[jonathan2202]

When calibrated correctly does that blue / purple look on blacks e.g bars top and bottom on films disappear? I tried adjusting settings today in Currys, it did improve alot but i could not cure it completely.

[Nomino]

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to runtime for taking the time and effort to compile this thread My TV will be arriving next Wednesday, so you can count on me diving into this thread for sure!

Just a couple of questions:

1. How do you get into the service menu on the X423030?
2. Will you be writing a "how to..." section?

It's great reading all the background theory, but an understanding of what settings need to be tweaked to resolve particular "ailments" would be like gold dust.

One thing I would just remind people about is to not get too hung up on achieving the perfect picture. Sure, we all want our set to display the best image it can, but the number of times I read about people so obsessed with image quality and can't settle down and enjoy their TV...it just boggles me. No modern HD Ready LCD is going to produce a crap image - certainly not with HD material. Relative to each other, some will be better, but relative to what was out a year or two ago, current sets are fantastic, regardless of brand. The thing that attracted me to the 42X3030 was the fact that it WASN'T considered the best, instead, it was solid performer in all areas with decent black levels, smooth motion, and good colour reproduction. A quick visit to my local COMET store proved that (based on shop settings of course), but I tell you what, the 37" they had hooked up to a HD-DVD player - wow...if that's an average picture, then some people don't know they are born! So go for it, tweak away until you get the best average image for your different inputs and viewing conditions, then just sit back and enjoy what is still your hefty investment (even if mine was only £958 with a free PS3 game from Dixons (using their £50 MAY50G voucher for purchases over £999))

Thanks again, and keep up the great work!

[Mikoyan]

Runtime help me please I have everything set out normally...I have installed the Spyder2Express software entered license etc, done the upgrade entered the license....

When I follow what you said I get to "Measure" in HCFR and it says:

cvspyder.dll returned an error during initialization....

Even when I use the Spyder2Express (I know not for TV but wanted to see if it saw the hardware) says:

spyderUSB.cpp 127 error or summin....

Just a question the spyder once taken out the box to I need to take anything off or....I have left it as it is???

Much appreciated!!!

[runtime]

Originally Posted by jonathan2202

When calibrated correctly does that blue / purple look on blacks e.g bars top and bottom on films disappear? I tried adjusting settings today in Currys, it did improve alot but i could not cure it completely.

Its possible that the screen is a little blue / red over-saturated; calibration can fix that. Its a bit difficult to say without looking at the screen, it probably more likely that what you're seeing is the backlight leaking, this tends to emit light with a 'cool' or slightly bluish tint. Bear in mind that you won't get perfect blacks with any LCD. Samsung's latest models feature a special coating that makes blacks darker and doesn't suffer much from backlight leakage, however the disadvantage is that it makes the screen highly reflective; also IMHO the Samsung M86/87 doesn't handle judder-free motion as well as the Toshiba. If you really want the best blacks and generally the least compromises I'd go for a decent plasma.

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

cvspyder.dll returned an error during initialization... ...just a question the spyder once taken out the box to I need to take anything off or....I have left it as it is???

I got that error once, it turns out the Spyder 2 USB driver needed resetting, all I did was restart my PC and the problem disappeared.

Apparently the Spyder 2 device doesn't like it when the computer resumes from standby, if it does you will need to restart the PC.

You shouldn't need to take anything off, the device should come already fitted with an 'LCD baffle'. This protects your LCD screen from the suction cups attached to the Spyder 2. The suction cups should only be used when calibrating a CRT, they hold the Spyder 2 to the screen. With an LCD you don't want the suction cups to touch the screen in case they cause damage when attaching/removing the device.

