Display Types » Plasma / LCD $375

New:  ControlCAL allows ISFccc adjustment on Pioneer Elite Kuros and grayscale adjustment on standard Kuros!

Have you ever noticed how truly nasty some of those plasmas look in the store? It's gotta look better than that, right? Right! There's so much potential waiting to be unleashed. Don't settle for green tinted shadows or pasty colors on your new plasma or LCD.

The first order of business when I get to your house is to measure the current settings of your display, and make sure all connections are optimized.

Next up is finding the proper settings for the standard brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, and tint. If possible, I'll adjust them so that the center point of the user control is the correct setting. When possible, I'll also make adjustments to the gamma, color decoder (eliminating red push), brightness stability, edge enhancement, CMS (color management system), chroma delay, and dynamic picture/color controls. Some manufacturers make all these things adjustable in the service menu, but others might not have an adjustment for everything. For example, Brand X might have adjustments for everything except the color decoder- which means that we'll just have to make do as best as we can without that adjustment.

Now we come to the heart of the matter- gray scale tracking. Very few TV's have a properly calibrated gray scale, due in part to sloppy or time restricted manufacturing and a desire for the image to scream at you on the brightly lit showroom floor. Poor grayscale performance can result in a colored tint to dark areas of the picture in addition to the inability to look natural no matter how the color and tint are set. Using a color analyzer, I'll adjust it as close as possible to the TV standard of D6500. Sometimes, this is a tedious balancing act that could take hours.

Finally, I'll go back and fine tune the basic controls. Then it's time to evaluate the picture! In a few situations, your display might look more subdued than before calibration, but vibrant colors and more lifelike details will come shining through. Picture problems like excessive shimmering, chronically sun burnt flesh tones, washed out images, and colored shadows will be greatly reduced or eliminated.

The time it takes to do a calibration depends on your display and how easy and complete it's service menu is. An average plasma or LCD calibration usually takes about 2-5 hours. Do I mind if owners watch me do a calibration? Not at all- in fact, it's great to be able to explain what I'm doing; but there will be some long, boring time lapses (some with all the lights off), so have a laptop or something else handy! If something has been really messed up on your TV, like if you went into the service mode and accidentally hit "reset" or if someone got into something they shouldn't have, warn me ahead of time.

Many people have wondered if performing an ISF calibration will make all displays look more or less the same. The reality is that while a calibration will get the most out of your display, there will still be significant performance differences. It's somewhat like the differences between 2 different speakers after they have both been equalized and optimally placed in a room.

The grayscale, color decoder, and other tweaks combine to make a significant improvement in the enjoyment of your set. If you need advice or help in choosing a brand, feel free to email me or check out the Home Theater Forum.

Note: Not all adjustments or procedures are available or necessary on every set.

ISF calibration: $375

• Calibrate user controls with test DVD and HDTV generator. All used inputs (HDMI/DVI, component, s-video, and composite) and scan rates (480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i) are included.
• ISFccc and Pure mode adjustment for Pioneer Elite Kuros
• THX mode adjustment for Panasonic 800u panels
• Adjust or disable scan velocity modulation, dynamic color, dynamic picture, and DC restoration
  
• Calibrate color decoder, gamma, and Y/C delay
  
• Center user controls
  
• Adjust gray scale to D6500
  
• Provide before and after gray scale and measurement graphs if requested