Spyder tv

[admin_exported]

Having read all the posts on this product, could we have a Spyder Club column............latest news and views from around the country?!!!

No, seriously, we do seem to need a service where those that own one could hire it out to us poor creatures who would like to do a calibration check on our screens but can't justify the cost of buying one.

WHFS&V have one floating about.

Tv retailers would do themselves no harm by offering this service.

Just a thought

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, the magazine has one 'floating around', but it's in almost constant use.

As I've commented before, I really do think this is a service some retailers would do well to offer to buyers of TVs, or indeed those wanting to be 'dealers' rather than mere retailers could even offer a service whereby screens were set up using the SpyderTV system before delivery.

How much extra would consumers pay for that, I wonder...?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="david1997"]
Having read all the posts on this product, could we have a Spyder Club column............latest news and views from around the country?!!!

No, seriously, we do seem to need a service where those that own one could hire it out to us poor creatures who would like to do a calibration check on our screens but can't justify the cost of buying one.

WHFS&V have one floating about.

Tv retailers would do themselves no harm by offering this service.

Just a thought
[/quote]
good idea id pay to hire it maybe this a market for whsv to get into

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="bobbys"]maybe this a market for whsv to get into[/quote]

Why should it fall to a magazine to offer such a service?

The logistics would be a nightmare, and anyway this is very much something a good retailer should offer as part of the service for which he or she takes a consideranle margin over the trade price at which the product is bought in from the manufacturer or distributor.

It'd also be much simpler for a retailer to administer.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
[quote user="bobbys"]maybe this a market for whsv to get into[/quote]

Why should it fall to a magazine to offer such a service?

The logistics would be a nightmare, and anyway this is very much something a good retailer should offer as part of the service for which he or she takes a consideranle margin over the trade price at which the product is bought in from the manufacturer or distributor.

It'd also be much simpler for a retailer to administer.
[/quote]

good point

what model/type of spyder does the mag have ive just seen one for 65£ and one for 133£ two different types

found it here http://shop.colourconfidence.com/search.php?xSearch=spyder&searchSubmit=Search

 

[Anonymous]

The model is Spyder tv....£135 - £150. There are others for monitors etc.

No, this magazine, or others for that matter, could not be expected to administer such a thing. What the magazine could possibly do is spare a few column inches, or perhaps do a feature one month, to show the various calibration methods available such as THX Optimizer 2.0, DVE dvd, Spyder tv, ISF and any others which may be out there. The merits and drawbacks of each could be discussed.

I would be very happy to have my new tv calibrated( or even 'MOT'd' every year) for around £50. We are always being told the benefits of spending money on decent cabling. For many of us that may well be a complete waste of money if our tv settings are up the proverbial.

I think you mentioned, Andrew in another posting on the Spyder, that it takes about 30mins to calibrate a screen. Any dealers or retailers out there take note; you can offer something of real benefit and make money at the same time !.

So how about it, What HiFi ?.

 

[Anonymous]

Forgot to mention. I am happy to volunteer my screen for any testing !!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

We're planning a series of video 'how to' guides, offering step-by-step advice on topics just like this one - should be online with the new-look site in 2008.

In the meantime, we will continue to add written guides, like this (in case anyone missed it).

 

[Anonymous]

The Spyder TV is an average tool for the consumer with no confidence but it is certainly no better than using a calibration DVD for those with even moderate knowledge of the setup process.

The Spyder 2 sensor in itself is a good design however the meters are graded in the factory rather than calibrated. The best are badged as Spyder 2 Platinum and the rest go in the progressively cheaper packages. Spyder TV probes will often be +-5% from true. The best tip when using them is to place them on the screen for 10-15 mins before use to allow them to reach stable operating temperature. Failure to do so will certainly result in drift during the setup process.

Dealers offering calibration services is a subject that is very close to my heart - after all, I train them to do so!!!

The list of ISF certified dealers in the UK is growing steadily and at the higher end users should be expecting this to be offered rather than searching for people to help. There are a few retailers who are even able to offer ISF calibration included in the price of premium plasma displays but falling flat screen prices are making this increasingly difficult to justify.

An ISF calibration is a very different process to a quick tune up with a setup DVD. Almost every 1080P projector an more and more plasma and LCD panels have very detailed calibration controls to allow the image to be perfectly tuned to the room and source equipment. Greyscale adjustment, multi point gamma correction, colour management systems and more allow amazing results but are simply impossible to set correctly without appropriate analysis tools. As you can imagine this also takes a lot of time - especially when you set all of these controls perfectly for all inputs to the display! Normally this process takes around 4 houurs but can be much longer depending on the system. This is not something that can be offered for £50!

Hope this was interesting

Neil

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Neil.

Great post. It was just that £250+VAT for ISF calibration is above most mortal's budgets. It tends to be part of a home intallation package which may well run into thousands of pounds. At least the Spydertv Pro package(£500?) seems to offer a much cheaper option should you wish to callibrate tvs aprojectors or montors in your locallity for £50 a pot. I would not suggest the standard would be as great as that acheived by ISF but may offer a noticeable improvement in a domestic screen.