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How To Calibrate Your HDTV
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1. How To Calibrate Your HDTV

Flip through any of our display reviews and you’ll quickly learn that we are firm proponents of calibration. Even though modern screens are more accurate out of the box than ever, you still need to take that final step to get maximum performance out of your new monitor.

The same is true for HDTVs. It's probable that you spent a good deal more cash on the 50- or 60-inch panel in your living room than your desktop monitor. In fact, it’s quite easy to drop eight to ten times more money for a good television. So why would you accept an out-of-box configuration as its best performance mode?

The truth is that even the best TVs benefit from an instrumented calibration. Consider the picture below.

On the left is what you’ll see from a typical HDTV’s stock picture mode. The flesh tones have just a hint of blue. The detail in Gavin’s arm is a little flat. And the darkest areas are more of a gray than true black. Millions of people watch their televisions like this every day and are satisfied. Why? Because they don't know any better, and haven't unlocked the full potential of their other displays to experience the difference.

On the right is the same image after calibration. Clearly, there are subtle changes that make the picture look more natural with greater detail and maximum dynamic range. The best part about taking this step is that you’ll find yourself less fatigued after long viewing sessions. Within a week or so, all other TVs will just look wrong.

We like to compare display calibration to piano tuning. Is a piano tuned at the factory? Of course it is. But by the time it reaches your studio, it’ll need professional attention to realize its full potential. Your HDTV is no different. Buy it, set it up, and then dial it in to maximize your investment. And unlike a piano, you won’t need to re-calibrate every few months!

If you’ve read our monitor reviews or any of our previous calibration features, then you have a good understanding of what we’re talking about. HDTVs have a few features not found in computer monitors and calibration procedures differ slightly. We’ll highlight those differences as we go.

For those who haven’t seen our previous articles, here are links for your convenience.

Display Calibration 101: Step-By-Step With Datacolor's Spyder4Elite

Display Calibration 201: The Science Behind Tuning Your Monitor

Do It Like Tom's: Calibrating Your Monitor With CalMAN RGB

In the pages that follow, you'll find a step-by-step guide using Datacolor’s popular SpyderHD package. It’s a broad-spectrum product that works equally well for monitor and HDTV calibration. Everything you need is included in a single $349 bundle. There are tools for photography as well, but we’ll stick to its application as an HDTV calibration solution.

First, though, we’ll give you a little primer with a glossary of items from a typical HDTV menu and a rundown of the SMPTE standards used in television and film production.

2. Understanding Your HDTV’s Menus

In our monitor and HDTV reviews, we show you every product’s OSD and how each function affects image quality. While most features are the same on a desktop screen or big-screen TV, there are some important differences you should be aware of. Let’s take a look at the terminology so you can better understand what all those controls and sliders actually do.

Backlight – You know that a computer monitor’s backlight control is labeled brightness. But on HDTVs, it’s a separate adjustment. This is super-handy because you can set the brightness and contrast for maximum detail and dynamic range, and then adjust the backlight to your preferred output level.

Brightness – So what does brightness actually control? On an HDTV, it sets the minimum black level. This is important because if you lower it too much in search of deep blacks, you will likely remove fine shadow detail, giving the picture a “black blob” look. We’ll show you the proper test pattern to use in setting your TV’s brightness on page four.

Contrast – This control sets the white level and can be used to control your display’s maximum output. Again, you want to adjust it to your preferred level without clipping detail in the image’s brightest areas. Setting it too high can also cause a color tint in bright whites that isn’t correctable with the RGB sliders. Page four will show you the proper way to adjust contrast.

Color & Tint – Here is another mislabeled option. It really should be called color saturation and color hue. Color control increases or decreases the saturation level of all six colors simultaneously. Therefore, it should be used sparingly unless all colors are under-saturated equally. Tint, or hue, rotates the secondary colors closer to one primary or another. Again, since it alters three colors at the same time, it should be used carefully.

In most cases, if you are able to dial in the color temperature correctly, color and tint can stay at or near their default settings.

Color Temperature – We also refer to this as white balance or grayscale tracking. HDTVs typically have a few presets labeled warm, normal, and cool, plus a user-adjustable mode. It’s the most important adjustment governing color because it not only sets the white point, but also affects the color gamut as well. The best way to adjust it is with an instrument. However, we’ll show you how to get close without any gear.

Other Image Enhancements

Unlike computer monitors, HDTVs include many options in the category of picture enhancements. These should be used carefully because, in most cases, they degrade picture quality and create unwanted artifacts. In fact, the movie modes on many sets disable all of them in pursuit of a more pure image, unspoiled by display-added modifications.

