new TV set-up...

Author
Discussion

DodgyGeezer

Original Poster:

43,473 posts

203 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
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leading on from the new TV thread elsewhere a question has to be: is it worth getting a pro in to set-up/calibrate your shiny new TV and if so... where do you find such a person?

cobra kid

5,334 posts

253 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
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I might be out of touch here but how much needs setting up?

Radec

4,820 posts

60 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
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Depends on the TV you have, if its high end and you want it performing at its best then yeah.

A lot of the high end Oled TVs are pretty accurate out of the box now anyway so would you be able to tell the difference if you had it done?

If you search for ISF calibrators in Google it should direct you to someone local

smithyithy

7,623 posts

131 months

Friday 24th March 2023
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cobra kid said:
I might be out of touch here but how much needs setting up?
Factory picture settings on a lot of new TVs aren't very well optimized, spending just a few mins going through the settings and adjusting some things can make a noticeable difference.

If you're ever in somewhere like Curry's with a bunch of TVs all running side by side, you'll probably notice the difference between them, some will look super bright and 'cold' ie. too much blue light, some look warmer or duller, some have other settings turned on like blur reduction or image sharpening etc that can range from useful to rubbish..

MYOB said:
Search up your model on rtings.com

They generally list the ideal settings for calibration.
This, I can't remember if it was Rtings or a similar site but I used one on my Samsung TV and it made a huge difference to the default settings

LordGrover

33,839 posts

225 months

Friday 24th March 2023
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MYOB said:
Search up your model on rtings.com

They generally list the ideal settings for calibration.
Excellent. Found my telly so will give that a try later...
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/a1-oled/setti...

DodgyGeezer

Original Poster:

43,473 posts

203 months

Friday 24th March 2023
quotequote all
Radec said:
Depends on the TV you have, if its high end and you want it performing at its best then yeah.

A lot of the high end Oled TVs are pretty accurate out of the box now anyway so would you be able to tell the difference if you had it done?

If you search for ISF calibrators in Google it should direct you to someone local
cheers thumbup that's what I was looking for. Not bought yet but am likely to go for the SONY XR65A95KU it'll be on a wall mount so getting a pair of hands to help mount it prior to calibration is also in my thinking...

Edited by DodgyGeezer on Saturday 25th March 13:50

Elderly

3,596 posts

251 months

Saturday 25th March 2023
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MYOB said:
Search up your model on rtings.com

They generally list the ideal settings for calibration.
Having just bought a new TV I thought that would be a useful guide …….

However - I purchased a Panasonic and they are no longer sold in the US,
and hence there’s no guidance on that site frown .

C n C

3,771 posts

234 months

Saturday 25th March 2023
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Another option would be to buy a calibration bluray, such as the Spears and Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark one which guides you through optimising your display. I've used the older HD version on both a Panasonic plasma, and a HD projector with good results in the past.

Looks like it's available from Amazon.

OutInTheShed

10,819 posts

39 months

Saturday 25th March 2023
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Buy Sony.
Plug in.
Switch on.
Get wine.

beanoir78

352 posts

114 months

Sunday 26th March 2023
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Good shout on rtings.com

The difference between a properly calibrated TV and not can be hugely noticeable

TEKNOPUG

19,689 posts

218 months

Monday 27th March 2023
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OutInTheShed said:
Buy Sony.
Plug in.
Switch on.
Get wine.
There are like a dozen picture modes on Sony TV's, depending whether you have an SDR or HDR signal and whether that HDR signal is HDR10(+) or Dolby Vision - and whether the source is configured for 8bit or 10bit output. The default picture mode is the retail one "Vivid" which is designed to be viewed in shops under bright lights. If you are still using that one, I'm surprised that your retinas haven't bled out yet hehe

donkmeister

10,034 posts

113 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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This may infuriate some, so bear with me...

I've had various cars with "premium" sound systems, where companies like Bose, Harmon Kardon, Mark Levinson et al engineer a system that works properly in that specific car to provide a flat response throughout the frequency range, only for 99% of users to immediately crank up the bass and treble to give a more pleasing but less accurate sound. Turns out that people don't necessarily like a flat response.

So, playing devil's advocate, is screen calibration for a home system entirely necessary when any deviation from a perfectly calibrated screen is likely to be for personal preference?

Is it not better to set the display device for the colour, contrast and brightness that you find pleasing for the source material you watch?

That's not to say no-one should get their screen calibrated, but I wouldn't fret about it if you can't get in a pro with fancy equipment... Set it up how you like it and enjoy. There's probably yet another new version of HDR/DV coming 5 minutes after you buy it anyway, so the "purists" won't be satisfied that yours is the old version regardless of how accurately it was calibrated.

Digger

15,514 posts

204 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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  • cough* FilmMaker Mode *cough*

TEKNOPUG

19,689 posts

218 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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Panels vary from one to another, even for the same TV. So even models with the same default settings can look different. How much ambient light you have in your room also makes a huge difference. There are many more options to configuring an image now and every change can potentially effect another setting you thought was already correct (like a full geo setting on your car). You can get close using image discs but you need specialist ISF equipment to properly calibrate.

Whether it's worth it depends on how much you value image accuracy and probably how much you spent on the TV!

I have an IMAX/Film Maker mode on my TV which is certified as approved by the film industry and displaying an HDR image as the Director intended.....but I prefer the pop of Dolby Vision Bright setting.

donkmeister

10,034 posts

113 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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I should emphasise that in the above I'm drawing a distinction between "setting your TV up" and "having your TV calibrated". I'm not suggesting people roast their eyeballs with "store mode" settings, but equally I don't think most people would necessarily prefer a calibrated screen over one they've set up by themselves.

Funk

26,730 posts

222 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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MYOB said:
Search up your model on rtings.com

They generally list the ideal settings for calibration.
Agreed, this will be a great starting point and better than leaving it on the out-of-the-box settings. If you're really serious though, every panel will be different and that's where proper calibration comes in. For most people though it's probably not something that would be particularly noticeable over and above the guideline calibrations rtings.

STiG911

1,210 posts

180 months

Wednesday 29th March 2023
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If you've got a DVD of the first six Star Wars films, or The Terminator, there will be a THX setup section on them. It's possible it's also on some recent discs too, or you can also get the THX disc as a standalone item which will have an easy to follow setup process.

dickymint

26,902 posts

271 months

Wednesday 29th March 2023
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Newer Samsung (and maybe others?) TV's 'have an app for that' ..................

https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/tv-audio-video/...

and here...........



and here.........



It has it's limitations but I guess it will only get better.

Edited by dickymint on Wednesday 29th March 14:37


Edited by dickymint on Wednesday 29th March 14:43

Biker 1

8,119 posts

132 months

Thursday 30th March 2023
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I fiddled around with the setting on my LG OLED telly - I turned off Eco mode & upped the brightness & contrast etc.
Seems pretty pointless to have some professional do this or calibrate using an app, as the picture will appear different depending on room lighting, sunlight, etc.
Personal preference is the main driver IMO - I visited my dad recently & his telly looked washed out & rubbish, but he said the picture was perfect for him...