can anyone give a beginers guide to using the wave form monitor please
Given my above (now corrected) error, maybe I'm not the best person to do this, but I'll give it a go and those who know better, please feel free to correct me.
I used a test DVD 'Digital Video Essentials', but there are others available. Some say that there are certain THX Optimisers on (I believe) Star Wars episode 4 that is actually encoded at the correct black and white levels.
Each press of the WM button takes you through 6 different modes. I started on the 'Single Line Scan Y' mode:
Start with all the PJ controls at their default, including the 'advanced' menu ones and use your prefered 'Picture' mode (Cinema 1, etc). Then get your test picture on screen: one with a known 0% black section on it. Move the WM line up or down the screen until it bisects the 0% square (if using DVE). You will notice that on the WM in line with the 0% bar/square the WM shows a line which should be around the 0% marker. Adjust your 'Brightness' control to get the WM showing exactly on the 0% marker at the point where it lines up with the 0% square/bar.
Then get a picture up on screen with a known 100% white square/bar. Postion the WM line so it passed through the 100% white. Adjust your contrast control so the WM shows 100% (using the 'Solid' marker NOT the higher dotted marker on the WM
). DVE has a test picture with squares going from 0 to 100% complete with squares with black 0% with an inner square of 5% and an equvalent one for white 100% with an inner square of 95%. It saves jumping from chapter to chapter, plus you can just move the WM line up or down to the right bit you need to measure.
If you have DVE or a disc with 50% square on it you can use the mid gamma to trim the WM to show 50%. If you use the 5% and 95% squares on DVE you can see the use of the High and Low gamma respectively, but I just tweaked my low gamma to +1 to slightly improve shadow detail...but maybe that wouldn't be done by a professional calibrator.
You can then repeat the brightness and contrast settings using the WM in 'Single Line Scan R/G/B' modes and adjusting the 'advanced' RGB brightness and contrast controls to get 100 and 0% for each colour on the WM. I don't understand the use of the WM 'Full Scan' settings, so I haven't used them myself. Nor the 'Color Profile' menu for that matter...if anyone can explain I'd like to have a go at using them later?
If you have DVE you can use the coloured filter to adjust the 'colour' control as per DVE instructions, I believe only the blue one is very acurate...but I stand to be corrected.
You may need to go back over these checks after adjusting incase any interaction between the controls effects the WM readings, eg Contrast/Brightness may move the the mid gamma (50%) WM reading.
Once you are happy with the settings, save them using the 'Mem Load' button. Note that if you change the 'Picture' mode then the settings will be different, so you can 'calibrate' for, say Cinema 1 and Colour 1 (my favourites) and have two memory settings.
I hope this helps....maybe it is as clear as mud.
I feel like I've just typed out the whole manual.
I know what I mean, but maybe my text doesn't explain as well as a photo would? I'll try to take some pics sometime, but I've never uploaded pics to AVForums before, so there may be some delay.