So, if that's the case, why don't Sony, samsung etc send them out already calibrated?
Also, can you do it yourself or is it too involved for a Simple Joe?
I'm not being awkward, just curious!!
Several reasons.
1: There is a state of ignorance with consumers so their is no benefit for manufacturers to spend the extra time and money making their products accurate.
2: They may have done market research to see what sort of "look" end users may prefer when deciding on what device to buy in a brightly lit showroom
3: They may be wanting to play a specification game and the choices they make in order to get high contrasts levels and high light output will probably affect the ability to get the device accurate.
4: While a high end cd player may use parts with 1% or less tolerance parts your mass market consumer electronics device like tv's will probably have much lower tolerance, cheaper parts in them. This means that two sets may actually look quite different if those parts are a different ends of the tolerance scale. (incidentally I used to work for a hi-end hi-fi manufacturer and specialist hi-fi retailers and even with very high quality manufacture I found obvious audible differences between multiple units of the same product)
5: The settings required for a tv in a room with a wall that is glass and has streming daylight in it will be different than that required for somene who lives and watches in a completely dark light controlled room.
6:It would be possible for manufacturers to give you a preset that is close to correct for the correct input signal type......but then we have the problem that the sources themselves suffer from the same manufacturing problems above.
7: Which leads on nicely to the fact that ISF calibration is NOT of the TV. It is of the DISPLAY SYSTEM. That means you need to consider the environment and the sources.
Hope that makes some sense.
Cheers
Gordon
PS. Just sawthe second bit..
Just as you can buy a Haynes workshop manual and service your car you can do the same with your tv calibration. You can buy tools cheap and use free software, read lot and keep playing and you will probably be able to get a more accurate image.
You may also find that paying someone who understands what they are trying to achieve, who has more accurate equiment and an understanding of how to use it, may save time, money and effort. I have no problem with folk trying to do this themselves and I have tried on many threads in the plasma and LCD forums and via PM's to help folk who want to have a go. Just remember though....if you do calibrate yourself please do not tell everyone else to use your settings as they are a definative guide to accuracy as they undoubtedly will not be.