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| Manufacturer and Vendor Reference Information Video CalibrationDiscuss Video Calibration in the Manufacturers Service and Support forum; Video Calibration TEST DISCS
Avia
www.ovationmultimedia.com
AVS HD 709 DVD files
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...54&postcount=1
Digital Video Essentials
www.videoessentials.com
http://www.videoessentials.com/dvehd...gram_final.pdf
http://www.videoessentials.com/Manuals.php
Dr1394
http://www.w6rz.net/hdtestpatterns.zip
GetGray
http://calibrate.tv/
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 07-25-07, 06:13 PM
| #2 (Link) | |||
| Service Menu Access The most complete summary of codes for most TV brands and types: http://www.bruzziforum.com/vbf/forumdisplay.php?f=5 Another good source is: http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/index.htm If you find that these do not have what you need, post a question in the Manufacturers Service and Support Forum here at HTS and we may be able to come up with more info. "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." -Joseph Joubert Raise the bar. | |||
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| 09-15-07, 06:21 AM
| #3 (Link) | |||
| Service menus, calibration and warranty issues I keep running across discussions regarding voiding warranties by accessing service menus and performing calibrations. There are several points that need to be understood about warranties and how decisions are made regarding what is covered and what is not. First, it is important to understand that it is often the local servicer, who is typically an agent of the manufacturer only in the performance of repairs, who makes the initial determination that a problem is covered or not. This determination may or may not be supported by the manufacturer. It also may or may not be upheld legally in a dispute over warranty status. The point here is that you need to maintain a relationship with the servicer and understand his perspective to avoid problems. As soon as tome techs hear that you have had the set calibrated or that you are a DIYer and have been in the service menu, red flags go up. He may assume that you are going to be a busybody and a troublesome client and simply not want to get involved. Warranty work usually is done at a much lower rate than OOW (out of warranty) repairs, the servicer makes nothing on the parts, and has the added hassle of filing claims and getting credits. The bottom line is that you have to understand the perspective of the servicer to avoid warranty issues. Going into a service menu itself should not void a warranty. Some manufacturers will say that it will, and this is intended to keep unqualified people out of areas that CAN cause problems, and to avoid customer service reps having to answer questions regarding adjustments that they are not familiar with. One can cause damage to hardware and create unrecoverable problems using some service menu adjustments. One can also create real headaches for service techs. If, however, you make adjustments that do not create problems nor affect the service that is otherwise needed, you should have no problems with warranty from a legal perspective. If you do effect a problem, or affect a problem, that is another matter. The first and best advice is DON'T ADJUST ANYTHING WHEN YOU ARE NOT CERTAIN OF THE EFFECTS. The second advice is to record original values for ALL parameters, even those that you do not adjust. This may be a real headache, but if a global reset of all data becomes needed, you want to be able to get back to where you started. This is also useful in the rare occasion that an EEPROM(memory IC) needs to be replaced. Finally, don't mention to a repair tech that you have had your set calibrated unless there is a possibility that the problem is related. There is no way that one can tell that someone has been in the service menu of most systems except the values of the parameters, and those vary on most sets. If they don't then you should not have been changing that setting in most cases. If you do change a fixed setting, it should be reset to the factory standard BEFORE calling for service. That way, you can't be blamed for the problem, unless you have done something to cause a service issue. In those cases you will almost never be able to restore the settings. The legal matter of service menu adjustments is that no court will uphold a warranty rejection simply because you entered the service menu, unless the problem is something that could be caused by such adjustments and that can be shown. The practical matter is that you don't want servicers in the field making the assumption that you have screwed something up, so it is better to return the set to factory conditions before service or simply don't mention it. If you do mess something up that requires service then explain what you did. It may save lots of time and repair cost. If you didn't create a problem related to the service needed it is irrelevant that you have entered the service level and will likely never be noted. "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." -Joseph Joubert Raise the bar. | |||
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| 01-30-08, 05:10 AM
| #4 (Link) | |||
