calibrating a CRT based rear projection HDTV

[slackerinabox]

I found a CRT based 57" tv going for under a grand so I'm finally about to take the leap to HDTV. How difficult is it to calibrate myself? Also, am I making a big mistake going for a crt based tv?

 

[acemcmac]

wtf are you talking about???

If you ever have to adjust a CRT, you leave it on with whatever image you want to test with, take off teh housing and go in with a screwdriver and adjust the tuning dials. Oh, and don't die.

OTOH, 1) what makes you think you'll need to "calibrate" it? Colors? Gun alignment? 2) CRT's have been around for 50 years, consumer LCD's and plasma's for lees than 10.... why are you so nervous?

 

[MrChad]

You can buy calibration DVD like Avia or Digital Video Essentials to adjust your set.

If you really want the most out of the set, it's worthwhile to hire an ISF Calibrator to make adjustments. This will cost you several hundred dollars, but from what I hear, the results are well worth it.

 

[BlancoNino]

HDTV's have to be calibrated out of the box now?

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
HDTV's have to be calibrated out of the box now?

ALL TVs should be calibrated out of the box. Factory-default settings are usually way out of NTSC spec, often with jacked up brightness and contrast settings to stand out on bright showroom floors.

If you want to maximize the life of your TV and enjoy the best possible picture quality, you should absolutely calibrate the set with Avia or DVE at a minimum.

 

[Amused]

http://66.201.107.3/services.php

Simply the best, and most well respected ISF calibrator out there.

Trust me, once you have your set done, you'll wonder why you ever waited. The difference is day and night. The difference between looking at a flat picture, and believing you can fall through a window.

Any self calibration disc like Avia can't even come close.

BTW, they suggest you use the set heavily for a few weeks to break it in before having this done. To protect it, turn the "contrast" setting to below 50% and do not allow any static image to remain on the screen. Use it for a few hours every day to break it in.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Amused
http://66.201.107.3/services.php

Simply the best, and most well respected ISF calibrator out there.

Trust me, once you have your set done, you'll wonder why you ever waited.

BTW, they suggest you use the set heavily for a few weeks to break it in before having this done. To protect it, turn the "contrast" setting to below 50% and do not allow any static image to remain on the screen. Use it for a few hours every day to break it in.

:thumbsup:

Gregg Loewen frequents the Home Theater Forum and is a great guy from what I can tell.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Note: it's a PROJECTION screen. Not just a normal CRT.

 

[Rock Hydra]

I read in a lot of magazines that Calibration is really worth it, and they said it can be done yourself, but you will get better results professionally.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Note: it's a PROJECTION screen. Not just a normal CRT.

I gathered that. A 57" CRT is obviously a rear projection TV.

Not only will the color and temperature issues be resolved by and ISF calibration, so will all geometry issues.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
I read in a lot of magazines that Calibration is really worth it, and they said it can be done yourself, but you will get better results professionally.

The time it takes to learn what you're doing, plus the time it takes to fix your inevitable mistakes, plus the cost of the equipment required to do it makes just hiring someone for $400 FAR cheaper.

Most people will have two inputs calibrated, so it will likely cost $550 for a RP CRT set. But it is VERY worth it.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Note: it's a PROJECTION screen. Not just a normal CRT.

I gathered that. A 57" CRT is obviously a rear projection TV.

Not only will the color and temperature issues be resolved by and ISF calibration, so will all geometry issues.

Yes, but a few other people in this thread didn't.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Note: it's a PROJECTION screen. Not just a normal CRT.

I gathered that. A 57" CRT is obviously a rear projection TV.

Not only will the color and temperature issues be resolved by and ISF calibration, so will all geometry issues.

Yes, but a few other people in this thread didn't.

Who?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

acemcmac and BlancoNino

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
HDTV's have to be calibrated out of the box now?

All TVs should be, but the reason it's so much more important for HDTVs is the wow factor. Like I said before, it can be the difference between looking at a flat picture, and believing you're about to fall through an open window. It brings the suspension of disbelief to a whole new level when the colors and temp are perfect, the geometry is perfect, and the white and black levels are set correctly.

