A helpful guide to Screen Calibration.
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1. Introduction
2. Intermediate and Advanced calibration techniques
3. Basic calibration techniques
Introduction
Calibration is basically a fancy name for tuning the settings of your TV. It doesnt mean getting out your precision screwdriver set, or connecting a laptop. It is almost always done though your TVs settings menus.
Flatpanel TVs often have factory defaults set to impress with short term impact in TV showrooms with flourescent lighting. This will look fake and aweful after a while at home and you will see how bad once you have performed even basic calibration.
Intermediate and advanced Calibration.
For the highest standards or problematic systems this will involve qualified calibration engineers. For the general hobbyist/enthusiast, checkout DVD/Filter calibration solutions such as DVE's Digital Video Essentials. But anybody can get drastic improvements in minutes by following the following simple steps.
Basic user calibration techniques
Replicate your normal lighting conditions based on your priorities (dim light for evening TV and movies, or daylight for daytime TV). Remember, watching in pitch darkness or with reflective glare is unhealthy. A darkened room with dim light cast around the back of the TV is good (dimmable indirect uplights/downlights for wallmounted TVs).
To establish a 'control' picture, use a DVD player with good quality connections (HDMI, Component, RGB Scart). Select sample scenes that use realistic colour schemes (avoid 'US style' soaps), provide white details (eg white shirts), black details (shadowy scenes) and letterbox screen borders (eg widescreen). The sample colours shouldnt dominate the screen (>40%), hence the example of a white shirt rather than an alpine scene!!.
Backlight control.
LCD screens mormally have a backlight control set to 100% by default, which creates an unnaturally bright picture and colours and is uncomfortable in dim light. Reduce it to 50% initially and resist increasing it until it becomes obvious later that its too low.
Color temperature.
This important control affects the entire palette of colors. Select the Normal option.
Brightness.
Also called black level, it effects the dark sections of the picture. Excessive brightness can result in a two-dimensional, washed-out look with reduced color saturation. Images with brightness set too low lose detail in shadows, and distinctions between dark areas disappear in pools of black.
Use scenes with black "letterbox" borders and equal amounts of light and dark shadowy areas. Turn up the control all the way, then decrease until the letterbox bars begin to appear black, as opposed to dark gray. If you notice a loss of shadow detail then you've set brightness too low. LCD TVs can struggle to get a good black.
Contrast.
Also called picture or white level, this controls the intensity of the white parts of the image. Often set excessively high by default to give a brighter showroom picture, it can obscure details and distort lines in the image, cause eyestrain in dim rooms, and shorten screen lifespan. Setting contrast too low robs the image of impact.
Using a scene such as one with a white button-up shirt, adjust the control up all the way, then reduce it until you can make out all the details in the white (such as buttons, creases or seams). Normally this will be between 30% and 50%.
Color
Also called saturation, this control adjusts how intense the colors look. Too much looks garish and unrealistic, particularly with reds. Too low makes the picture look drab.
Use an image with natural colouring (avoid US soaps), good light and close up facial skin tones. Turn up the color control until it looks like the person is obviously over coloured, then reduce it until the skin looks natural, without too much red. If the rest of the colors look too drab, you can increase color slightly at the expense of accurate skin tones.
Tint
This control is best left at the default or neutral position.
Sharpness
This control is best left at zero or neutral position
Edge enhancement
Also called VSM, SVM or Scan-velocity modulation, set this control to Off if possible.
Other picture 'processing' enhancements
In general, turn all of these off until you identify they need to be on. The lastest movement and backlight related ones can be useful, but others such as Black enhancements, Ciname mode, Flesh or colour tone enhancements, and noise reduction are poor substitues for good manual calibration and with good quality sources such as DVD and Digital TV will often reduce overall picture quality.
Now...beware going round to friends and family with uncalibrated sets. You will feel a compulsive need to reach for their settings button
We hope this guide has been helpful
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