Arguments for and against calibration

[mr malarky]

how much is that CA going for?

£300. If it was brand new, I'd probably do it.

Upscaling is the main reason I'm considering the CA, as the 651 does an exemplary job in this regard. Upscaling is reasonable on my Panny, but I'm certainly not getting the best from DVDs. (And I still own many films on DVD that are yet to receive a BD release.)

Looks like a good price. Nothing wrong with ex-display in principal if it still comes with their standard warrantee (I've brought ex-display a few times and not had a problem, though amps and speakers rather than players), the important thing is whether its genuinely 'ex-display' (ie. been sat on a shelf doing nothing) or whether its a returned or repaired unit. Will they let you have a look at the contents of the packaging? If the remote is still cellotaped up in its little bag and the batteries are still in their original shrink wrap that could be a good sign.

 

[ellisdj]

Strapped there a couple if UD 7006 in rhe bay wirh warranty for a similar price - that was 5 star player and best if that year

 

[mr malarky]

Strapped there a couple if UD 7006 in rhe bay wirh warranty for a similar price - that was 5 star player and best if that year

The marantz is almost identical to the denon 2012 so could be a really good buy at that price.

 

[Paul.]

A Pioneer 500a setup badly may look similar to an LCD but with blacks.

Where did you get this information from?

Was poastred ealier tin the thread - hos fathers 500a looks no better than his Sony except for the blacks...

You need to scale down on those drinks mate!

E series is plasma, ES is led. My TV is a Samsung plasma, so only your whole sentence is incorrect

it actually makes no difference what the tv's are - setting them up by eye only is accounting for the differences you are not seeing - the sentence remains.

i can't believe people argue against a calibration it's completely deluded! £££££ on kit but not interested in actually seeing it properly its mental

Your samsung plasma is supposed to be very good after a calibration - before its generally all over the place according to reviews http://www.avforums.com/reviews/Samsung-E6500-PS-51E6500-60E6500-3D-Plasma-Smart-TV-Review_356/Test_Results.html http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-ps60e6500-ps51e6500-201207262022.htm?page=Calibration

I neither calibrated my TV by eye or argued against calibration. Do you bother absorbing posts before you react to them? My post was about money, and about diminishing returns. I even made a point of vocaly not disagreeing with what Strapped said. From my fairly well trained eye I think the white balance on my TV is more than adequate using the 10 point adjustments from the link above. I have spent a long time working with colour, and have a very discerning eye for iffy colour. If I can get through a movie without thinking about the television, then the settings used are good enough.

My laptop is meter calibrated by the way, as was many of my displays before it. Which was a hilariously pointless act in the digital age because you can bet most of your clients haven't!

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Speak to Nigel Moore at Peter Tyson. They're based in Cumbria, & may come up. They usually offer discounts for multiple screens.

Hi bigboss, thanks for the tip. I contacted Nigel Moore about calibrating my four existing TVs (and maybe the 65VT65 when I get it) in stages and got this reply today:

"Hi, thanks for your email. Unfortunately we do not do screen calibration. It’s something we have discussed but we have little call for it to be honest. The best way would be to visit the ISF website. I will have to check why we are listed on the site.

Kind Regards Nigel."

So, I''ll have to try someone else from the AVF or ISF websites, and hope that they can travel to me to to at least two televisions. I certainly want to have the Samsung and LG done before my next film shows to raise money for table-tennis, in about five or six weeks. He says that there's little demand for screen calibrations. Maybe there will be a bit more demand now as a result of this thread, thanks to Strapped for Cash!

I think TPS will come after a few weeks to calibrate your TV, once it's done 200 hours.

Ah, so.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

sometimes, on 'Universal' discs, if you leave it on pause for too long the 'Universal' screensaver appears and you cannot get back to the film without pressing 'stop' and then starting again from the chapter select menu.

Not with only Denon Blu-Ray players, like my BDP-4010UD in the parlour. My Oppo BDP-95EU in the kitchen does this as well, with Universal discs - State of Play, Hanna, etc. So I think that this irritating feature is specific to Universal Blu-Ray discs rather than to any one make of Blu-Ray player.

 

[strapped for cash]

Strapped there a couple if UD 7006 in rhe bay wirh warranty for a similar price - that was 5 star player and best if that year

The 7006 is still £100 more, though; and I've spent far too much on AV equipment recently.

The CA appeals because I want a BDP that does a better job with upscaling. I think the Denon and Marantz players do a decent job here, but can't quite match the CA's Qdeo processing.

