|   Tough Question re: RPTV calibration... | Keith from Canada
Oct 22, 2002 5:47 AM | | Hi all.
Just thought I'd try to stump you RPTV experts out there with a real-life problem that I'm trying to resolve with my 47" Panasonic widescreen set.
First off, the picture on my set is on an angle (like a crooked picture on a wall) which indicates a geometry problem. My convergence setting (long cross-hairs) indicates that the right hand side of my picture is higher than the left. I will be getting a Panasonic rep to come fix this problem under warranty but I have a few questions before that happens:
1) What is the best calibration test on the S&V disc that I could use to check to see if the Rep has done an adequate job in a) centering the image; b) straightening the image; c) ensuring that the picture is not bowed in any places on the set.
Thanks for your advice!!! |
| No "stumping" to it, podnuh ... | woodman
Oct 22, 2002 7:43 AM | | ... the best test pattern to use for checking geometry errors, convergence, tilt, bowing, etc. is the "crosshatch" pattern. I don't know if the S&V disc contains it or not (I don't own any setup disc myself), but your Panasonic set must generate one on its own, doesn't it?
regards,
woodman |
| mr. woodman please..... | AVMASTER
Oct 22, 2002 11:17 AM | | mr. woodman,
your thoughts on ISF calibration- during a casual conversation with my repair company rep. she stated that ISF calibrations are only worthwhile on older sets beyond manufacturers' warranty; she said that any alteration to new display devices during the warranty period voids it.
It makes sense to me but then again we're not a repair company and we don't sell extended warranties; anyway i'd like to hear what you think.
thanks in advance |
| My thoughts on the issue... | Keith from Canada
Oct 22, 2002 11:55 AM | | I've seen sets calibrated by a good ISF technician and all I can say is WOW!!! The difference between a properly adjusted set and one with manufacturer settings is night and day. I can do alot with a calibration disc but I know that the adjustments that I have made are less than half of the adjustments that can be done to improve the picture quality (one look in my service menu told me that). If my wife would let me spend the $400 to get it done, I'd have an ISF Tech in my home tommorow.
There's a shop in my area that brings in an ISF tech once or twice a year to adjust their sets. These are new TV's and the difference before and after is stunning! |
| Not all TVs will benefit from calibration greatly. | KiD SmokE
Oct 23, 2002 11:11 AM | | The main advantage of ISF is calibration of TV's color temperature to 6500k degree (natural color..sun light). If TV's color temperature is close to that number by default, then calibration does not necessary make any visual improvement. So ISF calibration improvement can no be applied to every TV equally :) |
| Not all TVs will benefit from calibration greatly. | Keith from Canada
Oct 23, 2002 11:55 AM | | While agree with your tag line in theory (you are correct that not all TV's benefit greatly from calibration), I can attest that a good majority of them do. As I've mentioned before, I have seen an entire sales floor of RPTV's in both their manufacturer settings and their post ISF calibration settings -- this includes Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony and Hitachi. Without a single exception in this case, all of the RPTV's benefited greatly from the calibration they received. |
| re: mr. woodman please..... | woodman
Oct 25, 2002 9:52 PM | | Seems that your "repair company rep" is a classic example of the Peter Principle in action ... someone being promoted up to a position in which they're incompetent!
All of her(?) statements don't hold even a drop of water. Any and all adjustments made through "service menus" leave no evidence that they've been altered from factory settings ... none. The only tell-tale sign that possibly could be left behind by a calibration tech, would be the disruption of mechanical adjustments in which some "Loctite" or similar compound is applied to insure that the settings don't move. Even these should not provide any legitimate reason to void a warranty from any manufacturer with any sense of ethical behavior. Some companies are beginning to stoop that low, I suppose.
As to what I think of ISF-calibration: I think it's more often than not over-hyped and over-priced. I also agree with my buddy SmokE when he states in his reply here that the amount of improvement in pic quality depends on the particular set, and how far "off" its maximum performance potential it happens to be "out of the box". I've heard reports of ISF-techs spending an entire day at a customer's home "tweaking" a set - for which they charge (with a straight face no less) many hundreds of dollars! This is in my estimation one of either two things:
1. the tech is not nearly as competent as he wants everyone to believe he is, or
2. he's being essentially dishonest in taking MUCH longer to get the set maximized than he really should in order to justify his price
I also strongly disagree with my frien' Keith (or anybody and everybody else) when they say that calibration makes a night&day difference - a mind-boggling difference. I think that this is just building up and puffing up a myth - essentially validating and reinforcing the belief that sponsors it.
You asked for my thoughts ... you got 'em
woodman |
| "my buddy SmokE", huh!! | KiD SmokE
Oct 26, 2002 3:47 PM | | I thought you don't like to have CONES as your friend...LOLOL |
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