Samsung 52- calibration?

I am about to enter the world of big screen LCD. Looking at a Samsung
52" at Best Buy. They are pushing "calibration" real hard for an added
$300. Is it worth it? Is it a scam? Can I do it myself with the TV
controls? Thanks.

MacGuy wrote:
I am about to enter the world of big screen LCD. Looking at a Samsung
52" at Best Buy. They are pushing "calibration" real hard for an added
$300. Is it worth it? Is it a scam? Can I do it myself with the TV
controls? Thanks.



Tell them to **** off. Buy yourself the DVE or Avia calibration DVD's
and do it yourself.

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:46:32 -0700 (PDT), MacGuy
wrote:

I am about to enter the world of big screen LCD. Looking at a Samsung
52" at Best Buy. They are pushing "calibration" real hard for an added
$300. Is it worth it? Is it a scam? Can I do it myself with the TV
controls? Thanks.

Don't let the monkeys at Best Buy anywhere near your new TV!

Professional calibrations do offer a degree of precision greater than
you can get with calibration disks like DVE, but it requires a great
deal of skill and very expensive equipment.

For $300 you should be able to get an ISF (Image Science Foundation)
certified calibrator. Check he
http://www.imagingscience.com/isf-trained.cfm

A_C

Jer wrote:

Buy yourself the DVE or Avia calibration DVD's and do it yourself.

DVE is also available in Blu-Ray.
Avia I'm less sure about.

And there's a new contender in Blu-Ray calibration:
www.spearsandmunsil.com

I have no recommendations on any of the above, other
than to concur on cautions about Geek Squad. I've
seen what they do to a PC .

--
Regards, Bob Niland
http://www.access-one.com/rjn email4rjn AT yahoo DOT com
NOT speaking for any employer, client or Internet Service Provider.

"MacGuy" wrote in message
...
I am about to enter the world of big screen LCD. Looking at a Samsung
52" at Best Buy. They are pushing "calibration" real hard for an added
$300. Is it worth it? Is it a scam? Can I do it myself with the TV
controls? Thanks.




There are likely much more experienced and capable calibration specialists
than you will get with BB. The probes that they use and their procedures
are somewhat limited, the time that they allocate per job is limited, and
the individualized attention to your system and needs will be limited. If
you want to have your set calibrated, you need to look for the most
experienced person you can find with specific knowledge of your set. Look
in the directory at the ISF site, and also look at the ISF Forum site. The
ISF forum is a discussion site that the most experienced calibrators share
info on and you will find most of the best techs subscribe to it. The
directory there will have the top 10% or so of people in the business
listed.

When you think BB think McDonalds or Jiffy Lube. Not the people you want
doing a complex alignment of your system.

Leonard

rjn wrote:

DVE is also available in Blu-Ray.
Avia I'm less sure about.
And there's a new contender in Blu-Ray calibration:
www.spearsandmunsil.com
I have no recommendations on any of the above, ...

Now that I've taken a look at the Spears&Munsil pages
for their "High Definition Benchmark" BRD, it's clearly
not a casual cal tool for neophytes. It's more like
a polycarbonate signal generator for testing HDTVs.
No audio [yet]. No blue filter [yet].

Avia I have not used. I have used Joe Kane's AVS LD and
the earlier VE DVD-. (www.jkpi.net)

Anyone buying the HD DVE needs to know that there are
several products, and the U.S. consumer probably needs:
"DVE HD Basics Blu-ray"

--
Regards, Bob Niland
http://www.access-one.com/rjn email4rjn AT yahoo DOT com
NOT speaking for any employer, client or Internet Service Provider.

rjn wrote:

Anyone buying the HD DVE needs to know that there are
several products, and the U.S. consumer probably needs:
"DVE HD Basics Blu-ray"

Which only plays on Blu-ray players. For setting up a HDTV *without*
having a Blu-ray player, use:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/audio-...dDVDI0712.html

(if you must use DVE.)

UCLAN wrote:

"DVE HD Basics Blu-ray"

Which only plays on Blu-ray players.

Since the OP didn't say what the signal source(s) plan was,
the assumption was that anyone going 52in would be at
full HD, and would likely use BR as the optical source.

For setting up a HDTV *without* having a Blu-ray player, use:
link to:
"DVE NTSC"

And beware of eBay deals on "Video Essentials DVD",
which, if the title lacks the "Digital", is a very early version.

I'm amused that JK makes a point of saying:
"Please Note: NTSC Format is also informally known as "North American"
format."
but gives it a catalog title of: "DVD-NTSC".
There's nothing digital about NTSC.
I guess "DVD-SD-525" might have been even more confusing,
as would "DVD Region 1" (even though it is a Region 1 DVD).

--
Regards, Bob Niland
http://www.access-one.com/rjn email4rjn AT yahoo DOT com
NOT speaking for any employer, client or Internet Service Provider.

"MacGuy" wrote in message
...
I am about to enter the world of big screen LCD. Looking at a Samsung
52" at Best Buy. They are pushing "calibration" real hard for an added
$300. Is it worth it? Is it a scam? Can I do it myself with the TV
controls? Thanks.

I perused my Samsung model's calibration thread on AVSforum and JFTHOI
entered in the numbers one poster there arrived at...it looks beautiful, if
not perfect.

Although maybe not spot-on for my particular unit, it's definitely a good
starting point.


--Kal A. Rama

Clearly I'm a rookie at this since some of this is flying over my
head. The source I'll be using with the new set is DirectTV. As for
DVD, that's another topic. I don't have BR, yet. What I was hoping to
find is a DVD recorder with BR playing capabilities. I'm trying to put
VHS behind me. I only have a few VHS in my library and all can and
will be replaced with DVD. However, I occaisionaly tape something from
TV for friends or family- I want to start "taping" with DVDs. I've
been told by the people at a couple retail stores that a DVD recorder
with BR playing capability is not available.