[Mikoyan]

Hey that worked!!! I just done my first calibration!!! It was default settings and my Blue was way off!!!! I dont know how to view the blacks etc but I will post my findings on here and hopefully you can let me know how crap my TV is and how it can be improved

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

Hey that worked!!! I just done my first calibration!!! It was default settings and my Blue was way off!!!! I dont know how to view the blacks etc but I will post my findings on here and hopefully you can let me know how crap my TV is and how it can be improved

Excellent! Guess you got one from the same batch as me (not so excellent!)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's... <looks at time> today's lesson

[Mikoyan]

Hi these are my default settings for RGB... way out

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

these are my default settings for RGB... way out

And your red is 10-15% under-saturated! Oh well, good job we can sort this out!

If you want to do something meanwhile, take a note of your user settings, then try the user settings I posted in this thread. See if that brings you any closer. If it doesn't try playing around with the 3D colour management, see if you can decrease blue a lot and increase red a little. Otherwise hang on until my next big post.

[Blackbolt360]

Originally Posted by runtime

And your red is 10-15% under-saturated! Oh well, good job we can sort this out!

runtime while you are on here, I am going to ask you a totally off-topic question, I don't want to hijack the thread, if anyone other than runtime respondes I will delete their post in respect for runtimes original post.

So runtime, what Anti-Virus/Firewall software do you recommend. I am currently using McAfee Security Center, but just found out its blocking alot of my important apps without asking me, mainly parts of some games. So I am looking for a replacement anti-virus with or without firewall, not too fussed on that, got a router firewall and ultimately windows firewall. So if you could just give us a tip. Thanks.

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Blackbolt360

So I am looking for a replacement anti-virus with or without firewall, not too fussed on that, got a router firewall and ultimately windows firewall. So if you could just give us a tip. Thanks.

No problem - so I use Vista, which is such a pain in the ass with the constant security prompting I figure that should be enough to keep the viruses at bay. Further to that I run Windows Firewall, Windows Defender and there's my routers firewall.

Now whenever I have to download something from anywhere suspicious I simply load up AVG Anti-Virus. The thing I like about it is its free, and it doesn't hook into your OS such that it slows it down - not that I give it a chance since its very easy to launch it and shut it down as desired. I'd have a look at AVAST a few of my friends at work use it and seem generally pleased with it.

It might seem that I'm a bit lax with the anti-virus software but I'm pretty careful with what I download - and no-one else at home has access to my PC (the wife is an Apple lady and my daughter is too young to reach the keyboard!).

[Blackbolt360]

Ok cheers. I will check out avast, but looks like I too will be going back to AvG free.

[Mikoyan]

I have tried your user settings and it did make a little difference!!!

When you say 3D Color Management...I know i need to get in there but it just gives me the option of off or on

How can I actually change the colours???

Edit: My mistake when On it lets me onto another screen!! DOH ><

Again much appreciated for your help!

[Nomino]

Originally Posted by Blackbolt360

I don't want to hijack the thread, if anyone other than runtime respondes I will delete their post in respect for runtimes original post.

Puh'lease, grow up. These are discussion forums. Let people discuss things. I have a great amount of respect for runtime too, but your behaviour there is pathetic.

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

I have tried your user settings and it did make a little difference!!!

When you say 3D Color Management...I know i need to get in there but it just gives me the option of off or on

Good the blue is looking bit better and the red is back where it should be. I did some further testing following some information I discovered yesterday and found that its quite OK to raise the Contrast to 100%, that'll give you better range between black and white (it might affect your RGB levels but its nothing we can't correct).

Once you enable 3D colour management, it'll enable a 'base colour adjustment' option from which you can edit the colour matrix. Now I don't expect miracles, your blue level is quite far out and the matrix only really lets you fine tune; but let's see what you can accomplish with just the user settings.

[Mikoyan]

Got some more tweaking done....

The blue is still way off....

I have settings so far (same User ones you posted)

As well as +8 Saturation for Red

-2 for Blue (Will do more later but even if i max it the blue doesn't shift down)

I do have options for Brightness and Hue....should these also be changed???

I reckon the blue will only be sorted in service settings ?

[madmaxII]

blue is the same on mine as well
so far off it will not budge with the 3D colour management

[Mikoyan]

Hopefully Runtime can save our Tosh's

[runtime]

Adjusting Your Set

This is going to be a long post!