Build quality will of course be excellent on all of these BDPs.

 

[strapped for cash]

Maybe there will be a bit more demand now as a result of this thread, thanks to Strapped for Cash!

Much as I'd like to think my account would encourage a few members to invest in calibration, I'm guessing not.

Most contributors to this thread seem pretty unenthusiastic, or scared that it'd be a waste of money. I think that's a shame. I had similar doubts beforehand, but I've absolutely no regrets. The picture looks very different and markedly better than using the out-of-the-box settings, calibrating using only AVS patterns, or copying settings from reviews.

 

[strapped for cash]

Looks like a good price. Nothing wrong with ex-display in principal if it still comes with their standard warrantee (I've brought ex-display a few times and not had a problem, though amps and speakers rather than players), the important thing is whether its genuinely 'ex-display' (ie. been sat on a shelf doing nothing) or whether its a returned or repaired unit. Will they let you have a look at the contents of the packaging? If the remote is still cellotaped up in its little bag and the batteries are still in their original shrink wrap that could be a good sign.

There's no issue with the warranty. I've been advised that it's the shop display model that has been sitting in a glass cabinet and sometimes used for demo purposes. Apparently it's cosmetically perfect. The CA players are built to last; and I can always return it if I'm not happy.

Sounds like I'm talking myself into something. The store is holding the BDP for me for five days, so I've a bit of time to ponder the decision.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Looks like a good price. Nothing wrong with ex-display in principal if it still comes with their standard warrantee (I've brought ex-display a few times and not had a problem, though amps and speakers rather than players), the important thing is whether its genuinely 'ex-display' (ie. been sat on a shelf doing nothing) or whether its a returned or repaired unit. Will they let you have a look at the contents of the packaging? If the remote is still cellotaped up in its little bag and the batteries are still in their original shrink wrap that could be a good sign.

There's no issue with the warranty. I've been advised that it's the shop display model that has been sitting in a glass cabinet and sometimes used for demo purposes. Apparently it's cosmetically perfect. The CA players are built to last; and I can always return it if I'm not happy.

Sounds like I'm talking myself into something. The store is holding the BDP for me for five days, so I've a bit of time to ponder the decision.

Are you sure they won't charge you if you return it? If not go for it.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Say you are a big WHF fan and take the latest issue with you, you might get a further discount!

 

[strapped for cash]

Are you sure they won't charge you if you return it? If not go for it.

I don't think so. There wouldn't be a re-stocking charge as the BDP is already unboxed. That's a good point though. I'd better check.

Three-hundred pounds is still a fair chunk of money (at least for me). I want to ponder the pros and cons a little more before diving in.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Ask for a further 10 per cent discount when you get there, because of being a WHF reader to swing the deal or a free 3D HDMI cable!

 

[strapped for cash]

Say you are a big WHF fan and take the latest issue with you, you might get a further discount!

If only it was that simple. I might try haggling further. Nothing catastrophic can result from pushing for a bargain, especially if they want the sale.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Are you sure they won't charge you if you return it? If not go for it.

I don't think so. There wouldn't be a re-stocking charge as the BDP is already unboxed. That's a good point though. I'd better check.

Three-hundred pounds is still a fair chunk of money (at least for me). I want to ponder the pros and cons a little more before diving in.

They would not let me take the 751 and return it without a re-stocking charge, but it was new. But they are generous to WHF readers.

 

[strapped for cash]

or a free 3D HDMI cable!

I've already got more 3D HDMI cables than I need. I'd prefer a further £50 off the RRP!

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Say you are a big WHF fan and take the latest issue with you, you might get a further discount!

If only it was that simple. I might try haggling further. Nothing catastrophic can result from pushing for a bargain, especially if they want the sale.

I took the latest issue, they knocked 10 per cent off and gave me a free 3D HDMI cable.

 

[strapped for cash]

I'll decide before Friday. It'd be good to get some feedback from owners, but I'll start a new thread rather than dragging this one off-topic.

 

[BenLaw]

sometimes, on 'Universal' discs, if you leave it on pause for too long the 'Universal' screensaver appears and you cannot get back to the film without pressing 'stop' and then starting again from the chapter select menu.

Not with only Denon Blu-Ray players, like my BDP-4010UD in the parlour. My Oppo BDP-95EU in the kitchen does this as well, with Universal discs - State of Play, Hanna, etc. So I think that this irritating feature is specific to Universal Blu-Ray discs rather than to any one make of Blu-Ray player.

