How To Calibrate Your HDTV

Now Go Forth And Calibrate!

I hope we’ve at least whetted your appetite for HDTV calibration. Even if you don’t want to invest in a package from Datacolor or SpectraCal, you can make a noticeable improvement for just thirty bucks if you add the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark to your video library.

You can see from our rundown that display calibration is mostly a balancing act. There is never just one right way to set a particular image parameter. It’s the way they work in concert that makes or breaks ultimate picture quality. We say over and over that the goal is simply to maximize dynamic range, achieve accurate color that is true to the source content, and to have an image that is free of edge enhancement and other algorithm-generated artifacts.

Of course, making that investment in a color meter, test patterns, and software can yield even better results. Datacolor’s SpyderHD is a complete package that brings calibration into the home without the added cost of training or pro-grade gear. The simple wizard-based interface walks you through every step and tells you exactly what pattern to measure, what control changes to make, and what your new image should look like.

The two things we missed from SpyderHD were grayscale and gamma calibration. While they fall into the category of advanced techniques, many HDTVs have a two-point white balance function and multiple gamma presets. With Datacolor’s experience in designing easy-to-use wizards that hold your hand every step of the way, the company should be able to add an advanced mode for users that want to maximize their display’s performance.

Modern HDTVs are better and more accurate than ever before. You saw in our review of Samsung’s F8500 plasma panel that it needed very little adjustment in its Movie mode to post near-reference quality results in all of our video tests. But those few tweaks took the picture from great to excellent.

If your interest has been piqued beyond the need to buy test discs, and you want to do more than just get your feet wet, we recommend taking a hands-on class with either the Imaging Science Foundation or THX. It is an expensive proposition at $1600 or more, depending on options. But even if you don’t become a professional calibrator, the knowledge gained is tremendous.

Speaking of professionals, there are over 5000 certified individuals nationwide (at last count) who can calibrate your HDTV or projector in the home for a $300-$400 fee. That’s about the price of a basic kit from Datacolor or SpectraCal. But the pro will be equipped with more precise tools like signal generators and spectrometers. And there’s no substitute for the experience of having calibrated thousands of displays!

Whether you hire a pro or immerse yourself further in the hobby by buying your own equipment, display calibration is a rewarding pursuit. Once you’ve enjoyed the results and become acclimated to your more accurate HDTV, it will be difficult to watch TV anywhere else. Realizing all the performance your display has to offer means you’ll never settle for an uncalibrated image again.

We realize this article is more of an overview than a definitive guide to HDTV calibration. If you have questions, we’ll do our best to answer them in the comments section.

Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

  • youcanDUit
    aww... i thought i was going to be able to calibrate with this. i am sad now.
    Reply
  • Paul NZ
    Nothing to calibrate here. Connect it it works
    Reply
  • vmem
    Thanks for the detailed and great write up. it is inspiriting as always

    Though honestly, for the "average" consumer, I find it hard to justify spending $350 to calibrate a $500 or so monitor set up and maybe a $800-1200 TV. I feel this is the type of thing you have to really get into (and end up doing it for free for your friends and family)
    Reply
  • rdc85
    Well I'm using the pic for calibrating the monitor right now :D...

    looks like my brightness and contrast slights off
    Reply
  • crisan_tiberiu
    the question is: why arent the producers calibrate the TVs right out of the factory? why? is it so hard to make a preset for the TVs? 99% of the TVs that come out of a factory will have the same "crappy" default settings. And sorry, i wont spend 350$ to calibrate my TV ^^ no way
    Reply
  • shahrooz
    well the first time I saw a calibrate your something's screen article was a year ago. Back then I found out "one does not simply calibrate the screen of something"
    Reply
  • Onlyrgu
    I prefer AVS HD 709 - Blu-ray & MP4 Calibration
    And its free
    Reply
  • The_Icon
    This is something I have been wanting for a long time now. Is there any good free tool to calibrate both the HDTV and my monitor? The TV is connected to my PC as well.
    Reply
  • vmem
    14324342 said:
    the question is: why arent the producers calibrate the TVs right out of the factory? why? is it so hard to make a preset for the TVs? 99% of the TVs that come out of a factory will have the same "crappy" default settings. And sorry, i wont spend 350$ to calibrate my TV ^^ no way

    They do calibrate the TVs (any manufacturer worth their salt anyway). the problem is two fold: first all TVs / monitors are relatively low margin because the market is highly competitive. unless you're paying a premium for "professional" monitors such as the Dell ultrasharp series, most panels will be calibrated the 'easy' way to some factory pre-set that is considered "good enough".

    the second thing is that everyone's lighting conditions are different. maybe your room is brighter than mine and you like having the traditional type of bulbs that have a yellow / orange hue and I use white light bulbs. these things have a huge impact on how your TV looks, so at the end of the day the consumer will always need to do some calibration if you want perfect color reproduction.
    Reply
  • bic
    Go get the free software on avsforum.com.
    Reply