Calibration sceptics - discuss your concerns here

Roland.Online

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Not sure it's usual behaviour for avforums members to hijack threads, but as my previous thread has been by people wanting to debate the merits of calibration, rather than answering the original question, I thought provide this as a helpful starting point for anyone with an opinion about calibration.

Just to be really clear; what calibration is NOT:
  • adjusting picture settings by eye.
  • copying settings from another TV (even if that was calibrated).
  • using any number of basic setup procedures, including the PicturePerfect guide and those similar.
  • using TV pattern discs/filters to adjust settings by eye.

There's nothing wrong with doing any of the above (well, maybe the first one!), but none of these things are calibration, and should never be called that. These are just adjustments, nothing more.

What calibration IS:
  • a procedure involving input media and patterns specifically prepared to a known display standard.
  • measuring various characteristics of the display using a suitable light measurement device, eg. colorimeter/spectrophotometer (ideally also calibrated!).
  • using software to analyse the initial characteristics, and to quantify specific deviations of that display from the standard.
  • applying a process of coarse and fine adjustment to the display settings to reduce the deviations and bring the display characteristics as close to the standard as is possible.
  • and finally, because no [current] display is perfect, and can never match the standard exactly, providing an assessment of the final deviations, no matter how small: this communicates to anyone else familiar with the standard, how closely that specific display has been calibrated to that standard.
  • this provides the end user and others a precise evaluation of the accuracy or errors of the display, and possibly the limitations of how the display can be adjusted.

Go for it!
 
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Sorry, slightly off topic, but one thing I've always wondered about calibration is what if you pay £300-400 to have it done, then absolutely hate it? Surely a TV should simply have a picture displayed the way YOU like it, that picture obtained by playing about with the settings yourself, not just set to some supposed standards?

In some ways, that might still be money well spent, especially is you've paid for a premium TV.

In other words, just by having a calibration performed, you would be introduced to the process, and any decent calibrator should guide you through the merits, and explain why you might be percieving a non-calibrated display as "better", so it's unlikely to be money wasted.

Often there will be an adjustment period to get used to a properly calibrated display, and if done correctly, this should also take into account your viewing environment, eg. daytime/bright room, or eveing/low light, etc. You'd be highly unlikely to go back to the default TV settings.

I think it's unfortunate that the default, out-of-box setup for TVs gives the consumer such a basically gross and distorted experience, and you see that from the retail environment to the home. It's disingenuous, and the shouty colours and retina burning brightness is all there just to sell TVs.

The standards exist and are there for good reason. These are what the filmmakers and content producers use every day to master their stuff, so it's not unreasonable that the consumer display should try to adhere to that.

You wouldn't go see the Mona Lisa with blue tinted sunglasses, right? That's an extreme analogy, but that's essentially what is happening to content in the home on a poorly set-up, or uncalibrated display, it's not faithfully representing the creative intent.

At the very least, even if you can't commit to a full calibration service, you should switch your TV into the least damaging mode, with is usually "Cinema" or something similar, and there are a series of basic tweaks, like the PicturePerfect campaign on this forum, which can guide you to optimise your TV settings, for free!

Cheers
 
I’ve often wondered this myself. I understand the concept of calibration and would love to get it one day, but how do you know what a calibrated set looks like unless you know somebody who has one? It’s an interesting question. How much does calibration cost as well? I’ve got myself a great TV/Blu Ray combo now and I am considering calibration some time soon. I too wonder if I will like the image or not though.

That's a valid question for sure. In reference to my post above, and specifically the "creative intent" of the filmmaker, that's a bit like saying "what if I don't like the film?".

If you've seen a film at the cinema, and remember the visual experience well enough to compare it to watching the same film at home on your uncalibrated TV, then you'd probably get a feel for how a calibrated TV *should* look. It should convey the same creative intent you saw at the cinema.

Now that's quite hard to achieve perfectly, as there is so much else that has a bearing onthe viewing experience, like room lighting, size of display, viewing distance resolution, etc. But essentially, if the TV isn't calibrated then on top of fundamentally distorting the presentation, all these other aspects compound to a less than satisfactory experience, and is a world away from what the filmmaker wanted you to experience.

As an easy starting point, if you haven't done it already, certainly setting up your TV/Blu Ray combo as per the PicturePerfect guide is free, and ought give you a taste for how a properly set up TV begins to look. Some adaptation is often necessary to get used to the adjustment, especially if the TV has been in Standard mode for most of your viewing.

That's also why I was asking about recommended films to watch on a calibrated display - not because I have none of my preferred own films, more to visually and subjectively check that the calibrated display isn't introducing any bad artifacts, and that the calibration ultimately stands up to the scrutiny of viewing high quality, familiar reference material.

Cheers
 
I have thought the same , what does a calibrated picture look like, having never seen one myself, but from watching reviews of avforums and others on YouTube, it seems to me if you put your own tv in cinema or isf picture mode in a dark or very dimly light room at night you will be close to what a calibrated screen will look like,
My problem is my eyes don’t seem to like it, I need a couple of lamps on making the cinema mode too dim,

If you're not used to watching TV in a dark room, and are unlikely to watch feature films in this way, that's perfectly ok.

Cinema Mode and ISF Expert are good starting points, but even a professionally calibrated display should take into account your preferred viewing environment, eg, daytime/bright room, or evening/low light, even with other room lighting.

Usually it's a case of adjusting the display's "response curve" to between a fully black image and a fully white image, and all steps in between (known usually as "gamma"), to compensate for your vewing environment. This is one part of the calibration process.

The other aspects ensure that, most critically, colour is presented accurately. Room lighting and wall colour play a part in how you percieve the TV image, to an extent, but the calibration process attempts to bring the colour presentation in line with the mastering standard.

So, a professional calibrator should take your preferred viewing environment into account, so that you're not left with a perfectly calibrated but unpleasant to watch TV!

You said:
what does a calibrated picture look like, having never seen one myself

... well I think you probably do know what a calibrated picture looks like, if you've ever been to the cinema, you've watch a properly calibrated display!

Obviously this isn't the same as the home viewing experience, but we all have some visual memory we can draw on that give you a good idea. Just compare what you recall seeing at the cinema to watching the same thing at home - how was it different?

Again, as a starting point, try the PicturePerfect guide to get a feel for where your home viewing experience could be improved.

Cheers
 
Not sure what your problem is with the 2 members you're quoting?

Your thread wasn't hijacked in any way shape or form.

You've posted a thread on a public forum, members responded with their opinion which is how a forum works and you seem to have taken offence by it.
It's no wonder no one is responding to this thread days after it was created based on your attitude.

Or have you just created this thread to highlight your knowledge on the subject?
 
Personally I like the oversaturated out of the box settings and I’d rather keep the money.
 

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