As you say, all Universal discs do this. If you press 'pop up menu' then it will go back to the film where you left off. This is no good if your BDP turns off after a fixed period but if the Universal logo is still up this works fine.

 

[mr malarky]

sometimes, on 'Universal' discs, if you leave it on pause for too long the 'Universal' screensaver appears and you cannot get back to the film without pressing 'stop' and then starting again from the chapter select menu.

Not with only Denon Blu-Ray players, like my BDP-4010UD in the parlour. My Oppo BDP-95EU in the kitchen does this as well, with Universal discs - State of Play, Hanna, etc. So I think that this irritating feature is specific to Universal Blu-Ray discs rather than to any one make of Blu-Ray player.

As you say, all Universal discs do this. If you press 'pop up menu' then it will go back to the film where you left off. This is no good if your BDP turns off after a fixed period but if the Universal logo is still up this works fine.

Nice to know its not just me!

Thanks for the tip ben (this has always driven me nuts on universal discs).

 

[pioneer7]

Alright Strapped

I asked earlier about the procedure for calibration, I would be interested to know how it is done, I asked how is the equipment/laptop is connected to the plasma, via HDMI or another way, does the surroundings have any bearing ie does the calibration need to be done in a darkened room, not sun-lit, I ask this because I have no certains up at the moment, and also is it the software that determins the settings of the plasma, or does personal settings come in to it [ by eye ] of the calibrater/customer. Just a few points I would be interested in hearing, could you furnish us with your input.

Thanks Strapped.... 8)

 

[strapped for cash]

Hi Pioneer7,

I'll try to answer your questions in order.

1. The laptop is connected to the TV via one of the USB inputs

2. Surroundings greatly influence the calibration. I have three different modes calibrated: one "night," with no ambient light in the room (the meter is in contact with the screen); one "3D," with no ambient light in the room (the meter is not in direct contact with the screen as the calibration must be done through the glasses); and one "day," where the amount of light normally present in the room is replicated (the meter is not in direct contact with the screen to account for ambient light conditions). The objective is to optimise the TV for different kinds of viewing and different conditions.

3. Brightness and contrast settings are adjusted by eye using test patterns to ensure the TV is not crushing black levels or clipping whites. Thereafter, everything is done using the meter, which relays readings to the laptop running calibration software (usually Calman or ChromaPure). Greyscale, colour balance, and gamma readings are converted to graphs and error reports. The calibrator then adjusts the advanced calibration controls to correct errors, repeatedly taking readings until greyscale, gamma, and colour hit the Rec.709 broadcasting standard.

4. If you're looking to get a professional calibration you'll need to find some way of blocking all light from entering the room for the "night" and "3D" modes. Bin sacks and tape are the answer here.

Hopefully that explains the process in reasonable detail. To get a greater sense of the intricacies of calibration you'll need to do it yourself (which is expensive), or pay a professional that'll explain what they're doing.

 

[pioneer7]

Thanks Strapped

Very interesting read....way over my head though, I have read many good things on calibration but never really understood how it all works, so that was the reason I held off....I will look at having mine done end of next month all being well, hopefully I will have most of the electronics up and running, along with the certains. I have been looking at a number of calibrators on line, the nearest to me is Kent Home Cinema, I will give them a call at some point, is there anything I should be looking for or ask, as I understand being THX-Level-2 certified is some thing to look for, is this correct, Does THX Level-2 mean that a calibrator can do more than some one who is not...???? are there any other calibrators near sussex that I might have missed.

Thanks again for the info Strapped. 8)

 

[GSB]

It's not the case a level2 can do more,but has more experiance.From what i understand once these guys learn the basics(if you like)it's all down to experiance thereafter as although they are trying to achieve correct excact settings to a degree it still comes down to a balancing act,hence the need for experiance.

Also if the guy is THX registered for about £20 i think you can get a THX certificate

 

[bigboss]

Thanks Strapped

Very interesting read....way over my head though, I have read many good things on calibration but never really understood how it all works, so that was the reason I held off....I will look at having mine done end of next month all being well, hopefully I will have most of the electronics up and running, along with the certains. I have been looking at a number of calibrators on line, the nearest to me is Kent Home Cinema, I will give them a call at some point, is there anything I should be looking for or ask, as I understand being THX-Level-2 certified is some thing to look for, is this correct, Does THX Level-2 mean that a calibrator can do more than some one who is not...???? are there any other calibrators near sussex that I might have missed.

Thanks again for the info Strapped. 8)

You can obtain quotes from them as well:

http://www.chromapure.co.uk/