Sharpness – Almost every HDTV we’ve seen comes with sharpness set to a medium level. To our eyes, the resulting edge enhancement (also called ringing) is obvious and reduces the picture's clarity. All sharpness does is attempt to highlight contrasting areas of the screen by drawing a white line around dark objects or a black line around light ones. We recommend lowering this control either to zero or to a point where the ringing disappears.

Dynamic Contrast – Even though LCD is the dominant technology in today’s HDTVs, it can’t even come close to the contrast levels offered by plasma or even CRT. To compensate for this, display manufacturers introduce an algorithm that manipulates white and black levels dynamically depending on content. When used subtly, it can enhance perceived contrast. But cross that fine line and detail is lost. Most sets have three or four levels available. Start at the bottom and work your way up, watching carefully for signs of crushing. Better yet, use a test pattern.

Frame Interpolation – Most HDTVs have this feature today. Since a lot of LCDs run at 120 or even 240 Hz, the extra available frames can be used to reduce motion blur in content originating at 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. It’s accomplished through sophisticated processes that create new frames by essentially filling in the blanks. Now that it’s been available for several model generations, the tearing artifacts plaguing early models are largely gone. It works quite well at creating smooth motion and maintaining resolution. Its only drawback is known as the “soap-opera effect”. Some people, me included, are not fans of the flat and phony look that results. Since it doesn’t change other image parameters, its use is a matter of personal preference.

Now we’ll move on to a brief discussion of the SMPTE standards we employ in all our reviews and calibrations.

3. SMPTE Standards And How They Govern What You Watch

Webster’s defines the word calibrate as “to correlate the readings of an instrument with those of a standard in order to check the instrument’s accuracy.” The instrument in our case is your display. The standard is simply the one used to create the content shown on it. For all broadcast and disc-based material, we turn to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).

Measurements are broken down into a few categories: white point, color gamut, and gamma. These three areas are associated with specific numbers that are derived from the principles of imaging science.

Rec.709

Also known as BT.709, this is the specification governing high-definition content both for broadcast and for Blu-ray disc. And yes, that includes streaming. It starts with a specific color gamut as shown below.

We’ve shown you CIE charts before, so you know that the total area represents the spectrum of visible color, while the triangle is the display’s actual color-rendering capability. And what is Rec.601? It’s a slightly smaller gamut used in standard-def content. It’s only a factor if you watch a lot of DVDs. Very few televisions have a Rec.601 preset these days, so chances are that you’ll be watching all content in the Rec.709 color space.

The actual color points are defined by x and y coordinates. It’s also known as xyY. There are other ways to express the values, but xyY is the most common way for HDTVs. What does Y represent? That is the color’s luminance value. In addition to its position on the CIE chart, it’s also required to have a specific brightness relative to the other colors.

Grayscale & Gamma

But we’re not only talking about color. You see that little triangle at the center of the chart? That’s the white point, otherwise known as D65 or 6500 degrees Kelvin. When you adjust the RGB controls in your HDTV, that is what’s affected. And as we’ve already established, it has an impact on the entire color rendition of a display and is the most important part of a calibration.

The final major parameter is gamma; its standard is currently in transition. Put simply, gamma is the rate at which light output increases as the signal goes from zero to 100 percent. It’s not a linear progression, but a logarithmic one. Here’s an example:

The horizontal axis is the signal level (0-100%) and the vertical represents the output level. You can see that, by the time the signal reaches 50 percent, the actual output is only around 20 percent. To see content as its creators did, your display’s gamma must match up.

For many years, that standard was called 2.2 power function, which is an average of all the gamma values in a given measurement run. In 2011, a new standard called BT.1886 came into use. It’s only a tiny bit different than the above. In fact, it’s so close that you’d have a hard time seeing the difference in a chart. Some of the newest HDTVs (like the Samsung F8500 plasma we just reviewed) conform to BT.1886. Its main goal is to improve shadow detail while maintaining brightness and depth in the mid-tones.

Of course, color, grayscale, and gamma aren’t the only components addressed in a calibration. But they are the three items associated with a SMPTE standard. And that’s what we’re shooting for when we set up any HDTV.

Now we’ll show you how you can adjust your display with a few simple test patterns and some knowledge. You’d be surprised how much can be done without instruments.

4. Hands-On: Basic Calibration With Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark

We know that not everyone has access to colorimeters, pattern generators, and expensive software. But you can still improve your HDTV greatly by investing around thirty bucks in a good test disc.

If you have a Blu-ray player and the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark, you can properly adjust the brightness, contrast, color, tint, sharpness, and color temp presets on any HDTV without a meter. Many displays will be pretty close to accurate after this basic setup.

The disc is organized into logical menus and there’s a ton of material here. But all you need for a basic calibration is what’s in the first one: Video Calibration.

The list of tests is the same as the image parameters we’ve already talked about. Each one has associated patterns that will help you set that particular control.

