Read The HDTV Calibration Tutorial and Then Buy DVD

HDTV Calibration guide

Introduction

How to calibrate an LCD or plasma TV with PixelProtector.

If you have a flat panel or rear projection HDTTV and want to get the very best, most stunning picture that is possible then this guide should help you do just that. It is not difficult or technical in any way. It will help you get the optimum picture from your TV as quickly as possible.

What is HDTV calibration and why should I do it?

Every make and model of plasma/LCD screen is different with varying resolution, components, brightness, colour and contrast. Also they will all go in to rooms with greatly varying ambient and dynamic light sources. So every TV shows a different picture and even the same TV will appear different depending upon where it is placed.

Even more significant than the above is that the manufacturers default settings are always set with colour, contrast, and brightness settings that are way too high. This not only means that it is not set to the optimal picture quality but also causes your PDP or LCD to age faster. This last issue is particularly significant with plasma and is also a major contributor towards getting screen burn in, especially during the first few hundred hours of use.

So HDTV Calibration is quite simply the setting up of your TV to achieve the highest quality image possible. So who is the judge of what is a good image and what is not? Well ultimately you are. However it is a good idea to set the display with levels that compliment the broadcasters, film makers and game designers and then do a final few tweaks based on personal preference.

By following the instructions below you can set the different levels on your television so that they match how the programme makers intended their feature film to be seen as well as automatically taking into account the variances of your specific make and model along with the physical lighting conditions in the room where the TV is positioned..

You could pay upwards of £200 ($400) each time for a company to calibrate your screen so there is money to be saved by doing it yourself with PixelProtector.

If your TV is brand new then you don't need to worry about this section unless it was a display model.

Minor screen burn is present on most screens. It is much less obvious than the screen burn which we can see clearly and builds up over the months that you use your TV. Minor screen burn does not leave a definite easily visible shape but simply causes apparently random smears that affect the image that is displayed and makes it pretty much impossible to achieve a perfect calibration.

What to do

Load the 'White wash' screen wash, you will probably be able to see smears of inconsistent shade in various parts of the screen this is minor screen burn. To get rid of it you need to run the PixelProtector 'colour wash' programme.

Depending upon how severe the burn is it could take between 20 minutes and several hours to have the desired effect.

Afterwards if you look on the 'White wash' screen you might see a slight coloured tint to it. This is no problem. Either watch a bit of TV or put the PixelProtector 'snow wash' wash on for 20 minutes.

The colour should now be a smooth even white.

If your image retention was quite bad and it is not all gone after the prescribed time as advised by the DVD, don't worry. You can continue with the rest of the HDTV calibration and then re run the colour wash at another time. (See screen burn removal section)

Simply put, the above 2 steps have recalibrated all the pixels (picture elements) on your screen to a uniform level.

This process will take around 20 minutes and should leave you with a stunning picture for around 6 months or more.

Sit where you normally would with lights and curtains etc. where they will be when you watch the TV most. If like many people you watch some TV during the day with the curtains open and lights off and perhaps a film in the evening with curtains drawn and lights on then the calibration requirements will be different for each situation. Do not panic, there is a solution but for now just choose the most important/common situation and calibrate for that first.

Picture enhancement technologies are the various systems and effects that TV manufacturers use to try and improve the quality of viewing on their products. As you might expect these are most commonly found on the newer and usually larger screens like Plasma (PDP), LCD and DLP.

These technologies work by changing the image sent to the TV using a computer chip that mathematically manipulates the colours, brightness and other properties of the picture.

What is undisputed is that you should turn off these features before calibrating. It could be argued further that you leave them off permanently for ultimate viewing pleasure. After all who knows best what your picture should look like? The film makers, or the TV makers?

You can identify these IETs with phrases in the TV menu like 'edge enhancement', 'vivid', 'sports', 'DNIE' and others. Simply put if the option is not talked about below you can safely switch it off.

In fairness to the manufactures there is a case for using IETs if viewing low quality pictures, perhaps standard definition broadcast TV, but definitely not when using an HD source or even just a decent standard definition DVD.

Load up PixelProtector and find the test pattern pictured here.

What you need to do is lower the brightness until the divisions between black areas cannot be seen. Next increase the brightness 1% at a time until you can just about see the black area in the bottom right.