| What does ISF mean? ISF stands for Imaging Science Foundation. http://www.imagingscience.com/ ISF is a training organization that educates people on color science and display performance. ISF training may have little to do with doing a good calibration. Some who are ISF trained have the experience to do so and some are still clueless. ISF training can mean several things. It could mean a full course, which covers the basics of color science and is a good start, but does not mean that one has any real experience at all. It could mean that someone took the "ISF lite" course. It could also mean that someone on the staff took one of these classes and then "trained" others. Check the credentials and experience of the individual before paying for a calibration. Ask some detailed questions about what experience they have with your set and the other components in your system. Ask for details on what they can do and what they typically do to your type of display, as well as what kind of education they do as part of the process and what reporting of data and settings you can expect. "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." -Joseph Joubert Raise the bar. | |||
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| 02-23-08, 11:10 PM
| #5 (Link) | |||
| Display Calibration I describe four levels of calibration services. First, and most simple, is Basic User Level Calibration (BULC). This is the kind of calibration that a consumer should be able to do, using only the controls in the user menus. In my experience, the results can be anything from a disaster to quite close to more advanced calibration, depending on the user and the set. This is where a users figure out whether they have an idea of what they are doing or not. If you are willing to do your homework, learn how your display works, and experiment, you can get reasonable results in some cases. It really depends on the system and the user. Most results can be improved upon by a professional, but a well educated user may be perfectly happy with the results at this level. Most users, other than the hard core DIYer, will not have the patience and diligence to get good results on their own. The next level is what I refer to as Service Level Calibration (SLC). This includes BULC, but also may involve opening the set up and/or going into the service menus. This is the level of service that might be done by a repair technician. It could include cleaning, focusing, converging, gray scale adjustments, and other alignments that would be specified in the service literature for the product. I classify this level of calibration discretely from below, because it probably would not involve making measurements of the resulting image. It might require an oscilloscope or multimeter, or other test equipment, but most technicians doing repairs would not have light meters, colorimeters, nor spectroradiometers. Also, most techs do not pay detailed attention to many available adjustments. They mostly focus on getting a picture on the screen that indicates that the set is working, more or less. Beyond service level work, we have what I call Specialty Display Calibration (SDC). This is usually performed by an individual with training or experience in color science and using a meter and specialized software to evaluate the display. This is usually a far more detailed calibration that attends to industry standards for display accuracy rather than the usually vague, or even "incorrect" factory specified performance of the display. Like SLC, it may involve going into the service menus or opening the set. It would often not involve alignments specified in the manufacturer's service or training literature, but some calibration specialists may attend to these details as well. Most ISF trained calibrators work falls into this category. The most advanced level of calibration is what I call Detailed System Optimization (DSO). This includes all of the above, as well as a considerable amount of user education and evaluation of the entire display system, its installation, and its operation. In addition to typical calibration, this would include recommendations or changes to lighting, wiring, wire management, cooling, finding and correcting grounding problems, protection systems, remote control programming or other user interface issues. One of the problems that I have found as the calibration business has evolved is that it is rare that a single technician has the ability to cover all of these areas. Many very good repair technicians have no idea about color science and proper calibration. Many very highly respected calibration specialists have no idea about some of the basics of the technical aspect of some displays that can seriously affect the image. Still fewer of either attend to basic details like system protection or user interface issues. In addition to the shortcomings of the various professionals that a consumer might employ, there is a general lack of understanding regarding what is possible, practical, and how to get maximum value from a display system. Hopefully, this thread will help to clarify some of these issues. Whether one uses a professional or attempts DIY calibration, the information should be useful. "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." -Joseph Joubert Raise the bar. | |||
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| 02-23-08, 11:29 PM
| #6 (Link) | |||
