brightness and contrast.
Different TV settings and tolerances between measurement equipment likely account for the majority of the disparity in results. Samsung uses a Photo Research PR650, a $20,000 color meter that, even though it’s considered the standard for accuracy, can measure up to 250 Kelvin (degrees) different from another PR-650—on the same display, with the same source equipment—and still be considered within spec. Lesser equipment can have even greater tolerances. But if two or three calibration experts using different equipment can’t agree on how the same set should measure, then how can we argue that one setting is more accurate than another? And we haven’t even touched on competence. I’m confident of the reviewers’ skill sets, but what of most calibration class graduates? Given that you can get a fairly accurate image from many manufacturers with just a change of the picture memory setting, it’s enough to question the process as a whole.
I don’t discount the process entirely. While metered calibration may not be as exact a science as many make it out to be, it can bring widely out-of-range displays, like second- or third-tier brands, back into the realm of the reasonable. And there is a small group of enthusiasts who appreciate knowing that their TV is “accurate.” Plus, how can you keep the manufacturers on their toes if you can’t measure their equipment to know what it’s doing?
More importantly, though, in addition to the profit stream produced by tweaking picture controls, many retailers and installers are finding that their “calibrated” clientele tend to be happier than normal customers, and may even have fewer product returns. One reasons for this is because otherwise simple problems are easily overcome when the installer is there to witness them firsthand. He or she can also verify that all of the system’s settings, not just the TVs, are properly adjusted. And even just knowing that the product is professionally calibrated can relieve an immense amount of anxiety for many people.
While these are good reasons for integrators to spend the $1,000+ entrance fee for a training program, or the $2,500 cost of a measurement tool, I do believe installers have a moral obligation to at least show their customers what the image looks like when you switch their display out of the factory default memory and into one of the more accurate modes. Some customers will want to go further and get professional calibration. But the greatest benefit may come more from the in-home personal service and attention than any change to the set’s gray scale.
Posted at 1:00 am |
On October 24, 2008 at 1:50 pm Bob Dacundo said:
October 24, 2008 at 1:50 pm
ISF Calibration when done properly dramitacally improves picture quality and black levels. However, you must start with a display that has the necessary controllable measurements, such as a Runco or Elite.
It’s kind of like having a high performance “race car” that needs tuning. The better your “mechanic can set up you car” the faster you go & perform.
Just do a “usable” on screen black level comparison of say three shades of black and see what a calibrated plasma or lcd can do vs.the same set of of box.
It’s not “smoke & mirrors”, it’s the real deal.
Bob Dacundo
Partner-Phoenix Audio Video
Fairfield, CT.
On October 25, 2008 at 12:00 am ZOmbie70 said:
October 25, 2008 at 12:00 am
Hey Mike, now that you’re workin’ for the MAN and you have a product to sell doesn’t mean you can discount us independents who have to deal with the MAN’s effluvia. (OK, this is a bit o’jest). But, let’s deal with reality. I have done the ISF. It is a great intro into the world of proper video display calibration. To say your Samy TVs look great out of the box, even with your magic button pressing, is misleading, if that’s what u say. I haven’t found a set Best Buy sells yet that didn’t benefit from a VE, etc. test disc calibration improvement, at least. True, as flat panels are the TV of choice now, and they are getting better as far as NTSC accuracy goes, and you can debate that as an ‘improvement’, they still look like crap due mainly to exaggerated contrast and ’sharpness’ controls. I have still never seen a ‘floor model’ in any Joe Six Pack store that didn’t benefit from a basic re-calibration. You may not have to spend $1000.00 for the service, but it does behoove you to DIY or get someone to lower your contrast ratio from flat out and balance the other parameters to look unlike the crap your masters set it for. A pro (very loose term) can set your TV set to look better than Samsung kicked it out of the nest as and it shouldn’t set you back beaucoup dixies. Do you need $3000 of Sencore ‘gear’ or a $300 Spyder? It’s in the eye of the calibrator. But adjustments, if done right, are better. Tell Samy TV to work on their ‘magic button’ calibrator. Way to tell: if a Tiger Woods tourney looks like a Pixar production, the green is not right.
PS, liked your HT reviews a lot.
On October 25, 2008 at 6:36 am M S Moran said:
October 25, 2008 at 6:36 am
The point is very well taken. Having attended some basic calibration classes, I too can appreciate the differences to a calibrated display. However, I was taken back by the real world costs involved in purchasing the associated equipment (Sencore) required to do an appropriate job. This is not a slight of Sencore but rather the business model. Exactly how many monitors would one have to adjust and at what cost to justify the initial investment. Clearly, my experience shows that most consumers are interested in a good picture but at the loswest deliverable cost. The Big Box Merchants marketing plans drive this point home every day and this is precisely what the average consumer has been trained to expect from all vendors.
As an alternative approach, the Datacolor Spyder TV Pro (or equivalent model) approach provides a more workable business model for a fraction of the cost and does do a commendable job.
Finally, I personally find more variances in the quality of the broadcast signatures of the various Networks and programs. Many programs are very dark while others can be spot on. A Saturday afternoon SEC Football game, broadcast in true HD, can be an amazing picture to watch. A Syndicated TV Program re-run can be a wholey different experience. Unlike many, I much prefer quality of Picture & Sound over quantity. It would behoove the Networks to work towards delivering that goal. If this means eliminating some of the (drivel)channels from the lineup to free up some additional bandwidth, so be it.
