# How to calibrate an HDTV?



## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

I have two Panny HDTVs and am curious how does one calibrate an HDTV? I've recorded the HDNet test pattern and it seems, from the on-air voice-over, that things look OK, but what does the calibration actually entail?

I notice on some SD (4:3) programming on my new 1080p Panny that I get white flickering at the top of the screen. Not sure what this is and how I can fix it. I don't get this on my 720p Panny.

Thanks.


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## Michael D'Angelo (Oct 21, 2006)

I am going to move this to the "OT" forum.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Do you have a Blu Ray player?

If so, get THIS.

It will walk you through step by step how to tweak your settings for the best possible picture (color, contrast, etc.). If you're hooked up to a sound system, it also has audio calibration.


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## alv (Aug 13, 2002)

The best way is to have a professional by ISF. They have equipment you would never consider buying.


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## MountainMan10 (Jan 31, 2008)

The white flickering at the top of the screen is data of some kind. When I have my DVR in Native Off I see it with most 480i and 720p channels. The only sure way to get rid of it is to have your TV zoom in slightly. The terms vary depending on the manufacturer. My Sharp has Stretch and Dot by Dot. Stretch is zoomed in about 2.5%. On my Samsung it is 16:9 and Just Scan. Try different view modes and find the one that zooms just a little bit. The test pattern with the registration lines can help you determine which mode. The other alternative is to use Native On. With Native On I rarely see this line at the top or left.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

alv said:


> The best way is to have a professional by ISF. They have equipment you would never consider buying.


Absolutely true, but due to the cost ($500 or so is typical), it is impractical for most folks, where <$20 for the Video Essentials Blu-Ray will get them 80+% of the way there. That extra 20% or so gets pricey, and not really justifiable for the average user. If you're building a dedicated home theater room with controlled lighting and full surround sound, then, yes, definitely go for ISF calibration. For the TV in the livingroom with window glare, it's a waste of money.


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

n3ntj said:


> I have two Panny HDTVs and am curious how does one calibrate an HDTV? I've recorded the HDNet test pattern and it seems, from the on-air voice-over, that things look OK, but what does the calibration actually entail?
> 
> I notice on some SD (4:3) programming on my new 1080p Panny that I get white flickering at the top of the screen. Not sure what this is and how I can fix it. I don't get this on my 720p Panny.
> 
> Thanks.





spartanstew said:


> Do you have a Blu Ray player?
> 
> If so, get THIS.
> 
> It will walk you through step by step how to tweak your settings for the best possible picture (color, contrast, etc.). If you're hooked up to a sound system, it also has audio calibration.


The DVE for the price is a no-brainer. If you're still not satisfied with the results and can afford it then get a professional.

The noise at the top of your screen is I think due to the signal from some channels and your TV's display settings. 
NBC is bad for sending out a signal with "noise" at the edges.

Your new Panny probably has scan settings and is now set to display all of the picture - this is "Just Scan" on my Samsung. You should be able to set the TV to overscan and get rid of the flickering by essentially zooming in a little bit. You lose a bit of picture but get rid of the flickering. Your choice.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> Do you have a Blu Ray player?
> 
> If so, get THIS.
> 
> It will walk you through step by step how to tweak your settings for the best possible picture (color, contrast, etc.). If you're hooked up to a sound system, it also has audio calibration.


I have DVE(Blu-Ray & widescreen DVD) and it is the way to go.

It's easy to use and the results are impressive.

You can't beat the price.

My 2¢. :grin:

Mike


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

n3 - Check out Lion AV. He did mine (I'm in Chester County). It was money very well spent. My wife completely agreed after she saw the results.

No DVD can help you adjust the grey scale, which is the key to calibration.

(lionav.com)


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Yes, if you're going to pay for calibration, Lion AV has a very good reputation.


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## PCampbell (Nov 18, 2006)

Flickering at the top is the old CC data in a SD program.


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

Thanks guys. On my new Panny 1080p, there is a HD Picture option for size 1 and 2. One zooms slightly and the other doesn't. I guess I can try the slight zoom and I simply won't see the junk at the top.


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## mechman (Apr 29, 2006)

If you have the money, the time, and enough tvs pickup a colorimeter and download HCFR. Relatively cheap and easy way to calibrate a TV (<$200). Most service menu codes can be found. Keep in mind that you can do serious damage to your TV in the service menu. Do the research first and you should be fine. 

Me? I have an i1pro and use both CalMAN and HCFR for my LCD and pj.


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## Lowry666 (Sep 24, 2006)

Hello,
Go here http://imagingscience.com/isf-trained.cfm and do a lookup for your state. I looked up Florida and there are a large number of people that do the calibration and the average price is around $300 and a couple hours to do it. Even the Geek Squad from Best Buy is doing them now.
As stated earlier, pay the extra and have a pro do it. It will pay for itself, because they calibrate it from the service menu, not the user controls. you will be glad you did.

Take care,
Lowry


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

If you have the money get it ISF'd all the way. Nothing better.

But if you're like the rest of us then that's not an option.

First thing to do is check AVS for a thread on your particular model. 
Start here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Then choose the forum for you type of TV. So for example my TV is a Samsung Plasma, 650 model. So I go to the Plasma forum and there are two very large threads on the 650 and 550 (step down model but virtually the same thing). ISF certified calibrators often post common settings to get you started.

Then after you run that for a while (100-150 hours on the Plasma's for break-in period) then you're ready to get serious and get something like an Avia or DVE disc and do some more in depth calibration specific to your set.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

n3ntj said:


> I notice on some SD (4:3) programming on my new 1080p Panny that I get white flickering at the top of the screen. Not sure what this is and how I can fix it. I don't get this on my 720p Panny.


Sounds like the TV might be set in a "just scan" mode and you're seeing no overscan and thus on some programming you'll get weird things around the edges on broadcast.

On my Sammy I have various options but 16:9 and Just Scan are the 2 common ones. 16:9 has very little overscan but it is about 2-3 all around. This is just about perfect. Just Scan removes all overscan and sets it to 0. You see every single pixel that is sent. For most HD programming this is find but for some and especially SD you really do want a little overscan as most programming is framed with a few pixels of overscan assumed, thus they don't care what's in the outter few pixels.

Anyway, your TV may have similar setups. See what the manual says about your various picture mode options. From your other post it sounds like you have two options, one may be a just scan type option and the other is a "standard" zoom of 2-3 pixels overscan.


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