The first thing you should do is set your TV to its Movie or Cinema mode. If you have a THX-certified display, select the THX mode. Movie modes almost always provide the best starting point for a calibration, whether you use a meter or not.

Contrast is pretty easy to set on any HDTV. Look at the two horizontal white bars. Inside them, you should see smaller vertical bars that get lighter on the top or darker across the bottom. If you can’t see them all, turn down the contrast slider until you can, then turn it back up a click or two. If you can see all the bars, do the opposite. With this pattern, you can maximize contrast while retaining all available highlight detail.

Brightness is a little tougher. First, you should adjust your room’s lighting so it represents your usual viewing environment. If you watch mostly at night, draw the curtains or wait until after sundown to calibrate your TV. Like the contrast pattern, you want to see all four bars. Then, lower brightness until you can only see the two bars on the right. You will have achieved your display’s lowest possible black level that retains full shadow detail.

We always recommend you set white balance with a meter, but you can choose a color temp preset based on your observation of a pattern like the one above. It shows 11 brightness steps from zero to 100 percent. Display it and let your eyes adjust for a minute. If it looks neutral to you (without any perceivable tint), your color temp is set correctly. If it looks too red then choose a higher setting like normal or cool. If it looks blue, go the other way. Chances are, warm will look the best.

Finally, we set color and tint. Now you’ll find out what that blue filter in the box is for.

If you don’t have a blue filter to look through, it’s best to skip this part. Most HDTVs don’t need much adjustment, if any, to either color or tint in their movie modes. If you have the filter, look through it at the above pattern. If you see a solid black square and a solid blue square, awesome! You’re done. If you see something in the black square, raise or lower the color control until it disappears. If you see something in the blue square, adjust tint until it’s a solid blue. You may not achieve perfection; remember that these controls adjust all six colors simultaneously, even when only one or two might be off. Use them sparingly.

After completing the steps, go back and readjust brightness and contrast again. You might find it necessary to change them a click or two to achieve maximum dynamic range. It really can be that easy, and if you have a reasonably accurate display to start with, you’re 90 percent there.

Of course, we know many enthusiasts chase that last 10 percent. In the next few pages, we’ll talk about the SpyderHD package, which includes a meter, test pattern disc, and other tools for $349. Whether you’re calibrating an HDTV or a projector, the Spyder is a good value-oriented solution.

5. SpyderHD Walkthrough, Part 1

We recently received a press sample of Datacolor’s SpyderHD kit for evaluation, so we thought we’d include our findings and observations here. The kit comes with a Spyder4 colorimeter, mounting tools for both panels and projectors, a set of test patterns on Blu-ray and DVD (PAL and NTSC), plus color and white point samples for use by photographers. It all comes neatly packaged in a nice carrying case for $349.

By the way, if you’re only interested in calibrating a flat-panel TV, you can purchase the Spyder4TV HD for $129. It includes just the meter, software, and test pattern discs.

We’re not going to cover the entire kit today. But we will install the software on our Dell XPS laptop and run a few test calibrations on our reference Pioneer PRO-111FD plasma display.

After installing and activating the software, the wizard begins by asking you if you’re calibrating a computer monitor or HDTV. Selecting HDTV means you’re using the test patterns on the provided Blu-ray disc. At this point, your TV should be warmed up for at least 20 minutes and the pattern disc should be in your player. And just like on the previous page, choose the Movie or Cinema mode. On our Pioneer, we’re starting in the Pure mode.

First up is a simple checklist to be sure the meter is connected, the pattern disc is in the player, and so forth. You’ll have to check all the boxes before you can click Next.

Now choose your display type. It matters because the meter uses different measurement offsets for each technology. Plus, the wizard needs to branch to the proper screen that shows you how to place the meter.

Run through the full ranges of each setting then enter the correct numbers in the Current Settings screen. Later, you’ll be told exactly what settings to enter as SpyderHD takes measurements and determines the optimal values for each image adjustment.

The next series of screens address each control individually. You’re told which pattern to select, what setting to choose, and when to take a measurement. Controlling the pattern disc is extremely easy. You can either make your choice from the disc’s main menu or use the chapter skip buttons on your player’s remote. SpyderHD only uses six patterns and you don’t have to engage in too much back and forth to get your results.

6. SpyderHD Walkthrough, Part 2

After measuring your TVs default white and black levels, the actual calibration begins.

The first step is Contrast. A white field is displayed and you take measurements at both ends of the control’s range. Then, SpyderHD zeroes in on the correct setting for you. It can take up to seven readings to generate a recommended number.

Step two is the Color Temp adjustment. The same white field is measured while you change the color temp presets on your TV. SpyderHD picks the one closest to D65. We’re a little disappointed that there’s no way to adjust the RGB sliders most televisions have. In our experience, it’s rare that a preset can’t be improved with the two-point white balance controls.

