tv visual calibration help!!

[matmum]

hi

i own a loewe aconda and wish to calibrate the colours, brightness etc properly. i just wondered what would be the best way to do this.

i currently have a dvd called video essentials - and set the colours and brightness up with that. however i think that this disc was created for NTSC televsions , as when i ran a THX optimizer on a PAL dvd - i had to turn the colour setting down somewhat and turn down the brightness - so now i do not know what to use. i just wondered if someone could help out as this is bugging me (i.e. will i have to change the colour settings while watching an ntsc disc - do ntsc discs have a different colours to pal)

any help would be greatly appreciated

cheers

[kwangomango]

I am sure i remember reading somewhere that as long as you are using RGB or component, then it doesn't matter that the calibration disc is PAL or NTSC.
Anyway, i calibrated my Loewe Mimo using Avia (NTSC) and then with the T2 THX Optimiser (PAL). I found the TV settings were the same with both discs.

[Badger]

A quick quesion about the THX optimode calibration - When I do the white block (contrast?) test I can't make out the individual blocks - as white crushing has been mentioned as occuring on both Q2400 and Q2500 Loewes i'm wondering if anyone gets the same results ?

Phil

[kwangomango]

Originally posted by Badger
A quick quesion about the THX optimode calibration - When I do the white block (contrast?) test I can't make out the individual blocks - as white crushing has been mentioned as occuring on both Q2400 and Q2500 Loewes i'm wondering if anyone gets the same results ?

Phil

Ooooh that's not very good I have a Q2500 Mimo connected via component. All the white blocks show correctly.

[Badger]

Originally posted by kwangomango
Ooooh that's not very good I have a Q2500 Mimo connected via component. All the white blocks show correctly.

Mine was the NTSC Optimode on the Tron 2 disc set on a Yamaha S520 via RGB. It might not be that problem with the set but with the way I've got the player set up - I'll be changing it soon (looking at a Pioneer 565). Might try S-Video,VGA and the player setting tonight is no-one else's does it

Phil

[Badger]

Originally posted by Badger
Mine was the NTSC Optimode on the Tron 2 disc set on a Yamaha S520 via RGB. It might not be that problem with the set but with the way I've got the player set up - I'll be changing it soon (looking at a Pioneer 565). Might try S-Video,VGA and the player setting tonight is no-one else's does it

Phil

Well I've tried 3 optimodes and RGB/SVideo and on my player they are all the same - but if I plug in my PC and run the disc it looks fine (once I've adjusted the video overlay settings) - so i'm happy it's not a tube problem

The player does have some saturation/brightness/contrast setting but they don't seem to help - i suspect either the software/inputs on the TV or the DVD player

Phil

[kwangomango]

Originally posted by Badger
Well I've tried 3 optimodes and RGB/SVideo and on my player they are all the same - but if I plug in my PC and run the disc it looks fine (once I've adjusted the video overlay settings) - so i'm happy it's not a tube problem

See last paragraph of last post by darkl0rd1.
Interesting findings with Loewe VGA input
Like i say though, i have no probs on any inputs with my Q2500.

[Badger]

Originally posted by kwangomango
See last paragraph of last post by darkl0rd1.
Interesting findings with Loewe VGA input
Like i say though, i have no probs on any inputs with my Q2500.

I'm still not totally convinced it's the set causing it for a few reasons

1. I can't find any other details about a THX Optimode/Loewe problem on here (which I would expect)
2. I think it was Gordon who "discovered" it and his "test" for it is Avia based - my "test" is Optimode based
3. It's only meant to be a problem on RGB/Component - I get the same results on S-Video
4. It's meant to affect Q2400 and Q2500 sets

ah ha - some more info here

Loewe aventos component

What player are you using ?

Phil

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

Phil,

I suspect its the video input somehow being overloaded. Not all DVD players are created equal. In fact many are way off base on their output calibrations. My test was with Arcam DVD players using RGB and YPrPb outputs. There was lack of white detail with them on AVIA. It will be the same on THXoptimode unless you have a DVD player that changes it's output voltage levels when faced with a DVD with macorvision (they aren't supposed to do this but then who says manufacturers ever bother to do things by the book). I have not witnessed this change myself when going from macorvision free AVIA to a Macrovision encoded THX disc.

If your DVD player has contrast controls on board start lowering them first to see if you can make the detail appear.

Also it is true that black level should remain the same when fed component or RGB but unfirtunately there seem to be very few DVD player manufacturers who don't add set up (the tihng that changes black level voltage on NTSC source material) on component out or RGB. To combat this you could try turning off set up forNTSC. For instance on Arcam and TAG it will say have black at 0ire or 7.5ire for NTSC. Set it to 0ire. On somehting like a Panasonic it might say Black level: lighter or darker....choose darker. That way you can use AVIA or THX to set brightness and contrast for PAL and NTSC.

Hope this is some use.

Gordon

[Badger]

Just a quick update - I've now got a Pioneer 565 (connected via SVideo) and it's exactly the same on all the NTSC Optimode discs.

However I tried the PAL THX optimizer (on the R4 Phantom Menace disc) and the brightness test is displayed correctly, so it looks like it might only be a problem on NTSC (although I appear to have a problem on S-Video as well) - might try RGB connection tonight

Phil

[kwangomango]

Originally posted by Badger
Just a quick update - I've now got a Pioneer 565 (connected via SVideo) and it's exactly the same on all the NTSC Optimode discs.

However I tried the PAL THX optimizer (on the R4 Phantom Menace disc) and the brightness test is displayed correctly, so it looks like it might only be a problem on NTSC (although I appear to have a problem on S-Video as well) - might try RGB connection tonight

Phil

Do you mean the white square(s) contrast test or the black bar brightness test?
Comparing my PAL T2 THX with NTSC Toy Story THX, the contrast test is different. The PAL disc actually has 8 squares of different shades whereas the NTSC disc only uses one large white square.
This might be why you think there is a problem?

[Badger]

Originally posted by kwangomango
Do you mean the white square(s) contrast test or the black bar brightness test?
Comparing my PAL T2 THX with NTSC Toy Story THX, the contrast test is different. The PAL disc actually has 8 squares of different shades whereas the NTSC disc only uses one large white square.
This might be why you think there is a problem?

Hi KM

It's the white square test i'm on about and the PAL/NTSC tests are meant to look the same (I ran them on a PC both via a monitor and into the Loewe VGA port) - but in NTSC the differences can't be seen (unless I've misunderstood somewhere). Sounds like it's the same for you

Phil

[kwangomango]

Originally posted by Badger
but in NTSC the differences can't be seen

That's because there aren't any differeces to be seen(at least on my discs). It is meant to be a single block of the same shade of white. Read the text that explains the tests. The PAL one mentions 8 squares of different shades whereas the NTSC one only mentions a single square.

[Badger]

Originally posted by kwangomango
That's because there aren't any differeces(at least on my discs). Read the text that explains the test. The PAL one mentions 8 squares whereas the NTSC one only mentions a single square.

I'll check it again tonight to make sure i'm not mis-remembering then, as it is possible i've got the wrong end of the stick

Phil

[Badger]

I've just put the optimode on the R1 Lion King disc and on my PC there are 8 clearly visible blocks (4 different shades) - The text also states "This test displays four distinct shades of white in eight boxes"

On my Aconda/Pio 565 pairing (and your setup too it appears) you just see 1 white block - which isn't right

It does appear to be only a problem with NTSC though (I wonder if it's to do with the internal Progressive Scan processing ?)

Phil