By Bob Gatton
You just installed a nice new television set, and you're looking forward to turning it on and admiring its perfect picture. And why shouldn't you? After all, a brand new set would come from the factory set up perfectly, right?
It's possible, but not likely. Most televisions are set at the factory to look good in a bright store, not a home. Usually the contrast, brightness, and color are set too high in an attempt to make their set stand out from the others on the shelf. (Please note that some manufacturers call these settings by different names.)
Before any attempt to calibrate the settings, turn on the television and let it warm up for 10 to 30 minutes. The picture quality of most televisions changes once the set has warmed up.
Most homeowners have three options when it comes to adjusting their own televisions. First: You can usually make a set look much better by first setting the contrast, brightness and color to the mid point of their scales. If the set has a noise reduction setting in the menu, either turn it off or set it to the minimum setting to start. Noise reduction is only needed if the picture source is of poor quality. (Video noise is distortions and 'sparkles' in the picture.) Then look at the picture and move the adjustments up and down a little at a time. Check people's faces and work with the controls so that the flesh tones look natural.
The second way (and my favorite) to calibrate the set is to use one of the DVDs that have been produced for exactly this purpose. The easiest one to use is the Sound and Vision Home Theater Tune Up DVD. It costs about $20 and, while it is primarily designed for standard CRT televisions, it works well with most displays, with the exception of front projection systems. It's very easy to follow and doesn't use much technical jargon. It explains how to adjust the settings and has user-friendly test patterns for adjusting TV contrast, brightness, sharpness, color & tint. The DVD also has a great section on calibrating the audio.
Many televisions can store several different settings. You might want to have one setting for day and one for night.
If you are truly intimidated by technology or a real perfectionist about your system, you may want someone else to calibrate the television. If that's the case, check out the Imaging Science Foundation. This organization has trained more than 3,000 people on the proper procedure for calibrating displays for media rooms and home theaters. Their site lists professional calibrators by state; for a couple of hundred dollars, one will come out and set yours to work as precisely as it can.
No matter which method you use, though, once the picture is set to your satisfaction, you're ready to relax and enjoy!
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