| Basic User Level Calibration Basic User Level Calibration (BULC) Every consumer who wants to get the most out or his or her display can benefit from an understanding of how to use the controls on a display. Part of a professional calibration service, IMO, is careful instruction on these controls. It is impossible for a set to be calibrated so that it performs best with every program that it might need to display. We can adjust it to standards, but as soon as a program deviates from those standards, some "tweaking" might be needed to get the desired performance. The advantage of having a set calibrated to standards is that we eliminate one set of variables (or at least minimize them). When we start with a display that is correct, it is easy to see when the source material is deviating and less adjustment is needed to get it right. Regardless, we have to know how to use the controls available. Brightness Brightness adjustments on most consumer displays are about getting the blacks right. The goal is to adjust so that things that are supposed to be black are just barely black, and information just above black is preserved. Set it too low and you will lose detail in dark areas of an image. Set it too high and blacks will be gray, with the image lacking the “snap” or contrast that it might have if properly adjusted. When the brightness is high the picture may look washed out. Too low and you won’t see shadow detail that might be present. Ideally, the black level would be adjusted using a test pattern called a pluge. This is a pattern that has slightly different levels, slightly below black and precisely black, adjacent to slightly higher than black level. When the level is adjusted properly there is no difference in level between the blacker than black and black levels, but the higher than black level should be visible. These patterns are available on most test discs and pattern generators. The problem is that we don’t watch test patterns. Many of the sources we use can vary for many reasons. A set may be precisely calibrated for black level with a test source, but the images we actually watch may vary. Ambient light in the room may vary as well, affecting our perception of black. A calibrated setting may be very close to correct for most images, but it is often necessary to adjust brightness for a given source. So we are back to understanding what the results should be. We want things that should look black to be black, things that are just barely gray to be visible, and things that are below black to be black. This takes some practice. Generally, it is best to start with the brightness to high, then gradually turn it down until something that is black looks black. Note that setting and go up a couple of points. Note the black levels and near black levels. Next adjust to a couple of points below the black level noted. Note the black and near black levels. Now choose the most correct looking setting. Now repeat the process to check your setting. The process described above is a matter of successive approximation. This is a common method of finding a central point that represents the best level. It can be used in many adjustments that have a range, such as color level settings. Color It is usually safe to assume that most displays will come from the factory with color set too high. The default, detent, or middle position on most sets will often result in unrealistic color reproduction. If you are using a test pattern, follow the instructions that come with it, usually involving a color filter to match the blue content in the blue field and white field. If you are adjusting on an image, start by turning the color down all the way. You should have a black and white image. If not, then you have gray scale that is off and you should consider dealing with that as another matter. Even if you don't, you can improve the color setting. It is usually best to look at flesh tones. Turn the color up until flesh appears natural. Note the setting. Now turn it up until the flesh color is unnatural. This will usually make people look too orange. Now go back down as far as looks natural and maybe a couple of notches more on the control. Work your way back and forth between these settings until you get the best overall, most natural looking image. Another way to aproach this is using some colors that you are very familiar with, such as the grass on a sports field or the colors of your favorite team's jerseys and helmets. Jerseys, helmets, and flesh tones on the field are good choices for me for sports events. You may have to make a choice between views, as different cameras will often have different color alignment. The announcers in the studio may look very different from the team and the field. I prefer to use the team and the field, personally. Movies will not have such differences in most cases, as the director will have often been very careful to maintain similar lighting and "look" for the entire film. There may be very large differences between movies and between sources, however. Contrast CRT sets (direct view and projection) Contrast setting on CRTs should be based on three factors. The first is high voltage regulation, the second is focus, the last is CRT life. Generally, the lower the contrast is set, the lower the beam current, and the less wear there will be on the cathode and phosphor. This means that the tube will last longer and there will be lower probability of uneven phosphor wear (burn-in). Start with the contrast set low enough to see a visible reduction in the overall brightness of the image. Then turn it up until you see the picture change size or visible reduction in the clarity of bright white detail, such as focus of text. Turn it back down a bit from that point. You should be able to determine a point at which the image size is stable and does not vary as the image brightness changes and a point where the tube is better focused than maximum contrast. With a test source, you would look to a needle pulse or large full white field on a black background for regulation problems, and a multiburst or resolution pattern for focus. PP, LCD direct view, DLP, LCD, DILA, LCOS front and rear projection systems info coming Tint Backlight Sharpness Color Temperature Gamma Noise Reduction Black Level enhancement Iris Adjustments "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." -Joseph Joubert Raise the bar. | |||
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