@Monarch - You're probably right, he worked in an AV store somewhere and I suppose there they would be set up to be OTT. I'm going to have a proper play around with it tonight as not had chance since getting it. On a side note, and there's probably a thread about this already but is it worth a complete beginner at all this shelling out on one of these AVIA disks to set this TV up? Also, don't you need access to the service menu to get the most out of it and there was talk at the start of this thread that it had been locked on LGs 2010 range?
Muchos gracias amigo!
Calibration is essential if you want to get the best, and if you want the best, yes, you will have to call in the experts who will then try to calibrate your TV and bring it as close as possible to the standards that are set. Notice I say "close as possible", because even a reference quality TV will fall short in some areas. The best a calibrator can hope for is to make a TV perform to the best of that TV's ability.
Is it worth £200? It is to some.
You ask about the hidden menus being locked. This is, in part, down to a lot of LG owners over the past couple of years delving into the service menus and ruining their TV's.
An ISF calibrator would be able to unlock the the hidden menus, work his/her magic, then lock the menus again. The ISF locking codes are trade secrets anyhow.
For the average home user, LG have provided the bulk of the controls in the main menus. It depends on the TV, but almost everything will be available to you, from backlight and brightness, to gamma curve and colour adjustments of all the primaries and secondaries. There may be more besides on the newer sets.
There are a few ways to calibrate. If your TV has it, you can follow the picture wizard. This is a series of small tests that should allow you to dial in your TV to give a more accurate picture with minimal fuss or know how.
Method 2 is another cheap and cheerful way that you could already be sitting on. If you own any THX certified DVD's, they probably have a series of test patterns. Just look for the THX button in the DVD menu screen. There are 2 drawbacks to this method. One is that each test may be designed to calibrate your TV for the particular film it came with, therefore, almost completely useless for general calibration. Second is that the THX test requires a blue filter (purchased separately) in order for you to correctly calibrate the colour of the TV.
So, not ideal.
Method 3. Calibration discs. The happy medium, by my reckoning. They don't cost as much as professional equipment or a calibrator, it's yours to keep, use at as often as you need to (you might buy a new TV or disc player one day, and they'll need calibrating too), and they say alot. I can't speak for Avia, but the DVE disc (HD Basics) has a whole narrative, explaining the disc, the different types of displays, and what calibration can do for your viewing. It's a bit of a nerd fest, but you don't have to sit through it, as the tests also come without narration, in their own little section. The disc will also come with blue, red and green filters.
It's certainly an eye opener, and TV's like an LG are made for it.
Worth it for an extra £20.00
Method 4 means taking it a step further and buying equipment and software that may set you back a bit. I'm curious about these devices (Xrite Eye One and Spyder), but like you, I'm not sure I want to spend so much. I wouldn't say no if it was a gift, though.
Method 5 is pro ISF calibration, as already mentioned.
I'm an advocate of calibration, and the I'm a disc user, and I say they are worth it. The difference between my calibrated settings and those of the TV left to it's own presets are a world apart. And of course, it's better than leaving it to my own eye. Anyone can set up a TV to their liking, and that's fine, if you like it that way. But the chances are, it will be a long way off what the standard is. Using a disc, or another method of home calibration may not be perfect, but it'll be closer to the standard, it will be noticeable, and it might just increase your viewing pleasure.