The simple color and temp adjustments that are consumer accessable are not nearly enough to get it right. Read the page I posted to understand better.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
acemcmac and BlancoNino

Didn't catch that.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
I read in a lot of magazines that Calibration is really worth it, and they said it can be done yourself, but you will get better results professionally.

The time it takes to learn what you're doing, plus the time it takes to fix your inevitable mistakes, plus the cost of the equipment required to do it makes just hiring someone for $400 FAR cheaper.

Most people will have two inputs calibrated, so it will likely cost $550 for a RP CRT set. But it is VERY worth it.

The only problem with that is that a 55" CRT RP set is probably only worth slightly more than that to start with...

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: MathMan

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
I read in a lot of magazines that Calibration is really worth it, and they said it can be done yourself, but you will get better results professionally.

The time it takes to learn what you're doing, plus the time it takes to fix your inevitable mistakes, plus the cost of the equipment required to do it makes just hiring someone for $400 FAR cheaper.

Most people will have two inputs calibrated, so it will likely cost $550 for a RP CRT set. But it is VERY worth it.

The only problem with that is that a 55" CRT RP set is probably only worth slightly more than that to start with...

It all depends on how important a perfect image is to you.

Let me put it this way: When I first had it done, my SO was up in arms over the price. She bitched and moaned until the guy had her sit down after he was done and look at a few scenes of movies we had previously watched on the TV.

Her jaw hit the floor, and all she could say over and over was "wow." She never complained about it again. It was THAT dramatic. And she is far from a geek.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: MathMan

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
I read in a lot of magazines that Calibration is really worth it, and they said it can be done yourself, but you will get better results professionally.

The time it takes to learn what you're doing, plus the time it takes to fix your inevitable mistakes, plus the cost of the equipment required to do it makes just hiring someone for $400 FAR cheaper.

Most people will have two inputs calibrated, so it will likely cost $550 for a RP CRT set. But it is VERY worth it.

The only problem with that is that a 55" CRT RP set is probably only worth slightly more than that to start with...

It all depends on how important a perfect image is to you.

Let me put it this way: When I first had it done, my SO was up in arms over the price. She bitched and moaned until the guy had her sit down after he was done and look at a few scenes of movies we had previously watched on the TV.

Her jaw hit the floor, and all she could say over and over was "wow." She never complained about it again. It was THAT dramatic. And she is far from a geek.

I know exactly what you are saying and agree with you.

I was just making a point that to a lot of people they can't justify the extra cost-- if they could afford that extra $550 they would just get a bigger screen, or step up to a better technology.

BTW-- just curious... what set did you get calibrated? Some manufacturers are more notorious than others for fubaring their controls than others...

 

[Viper GTS]

$550 is about 30% more than I paid for my HDTV.

Would I like to have it done? Of course. Can I justify it? Absolutely not.

I do, however, own a colorimeter & keep my PC displays properly calibrated.

Viper GTS

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: MathMan

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: MathMan

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
I read in a lot of magazines that Calibration is really worth it, and they said it can be done yourself, but you will get better results professionally.

The time it takes to learn what you're doing, plus the time it takes to fix your inevitable mistakes, plus the cost of the equipment required to do it makes just hiring someone for $400 FAR cheaper.

Most people will have two inputs calibrated, so it will likely cost $550 for a RP CRT set. But it is VERY worth it.

The only problem with that is that a 55" CRT RP set is probably only worth slightly more than that to start with...

It all depends on how important a perfect image is to you.

Let me put it this way: When I first had it done, my SO was up in arms over the price. She bitched and moaned until the guy had her sit down after he was done and look at a few scenes of movies we had previously watched on the TV.

Her jaw hit the floor, and all she could say over and over was "wow." She never complained about it again. It was THAT dramatic. And she is far from a geek.

I know exactly what you are saying and agree with you.

I was just making a point that to a lot of people they can't justify the extra cost-- if they could afford that extra $550 they would just get a bigger screen, or step up to a better technology.

BTW-- just curious... what set did you get calibrated? Some manufacturers are more notorious than others for fubaring their controls than others...

One Hitachi and 2 Sony RP HDTVs.. All had horrible red pushes. If you turned the color down so the red wasn't too high, you lost your blues as well. It also made the greens look unnatural. Once he calibrated it the colors popped and looked natural.

All three need a touchup. I've noticed some geometry drifting lately. It's been 2 years.