idc:cairomike:
One final comment. For all the detailed information magazines like What Hi-Fi and What Video provide in their test reports most of which is interesting but ultimately useless, ÿwhy can't they provide something useful like the picture settings they used to asses the TV's?
Different peoples preferences and different rooms mean recommended settings are not that useful. Otherwise the manufacturers would do extensive research and sell TVs with one setting. From past posts What hifi assess the TV with its out of the box setting and then what they judge to be the best overall setting for their test room, which will not necessarily be the best for you. Put two TVs next to each other and try them on the out of the box and the best setting and there will be differences and one is likely to be better than the other.
I understand what you are saying, but then what is the point of using any sort of calibration DVD which invariably instruct you to perform the adjustments in a darkened room, thus eliminating the room's lighting effects. Even worst, what is the point of paying £250 for ISF calibration, described in issue 344 of What Video & Hi-def TV, which uses sensors to monitor the output of the screen, again eliminating the room's effects?
Over the last year or so I've helped several friends and neighbour's set up new LCD and Plasma TV's (Sharp, Panasonic, Sony, LG and Toshiba) and without exception none had a factory setting that was particularly close to being suitable for 'normal' viewing. The worst was a Toshiba which, out of the box, had all controls set to maximum resulting in a truely awful picture.
In my view if the various mags would publish the settings they used then it would provide a new buyer with a far better starting point than any factory preset.