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RE: ISF CALIBRATION ??? IS IT WORTH IT ??? He Screamed

Posted by SalD on December 1, 2009 at 18:56:39:
Yes, it's worth it, and more so the better your set is. The difference isn't subtle. Colors, brightness and contrast are either right or they aren't, and if they aren't, it can drive you just as crazy as a colored midrange. What's more, regular people will notice, too. Almost all my guests comment on the "beautiful picture" I get, but to this day only one person has mentioned that my stereo sounds unusually good.

As for not liking a calibrated picture, it is possible that you prefer a "vibrant" picture instead, with the brightness and colors jacked up like a stereo with its treble and bass turned all the way up. If that's the case, you don't have to worry about calibration. Just keep watching Sport mode. You won't need Blu-ray, either.

A calibration may need tuning up after a while, if you've still got an older set. You need to wait at least 150 hours before getting one on a new plasma, for instance, because the phosphors darken at a much faster rate when new. They will darken even more, although slightly, over years, and you may find you need a tweak. Mine got the slightest bit darker. If you have a relationship with a calibrator already, he will probably give you a discount on a re-calibration (mine did). Or you can just turn the brightness up a click.

An Avia disc (or the Spears & Munsil, or the Video Essentials discs) will get you on the right track as far as the basic adjustments go. The gray scale, however, can only be adjusted by a calibrator (and that's only if your set has an adjustable gray scale). The only caveat (and it's a big one) is that there are huge differences between calibrators--not only in the quality of their equipment, but in experience, and in specific experience on your particular model. You don't want a rookie with an expensive meter "practicing" on your TV.