There are several similar test screens that follow. Try to achieve as close to what is described on each. This is the perfect brightness setting and it will ensure the following.

Firstly that when black is displayed it will be a pure black colour and when there are shades close to black it will make the often very subtle difference especially in dark scenes more as the film maker intended. This is extra important for LCD screens as they have inherently poor black levels. This will not only significantly improve the quality on LCD and plasma TVs but on the latter will actually prolong the life of the TV by reducing phosphor ageing very significantly.

When you have finished this step you will probably notice that the brightness level is considerably lower than it was before. This might initially look strange, but it is correct, will 'grow on you' and is most definitely what is required.

Use the same test pattern as used for brightness. Lower the contrast setting right down. Then slowly raise it up until the difference between the pure white colour varies from the grey colour (bottom left) by the smallest perceptible amount possible.

There are several similar test screens that follow. Try to achieve as close to what is described on each.

Getting this right is simple and will make a huge difference to the detail that can be seen in a given scene. Things like weak shadow, skin texture, subtle shades of white (like a textured ceiling or wall) become more accurately portrayed.

This also prevents colour bleeding where bright colours (like white) can appear to extend beyond where they should be. This occurs because of the way a plasma or LCD works. Simply put, light colours are 'made' from more light energy than dark. Calibrating the contrast very finely can at least reduce and often eliminate this problem.

Use the patterns shown here.

This is quite simple. Make sure you have switched off any of the enhancements as suggested previously. Choose a setting name like 'normal' or 'standard' on your TVs colour menu. Now only make slight adjustments at a time consecutively on the Red, Green and Blue.

What you are looking to achieve with the pattern is a clear distinction between the lines and the background colour but without any 'hardness' or outline. Your goal is to produce an even, blur free image where the join between the colours is clearly defined and the different bars don't bleed into each other.

Flick between the different coloured screens (pausing the DVD on each) and try to get as close as described above on each screen.

Try not to get overly concerned about perfection on this setting. The 'final tweaks' at the end will help with colour as well as personalising the image to your own preferences.

If you do not have a 'sharpness' setting it may well be called 'picture' or something similar. Use the test pattern shown below.

Sharpness is a bit of a misleading title for this setting, and the adjustments you make here will be more noticeable when watching a high quality DVD than normal TV.

The grid and circle should be clear and not blend into the background but the lines should not appear to have an outline. If you start to get extra 'bits of line' extending from the actual lines then the setting needs to be significantly reduced. There are several similar test screens that follow and you should try to achieve as close to what is described above on each.

Final tweaks

Now your TV is configured just as the film makers would like it but you might want to do some final minor adjustments. I would strongly recommend that you do not tweak by any more than 2-3% each way because the black and white levels you have just configured really will make a superb difference to your viewing pleasure.

Bring up one of the PixelProtector test images. Like the one shown below.

Start with brightness and skew it 2-3% up and down. Look at a single point of detail in the image perhaps the eyes, skin tone or another fine detail. Decide for yourself as you move through each of the settings in turn what is the optimum setting. Don't be tempted to go beyond 2-3% alteration as when you move on to the next setting you will have to make bigger compensatory adjustments and by the time you get to the last setting you will have a misconfiguration problem. Next adjust contrast and then each of the three colours in turn. Finally adjust sharpness.

You have finished,

It is important to remember that components and physical attributes in a TV change over time. Most notably the phosphors in a plasma TV will age. Repeat the calibration process every six months or so to continue enjoying your Plasma or LCD screen at its best.

HDTV Calibration summary

* 'Colour wash' - few hours.

* 'Snow wash' - 20 minutes.

* Switch off all IETs.

* Brightness - as described.

* Contrast - as described

* Colour - as described

* Sharpness - as described

* Tweak.

* Enjoy!

* Repeat every 6 months or so.

Multiple configurations

Now if you are wondering about what happens when you watch the TV in different conditions then all you have to do is increase the brightness up for a lighter environment and down for a darker environment. Obviously make a mental note of the numerical brightness value to turn it back to.

You should not need to touch the colour or contrast. If you want the TV to 'remember' then most TVs have the option to save multiple configurations. Every make and model will vary but on some Samsung for example you select Menu - Picture - Mode, you can then choose from between 4 pre named options and calibrate them individually.