We've discussed how brightness and contrast are important to obtaining the correct grey scale behaviour; and how the correct levels of red, green and blue are important to obtaining the correct colour temperature.

The results of our baseline readings show us how far off we are from the ideal, so how do we make changes?

Overview

In summary, the calibration steps are as follows:

1. Disable active backlight control and black stretch to put the display in a normal operating mode; this will make it easier to adjust controls and monitor results.

2. Adjust brightness, contrast, colour and tint using test patterns.

3. Adjust grey-scale tracking across the 10 grey levels (IRE).

4. Once again adjust brightness, contrast, colour and tint using test patterns.

5. Using the CIE diagram tweak the 3D colour matrix to align the primary and secondary colours.

Brightness (Black Level) and Contrast (White Level)

The controls for these are easily accessible from the user menu. They are easy to set correctly using a test pattern such as the ones I mentioned earlier; brightness 44 and contrast 100 seem to work well on the 42X3030D.

Colour Saturation

The optimum setting can be found using a calibration DVD such as AVIA, or a colorimeter. Generally, setting colour to between 38 and 40 works well on the 42X3030D. You can leave tint set to 0.

Grey-scale tracking

The RGB graph we've talked about shows red, green and blue levels, and how they deviate from one another ('delta E') across different grey levels (IRE).
Updated: The only way to correct errors in grey-scale tacking is to, if you're prepared to accept the risk, use the service menu to reign in levels that are wide off the mark.

You'll need to use a colorimeter to be accurate (its possible to use the AVIA DVD to identify errors in the grey scale).

The HCFR software has a very useful feature that will help us make changes relatively safely, it's called 'continuous measures' and it does what it says on the tin. In this mode HCFR will continuously monitor the red, blue and green levels coming from your screen, and display the luminance, colour temperature and importantly 'delta E' in the 'Information' window.

To set this up, enable 'Information measures' from within the View menu. Then in the 'Measures' window click on the green 'play' button. Within a few seconds a 'combined histogram for free measures' will pop up. You can ignore this graph and focus your attention on the 'Information' window.

The trick to calibrating the RGB levels is to make changes and monitor their effect at two grey levels, 30 IRE, and 80 IRE. Select 30% grey / 30 IRE on the HCFR DVD, and look at the readings in the Information window. You'll see the relative balance of red, green and blue as a percentage, also keep an eye on 'delta E' - the smaller this value gets the better, if you can hit 4 or less you're laughing - switch to the 80% grey / 80 IRE and do the same. After you make your changes if you switch back to 30% / 30 IRE you'll see that you've gone out a little. So keep swapping back and forth making changes until you're happy that you've done the best you can.

At this this point there should be very little colour shift from the desired white reference at other luminance levels, so its time to re-calibrate and admire your results. If all goes well you should have a consistent colour temperature close to 6500K across all 10 grey levels, with RGB levels tracking each other and 'delta E' generally below 4. If not rinse and repeat as necessary.

Above: Although the finished result is not perfectly straight, 'delta E' is kept below 4 on average so slight variations are imperceivable to the human eye.

If you're wondering when it's time to call it quits, simply look at the graphs published by hdtvtest.co.uk, they are professionals and use a much more accurate colorimeter; if you can get anywhere close to them then crack open a bottle of champagne and celebrate with a night in with your favourite movie!

3D Colour Management and Service Menu

Although I've talked about the 3D colour management feature in the user menu, and service menu settings, I haven't gone into much detail. Lets address that.

While it's quite nice of Toshiba to include colour management, its not the sort of thing the average user can configure easily without understanding how hue, saturation and brightness affect colour. It's effects are quite subtle so it can only really be used for fine-tuning specific colours by affecting the colour decoder. The main advantage is that it's accessible via the user menu so you don't need to void your warranty to use it!

