LCD TV Calibration - Do it Yourself (DIY) or use a DVD Disk

In the first part of the calibration guide I have thought you how to prepare the environment for optimal viewing conditions and I told you the easiest way to calibrate your LCD TV – finding the right settings from somebody else. In this part of the LCD TV calibration guide I will teach you how to use the most important picture controls in conjunction with a regular video source (a Blu Ray or regular DVD movie). At the end, I will explain why the small investment in a good calibration disk is worth every buck and recommend the best calibration DVDs you can buy.

The Eyeballing Technique or How to Do It Yourself

Use a Good Video Source and Disable Artificial Enhancements

First of all, you should use a good video source. Best one is a Blu-Ray Disk. If you don’t have a Blu Ray Player use a HDTV broadcast or a regular DVD. You should avoid standard-definition (SD) programs at all costs. Ideally, your video source should contain portions with complete black (night scenes), complete white or light colors (snow, desert) and shadows.

Next step is to disable all artificial enhancements that may negatively affect the picture. Some of the common names for such enhancements are Autocolor, Color Correction, Autocontrast, Noise Reduction, Edge Enhancement, Detail Enhancement, Flesh Tone, Black Level, etc.

Set Color Temperature

Changing color temperature affects all colors. This is the first thing you must get right. LCD TVs have color temperature presets like Warm, Normal or Low. One of those modes is closer to optimal color temperature than the others. It varies with each TV so I can’t tell you which is right. The LCD TV manual might help you. If not, search on HDTV, home theater forums or reviews of your particular LCD TV model for hints.

Brightness

Also called “black level”, this setting makes the picture brighter or darker. Find a scene that has a lot of black and dark shadows on your DVD (night scene, horror movie, etc.). Tune this control in such a way that you get the deepest blacks without loosing detail in the shadows. If you set it too high, you might see a lot of detail but the whole picture and especially the dark areas will be washed out.

Contrast

Also called “white level” or “picture level” is pretty much the opposite of “brightness”. It determines how much detail you see, especially in light areas. Find a scene with light colors – snow, sand, etc. – and tune the contrast as high as possible while still being able to distinguish the slight differences in colors as dirtier snow, shadows on sand, the texture (threads) of a white shirt, etc.

Color / Saturation

A saturation of 0% means the picture is black and white. The more you increase it the more intense the colors are. Too intense looks unrealistic, so you must find that sweet spot where everything looks perfect. Making some colors look right could cause others to look not so great. Find a scene on the DVD where you have a close-up of somebody’s face. Fiddle with this setting until the skin looks natural (not too pale, but also not like having a tan). Keep an eye on other colors as well and try to keep them realistic as well.

These are the basic settings for calibrating your LCD TV. On some LCD TVs, you have many other controls that can help you obtain a better picture. You can for example affect base colors (red, green and blue) separately for a more accurate adjustment.

Using a Calibration DVD Disk

It only requires a small investment, compared with the money you spent on your LCD, to buy a tool that will help you calibrate your LCD, without so much hassle. Basically, there is no much advice to be given here, as calibration DVDs that can be bought on the market come with a set of instructions that will guide you through the whole process, at the end of which, you will gain the best desired quality picture. It is worth mentioning that a good calibration disk will cover more aspects than the ones enumerated in the do-it-yourself DIY approach. Because of that you have a greater chance to obtain a better picture than by doing it yourself using the eyeballing technique™. You will also gain a lot of time, as it will not be needed to search for the best images in movies, to work along with your adjustments. There are a few HDTV calibration DVDs out there. Some are almost useless however as they give little advice or don’t cover enough settings. What we recommend is one of the following calibration DVDs. Note that you should buy the HDTV (Blu-Ray) version since it maps correctly to your LCD’s resolution.

Recommended HDTV Calibration Disks

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics [Blu-ray] (2008) Recommended if you have a Blu-Ray player

Digital Video Essentials: Optimize Your Home Entertainment System (NTSC Component) (2001) Recommended if you have a standard DVD player

Avia II (2008) Recommended if you have a standard DVD player