The vivid mode which is also known as torch mode usually has the contrast setting maxed out which can actually shorten the life of your display, and should always be avoided. These modes can vary with names such as standard, dynamic and vivid to name a few. Typically the out-of-box settings for most TVs are set to a mode not suited for optimal viewing.
Are you seeing the image as it was intended to be seen by the creator (director) of that content (movie)? If your TV has not been calibrated the answer is probably not. Now that you have your HDTV set-up and displaying high def images, it’s time to have a good look at the overall quality of the picture. I have no knowledge about the Spears and Munsil disc. At best, it may help you set up your black level but the information is so incomplete it is just as likely you will do it wrong. This disc will NOT help you set up your HDTV.
Never mentioned by the reviewer or on the disc. That statement, in and of itself is a revelation. Most, of the test signals on this disc require instrumentation. So even with due diligence you’ll learn nothing more about I visited the Digital Video Essentials web site and it was disappointing to find that there were no forums, no help, no way to contact the author. There are two exceptions – in a very confusing manner – black level tests are discussed and equally confusing are the sharpness tests discussed. Not a single word is spoken and there is no text which explains any of themĮither. When I say “no explanation” I mean just that. The disc also contains a number of test signals, which have NO explanation. Techniques used by manufacturers to garner more attention on a retail showroom floor. It also discusses, at some length, the marketing
This disc consists mostly of a long, sophomoric, explanation of the evolution of television from standard definition to high definition and the various compromises made. I have a degree in electronic technology and I found this disc essentially useless. I own the Digital Video Essentials Blu-Ray (High Definition) test disc. I would say that is certainly NOT the case. But if you don’t like the results, change them to fit your tastes. The bottom line: by all means use a calibration disc to tweak your set. Human emotion and preferences are also part of the equation. While certain settings achieved with calibration discs may prove to be technically correct, watching TV is not like Which proves that, to get the best picture, you can’t simply rely on scientific tools alone. Other controls also gave me similarly varying results. The level more using the Spears and Munsil disc than Digital Video Essentials. Adjusting the PLUGE pattern, a tool that sets the optimal black level of the display by adjusting the set’s brightness control, required me to lower Some additional information behind the disc’s approach is available on the company’s Web site, and Spears and Munsil promise to make more availableĬuriously, the two discs did not provide the same results. Click the down part of the remote wheel and the slide disappears, allowing
Click on one and it appears in an endless loop, giving the user the impression that it’s actually paused.Ĭlick on the upper part of your Blu-ray player’s remote wheel and a slide explaining the purpose of the pattern and how to set it appears. You a simple but not very visually exciting list of the available test patterns. If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts about TV electronics (like, how brightness is defined and why the sharpness control does not really sharpen the picture) there are few better sources than the Digital Video Essentials HD Basics calibration disc.Ĭreated by a well-known television consultant, Joe Kane, Digital Video Essentials not only helps TV set owners calibrate their displays, but explains the theory behind the science in intricate detail for the lay person.īut for those consumers who just want to get the best picture possible and don’t really care to know why what they’re doing works, take a look at the $25 Spears and Munsil High Definition Benchmark: Blu-ray Edition calibration disc.īoth calibration tools provide all the necessary test patterns to theoretically get the best possible picture from your HD display, but the Spears and Munsil tool is easier for amateurs to navigate.