You may have heard of the Service Menu; this is hidden away from consumers because indescriminant tweaking can cause damage to your set and it'll almost certainly void your warranty. The main reason why we consider using the service menu is because it contains the master controls that drive red, green and blue colour output. Adjusting these settings by even a small amount has a big impact to the operation of your set.

Disclaimer: I accept no liability for any damage you may do to your set so if you're intent on making service menu changes proceed with caution!

Warning: I recommend you make a note of all settings and their corresponding values before you change them. Finally, remember that the performance of each set varies to some degree and that these controls can have a big impact on your picture even if tweaked slightly, consequently using someone else's settings is more likely to be detrimental than beneficial. I strongly recommend obtaining a colorimeter to monitor the results of such changes.

Accessing the Service Menu

If you haven't please read the above disclaimer and warning!

* Turn the TV on.
* Press the {MUTE} button three times on the remote.
* Press the {MUTE} button again on the remote and hold.
* Then press the {MENU} button on the TV's front panel.
* Release both buttons
* There should be a letter "S" on the upper right of the screen.
* Press the {MENU} button on the TV's front panel again.

* Use the {CH+} or {CH-} buttons to select a setting.
* Use the {VOL+} and {VOL-} buttons to adjust the value.
* Turn the set off to exit the Service Menu.

Here are some of the 'useful' settings :

RCUT, GCUT and BCUT are known as the colour cut-offs
RDRV, GDRV and BDRV are known as the colour drives

Many of the remaining settings are not relevant to our calibration needs, and are likely to cause more harm than good should you change them so be careful when tweaking.

Each service menu setting is displayed in three columns: in the first column there is the setting name, the second column contains the setting value in hexadecimal notation, and the third column contains the same value in binary notation. The binary column can be ignored, it is not relevant to the controls that interest us.

The drives manage the luminance levels and as we've discussed these need to be balanced using the 'continuous measures mode'. Each time you increase the value luminance increases, similarly decreasing the value results in a decrease in luminance. In my case, I wanted to decrease blue over-saturation, so I decremented the BDRV until it was brought into balance with the other two colours. Typically, when balancing you leave GDRV untouched so that it acts as a reference level.

The cut-off controls are used to balance the dark end of the grey-scale, while the drive controls balance the bright end of the grey-scale. You use them by balancing colours using the method I described earlier, only at a very low IRE level (< 20% grey / 20 IRE); however I'm not confident in Spyder 2's ability to report accurately at low light levels so I did not modify them.

As before, you adjust the red and blue cut-off controls to balance, leaving the green cut-off control as a reference.

[Mikoyan]

Thanks for more info

When doing this Continuous Measure I press Green play button then it says:

Error No Data From Sensor

I think this is my mistake as what am i meant to be showing the sensor???

Normal TV or....

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

Error No Data From Sensor
I think this is my mistake as what am i meant to be showing the sensor???

Naturally your Spyder 2 is connected to your PC, and the Spyder is placed over the TV. The error is probably the Spyder 2 driver, your PC probably needs a restart; it can be funny that way

Edit: The TV should be displaying a grey colour, e.g. 30% grey, 80% grey, 100% grey (white) etc. Choose the appropriate colour from the HCFR DVD.

Looking forward to your results - good hunting!

[Mikoyan]

Cheers Runtime

I have made a massive improvement thanks to your writeup!!!

I only chose IRE 30 and IRE 80...

Made a few service menu settings to reduce the blue saturation...

Anything else you reckon to improve my image lol???....

All in all I got my money's worth out of the Spyder2 and Tosh

Much appreciated for this thread I am sure it will benefit others no doubt!!!

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

Cheers Runtime

I have made a massive improvement thanks to your writeup!!!
I only chose IRE 30 and IRE 80...
Made a few service menu settings to reduce the blue saturation...
Anything else you reckon to improve my image lol???....

All in all I got my money's worth out of the Spyder2 and Tosh
Much appreciated for this thread I am sure it will benefit others no doubt!!!

Excellent! Nice looking graph you got there!

