Where to begin when color calibrating your display and source

[kny3twalker]

ok I have tons of sites with free images and short clips for calibrating the image
I have a copy of DVE
I have four different picture setting options on the TV
and I would like to calibrate the color for the DVI to HDMI input (both VMR9 and overlay) and for the source for the incoming DirecTV and analogue cable input

I know where to go when calibrating the input source from DirecTV and cable using Stanger's guide
but I think it would be better to calibrate the PCs overlay and VMR9 first

where to begin???
when using DVE
should I mess with one of the color profiles for my TV (Vivid, Pro, Movie, or Standard) or adjust the settings in the video card driver

can anyone explain maybe where they begin to where they finished

[cummings66]

To calibrate the display, if you do not have signal generators then your DVD player is the first item on the agenda. You must calibrate every input on the TV to the DVD player first, so however you need to do it that's it. For example use S video outputs, component outputs, and RF output. If you have an adaptor then use the DVI as well, depends on what your TV has.

Set your blacklevel and contrast, and color. If you don't have a color analyzer then leave the greyscale alone, if you do then I suggest you set the greyscale first, then the others.

Now that the display is calibrated go back and calibrate your sources, ala Sage to the display, changing only settings in Sage, do not modify the tv's settings from here on out.

I forgot to add, make sure the greyscale is set to D65. It will take you a while to get used to the colors, it will seem unnatural at first because you've been looking at colors that are wrong for many years now. After a few weeks you'll start to notice that the colors on TV match those of outdoors and you'll see how bad the other tv's look. You only need DVE, you don't need, nor even want those other images because they most likely were recorded wrongly. Look at them, but don't adjust by them.

First thing is the display will not have the knock you down punch in contrast it used to, that's normal. By default things are set too high to sell on the showroom floor.

Give it time after the calibration, hope this helps.

[salsbst]

I'd say:

1) tweak TV to DVE using a standalone DVD player
2) tweak PC display adapter to DVE using DVD software
3) tweak capture card(s) to DVE using DVD player (play the DVD into the capture card... this part is tricky b/c of the delay introduced)

[korben_dallas]

what's DVE and where can I get it?

Also, how do you calibrate the tv for each input source? Won't that only save the settings of the last input you calibrated?

[salsbst]

If your TV supports separate settings for each source, then calibrating each of them makes sense. If it does not, then calibrating only the most important source makes sense.

[stanger89]

Quick answer:

1) Calibrate the TV settings with DVE playing in VMR9 (you shouldn't have to mess with anything on the PC when using VMR9)
2) Calibrate the Overlay settings (in your drivers) with DVE to match VMR9 (this should be about right with your setup)
3) Calibrate the capture card, if you're lucky one of your channels will broadcast colorbars.

As for which color profile? Not sure what yours mean, but my guess would be Theater or Standard would be the correct one. Also if you have color temperature control, try warm or D6500.

[salsbst]

DVE = Digital Video Essentials... a calibration DVD that you can purchase from Amazon, among other places.

[kny3twalker]

the TV has thre temperature controls and four preconfigured color profiles

neutral, cool, and warm
standard, pro, vivid, and movie color profiles

1) Calibrate the TV settings with DVE playing in VMR9 (you shouldn't have to mess with anything on the PC when using VMR9)

really with the drivers, you can change the color settings for VMR
(is this for VMR7 only)?
and would it not be better to calibrate the inputs, rather than the TV
since it already has different color preconfigured profiles?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by kny3twalker

the TV has thre temperature controls and four preconfigured color profiles

neutral, cool, and warm
standard, pro, vivid, and movie color profiles

I'd guess that "Warm" is the correct color temperature, but without having a color analyzer I'd suggest trying it for a little while and see what you think. My Mits has a D6500 setting but it seems really warm, probably because of the red push.

As for color profile, I wouldn't trust any of them, I'd make sure to calibrate it.

really with the drivers, you can change the color settings for VMR
(is this for VMR7 only)?

I know you can, but I don't think you should, PC decoders (especially the nVidia ones) and video cards are really close to correct OOTB, maybe a little DC bias, but that's unimportant. You should never mess with the source end calibration unless you have test equipment to verify it's correct.

and would it not be better to calibrate the inputs, rather than the TV
since it already has different color preconfigured profiles?

Not sure what inputs your talking about, but TVs always need calibration, they never come set correctly from the factory. They come set to "look better" than the they are sitting next to in the store, and that means they have the brighness cranked (brighter always looks "better" just like louder always sound "better") and probably with the colors off a ways.

I'd just go through the DVE guided tour, it's got a lot of great info on basic calibration theory.

[kny3twalker]

which temperature setting should I use, then ? WARM?

and I can turn to a monitor mode to reduce red push, should I do this?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by kny3twalker

which temperature setting should I use, then ? WARM?

Probably, but it's hard to tell without a color analyzer.

and I can turn to a monitor mode to reduce red push, should I do this?

Sorry I was talking about my Mits, it has a red push.

[pcuoco]

kny3twalker,

Sounds like you've got a Sony. I just got 34XBR960 just before xmas. It has the same settings that you've described.

I calibrated mine pretty much exactly as Stanger suggested. I calibrated the display in VMR9, then calibrated the overlay settings in the driver to match.

I did my initial calibration to the Standard setting. After doing some reading on AVS and elsewhere they say the Sonys push too much red, so I I chose the "neutral" color profile and used monitor mode to eliminate the red push. I'm very happy with the image.

[kny3twalker]

awesome and thanks
I really wanted the 34" XS955 but was trying to be reasonable since it is for the bedroom

[pcuoco]

I had planned to get that one, but through a friend I got a deal on the XBR for the same price so I jumped at it.

HD in the bedroom? Now I'm jealous...

[kny3twalker]

yeah I definitely did not pay retail for this one