Consumers invest in HD TV sets and BlueRay players to enjoy the best of what’s available. I don’t believe it is too much to ask of a Network to deliver the very best quality image and sound available. We often get caught up in the hardware technology (1080P/120 Hz Refresh Rates, etc.)and loose sight of the relationship between hardware and software. Most better HD set today will deliver an amazing picture when a QUALITY Image is provides to it.
All the best,
msm
On October 25, 2008 at 11:40 pm Brent Butterworth said:
October 25, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I think Mike’s most important points are being overlooked here.
First, calibration is not the exact science it’s often made out to be. The most accurate colorimeter on the market–the Photo Research PR-650–can be as much as 250 degrees off.
Second is that many TVs are now factory-calibrated to within 250 degrees of 6500 Kelvin. I know he’s right about this because I have measured many of them myself. (Part of his job and mine is to measure TVs of many different brands–something few installers, if any, get a chance to do.)
Even a TV that’s accurately calibrated in the factory still needs adjustment of brightness, contrast, and maybe color saturation, but that can all be done with inexpensive test DVDs.
On October 26, 2008 at 6:18 pm Michael Hamilton said:
October 26, 2008 at 6:18 pm
What ever happened to calibrating to the source, the cabling involved, and the display environment of the clients system? Not important anymore now that you’ve spilled the beans that some instrumentation has unit-to-unit variablity and consumer electronics, SAMSUNG INCLUDED, aren’t consistent out of the box?
You can set your Samsung’s to whatever you like as a default, and you know full well that the Blue Shirt at Best Buy is going to set it to Vivid and make it as garrish as possible…and that’s likely how it ends up in the user’s home.
Why don’t you at least credit Joe and Joel for forcing the industry into a position,(oh - maybe like one you now hold), to improve from the crap they were putting out when you were watching BH90210 into the position of making a magic button?
I know what I WON’T be recommending anymore. Maybe Westinghouese will hire you at some point.
On October 26, 2008 at 7:08 pm Chad said:
October 26, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I must say that I am shocked to see this bit of information floating into my e-mail.
I wonder if the person writing this is more consumer & less integrator. I know that my personal experience is that unless you’re offering Runco’s & perhaps some of the Pioneer displays I rarely see any which come out of the box set up properly.
Now does a full ISF calibration need to be done to your TV… I’m not sure that I agree with this all the time but if you spend the money on a high performance display why would you not want it to perform at its peak? I mean, this is like saying that it’s okay to purchase a Ferrari that has not been properly tuned for my location & maintained… Just because it will still go fast doesn’t mean that it is running it’s best.
I will agree however that paying someone to calibrate your display when their tools haven’t been calibrated in 12+ months is not a good investment but again, my experience is that most displays don’t come calibrated so in most cases something is better then nothing.
The other big factor here, which may of course be the reason 2 piece projection was not included in this article, is that ALL displays which include TVs should be tuned for the room they are in & for a couple of different settings depending on room light, resolution & input selection. I can promise you, even at Runco_ they are not doing exact calibrations of every input, every resolution nor are they using your input sources… so how can they be properly calibrated from the factory… unless our clients are just going to watch test patterns from a generator @ a single resolution… in the room that the panel was tested in at the factory?
I must say, this seems like a very narrow-minded article & one that I’d expect to see on AVS forum from a guy who is more of an enthusiast/hobbiest then professional “Integrator”.
On October 26, 2008 at 7:11 pm Glen Carter said:
October 26, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Well I haven’t seen a display yet, with accurate settings out of the box, or with factory presets. Since the Samsung DLP is a “bulb” based light source, all bulbs change color over time and it has been seen that the biggest changes come in the first 100-hours or so. Since no mass marketed product is pre-aged and individually calibrated, it is ridiculous to think there is no advantage in a “professional” calibration. As with doctors, lawyers, actors, directors, accountants, builders, politicians, etc., some are better than others. I would agree that with a test DVD, a person might get equal or better results than some calibrators provide, but not all calibrators are equal. For the multiples of TVs that are sold over two piece (projector) systems, a much larger portion of the viewing population experience the shortcomings of non calibrated displays. Since it is not practical for manufacturers to get it right “out of the box”, you would think they would embrace the results a proficient calibrator can achieve from their display. A reputation of stunning performance seems more profitable than just lackluster performance……… Or is it just “price, volume and market share” that matter?
On October 27, 2008 at 11:20 am Scott Huffman said:
October 27, 2008 at 11:20 am
I would not let Best Buy clean my display screen, let alone calibrate the thing. The whole ISF calibration trend is a big joke as far as I am concerned. 9 out of 10 customers prefer the “vivid” mode anyway. I would also venture to guess that a flat panel TV that is calibrated to exact ISF standards looks like crap to the average consumer. I would compair it to a speaker system that has a perfectly flat frequency response. Guess what? A perfectly “flat” speaker also sounds like shit. I say “drop the test equuipment and get the f*** away from my TV”. I trust my own eyes better than your expensive test equipment.