Lets see what else - please can you go into the HCFR Preferences menu and choose References, click Camera Gamma (Standard) and then post your 'Luminance histogram'? You'll have a line that bends a bit, between 2.4 and 2.0, on average 2.2. If you do then your gamma is configured fine.

Here's mine, before and after:

Also, if you want to spend some time you can try tweaking the 3D colour management matrix to align the primary and secondary colours as close as you can to the reference points (these show up as a '+') on the CIE colour-space diagram; this I only recommend if you're a perfectionist and have a lot of time!!

Other than that I reckon you're done!

[Trent.]

Again, great thread.
I have been playing around with my set all weekend to try and reduce those colours, mainly blue, but i have to say it's a struggle!
I think i'll be needing a to get a syder2 or similar to get it right though.

[runtime]

Originally Posted by Trent.

Again, great thread.
I have been playing around with my set all weekend to try and reduce those colours, mainly blue, but i have to say it's a struggle!
I think i'll be needing a to get a syder2 or similar to get it right though.

I whole-heartedly recommend the spyder2express colorimeter, at ~ £60 its really not much of an outlay considering the cost of the TV, and of course you can use it to calibrate your monitor and any other TVs you have in the house:

Aside from the Tosh I've done the plasma downstairs (tip: select CRT mode in the HCFR Spyder 2 settings, and disconnect the LCD baffle from the device), and my PC monitor (tip: for laptops and PCs simply use the software that comes with the kit).

Interestingly only my Tosh exhibited blue over saturation, and with two other members reporting the same, it could be worth picking up a Spyder 2. BlackBolts' suggestion to perform calibrations for your mates in exchange for a couple of pints certainly merits consideration!

With the theory out of the way I welcome all and any discussion about the Tosh X3030D settings, 'Settings By Eye', etc.

[JayEm]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread, so much so that I might even try this myself one day.

The only problem would be that my PC is acient and I won't be upgrading until December, does the PC side of the this require decent specs?

[runtime]

Originally Posted by JayEm

The only problem would be that my PC is acient and I won't be upgrading until December, does the PC side of the this require decent specs?

Nope you can use the cheapest, nastiest PC you can lay your mits on

If you can borrow a laptop as I did you'll find the process even easier as you won't need to locate your PC near your Tosh, or vice-versa.

[JayEm]

That's good to know, I'm sure I can find a laptop I can borrow from someone.

Just to buy the TV now.

[Trent.]

Originally Posted by runtime

I whole-heartedly recommend the spyder2express colorimeter, at ~ £60 its really not much of an outlay considering the cost of the TV, and of course you can use it to calibrate your monitor and any other TVs you have in the house:

Aside from the Tosh I've done the plasma downstairs (tip: select CRT mode in the HCFR Spyder 2 settings, and disconnect the LCD baffle from the device), and my PC monitor (tip: for laptops and PCs simply use the software that comes with the kit).

Interestingly only my Tosh exhibited blue over saturation, and with two other members reporting the same, it could be worth picking up a Spyder 2. BlackBolts' suggestion to perform calibrations for your mates in exchange for a couple of pints certainly merits consideration!

With the theory out of the way I welcome all and any discussion about the Tosh X3030D settings, 'Settings By Eye', etc.

Yes i totally agree £60 is a small outlay and then it can be used for other people/friends set in exchange for beer tokens Also i have yet to run my avia calibration disc so that may help.
I am ultimately pleased there is'nt any issues elsewhere with this set apart from over vivid colours.
I'm now 'almost' at your posted settings ealier in this thread and it does look better on those than my SBE tryouts .
I will update any changes after using the calibration disc i have, and then again any further changes with the syder2!

[CurlyOscar]

Great thread.

Runtime, I was wondering whether still have your backlight at 30 now that contrast is at 100 and whether you have made any changes via the service menu?

[Mikoyan]

As requested the Luminance Charts...

Not that I understand what the chart means but ill post it for you lol

This is Default TV Luminance:

And this is my current TV settings Luminance:

Are they ok??? My default has luminance like the Rocky Mountains!!! lol