After each measurement, you’re told to either change a particular setting or move on to the next adjustment.

Brightness is adjusted the same way, except with a black field pattern. We’re used to setting brightness on HDTVs by eye with a PLUGE or low-luminance step pattern, so this method is new to us. After seven measurements, Spyder HD decided level three was correct. We verified this with our own black level pattern and it worked just fine.

The last adjustments are to Color and Tint. For these, you go back and forth between four different patterns, so take our advice and use the chapter skip buttons on your player’s remote rather than returning to the disc’s main menu each time.

After seven measurements, SpyderHD suggested a setting of 17 for our Pioneer’s Color control. This seemed quite high. But after viewing the flesh tone photo at the end of the wizard, we were convinced.

Tint is adjusted the same way: seven measurements of two different patterns. It’s similar to looking through a blue filter the way we did with the Spears & Munsil disc; SpyderHD simply lets the meter do all the work.

At the end of the measurement run, SpyderHD suggested a setting of 5 for the Tint control.

Finally, you’re shown the complete set of values. They’re automatically saved to your computer so you don’t have to write them down. Clicking Report pops up a PDF document showing the changes you’ve made. They aren’t traditional graphs. Rather, they show the display’s before and after state, and what measurements were taken during the process.

The pattern disc has several graphics to help verify your new settings. The photo of the five teenagers is especially useful for checking the all-important flesh tones. Even though we were surprised by how much we were told to raise the Color control, the results looked fantastic.

The biggest feature offered by SpyderHD is the ability to calibrate an HDTV without training or experience. All you have to do is follow the on-screen instructions, which are very clear and concise. The process is efficient and only took me about half an hour. I would like to see some sort of advanced mode to walk me through a gamma and grayscale calibration. Almost all HDTVs have gamma presets and a two-point white balance control. It seems a shame to leave that extra performance boost on the table.

7. Advanced Calibration Techniques

For many HDTV owners, the Spears & Munsil disc or SpyderHD package will produce excellent results. Picture quality can be greatly improved with a few simple adjustments, and unless you want that final one percent of performance, it’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on software and gear.

If, however, you are after the last little bit of potential, we’d like to give you a brief look at some advanced calibration techniques. This will be more of an overview than a block of instruction. Employing these methods requires both instruments and experience. But if you want to take your HDTV calibration to the highest level, it’s a road you have to travel either with an investment of time and cash or the hiring of a professional calibrator.

Two- And Ten-Point Grayscale Adjustments & Gamma

Most HDTVs have a two-point grayscale or white balance feature. That means you can change the RGB values’ high and low ranges separately. We use 30- and 80-percent brightness patterns to accomplish this. Here’s the custom CalMAN screen we like to use. To see all the detail, click on the photo to enlarge it.

On the left are the Delta E errors for brightness levels 20 to 100. The large square is a bulls-eye chart. All we have to do is tweak the RGB sliders until the dot falls within the center square. At the bottom-center is a large RGB Balance chart. It also helps dial in the correct levels when making changes. The upper-right shows the raw data: x & y coordinates plus gamma, brightness, and error values. Below that is another RGB level chart showing all the brightness steps. Finally, there's a gamma tracking chart at the bottom-right.

When we use a two-point white balance control, we adjust the high range (gain) using an 80-percent brightness pattern and the low range (bias or cut) with a 30-percent one. After a little back and forth, most HDTVs return an average error of less than one Delta E.

If some steps show a greater error, and there’s a 10-point white balance control available, we adjust each level starting from 100 percent and working our way downward.

During all of this, we closely monitor the gamma tracking. It’s usually pretty consistent once the right preset is chosen, but it can change on some displays. Once we’re satisfied with grayscale and gamma tracking, we move on the CMS.

Color Management Systems

We’ve talked about these in a few display reviews and in our previous calibration feature articles. They’re not common on computer monitors but some HDTVs and many projectors include them. Our upfront advice is to leave them alone unless you know what you’re doing. You can easily destroy the color balance of a display by misusing it. And in many cases, the controls don’t work properly, leading to even more confusion.

Here’s how we adjust a CMS. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

The first thing to note are the extra saturation levels shown in the CIE chart. We don’t just look at 100 percent (the triangle’s perimeter); we also measure 25-, 50-, and 75-percent saturations to be sure that any adjustments we make don’t negatively impact those color levels. We also watch the luminance chart carefully. It’s usually impossible to get all the luminance values correct, so we have to settle for the best balance as we make changes.

In our observation, luminance accuracy makes the greatest difference in picture quality. And even if a CMS’ saturation controls don’t work (often the case), the luminance sliders usually do. Adjusting them properly can improve your HDTV's picture even when saturation and hue are a little off.

Along the top of the screen are error levels for saturation (Delta C), hue (Delta H), and luminance (Delta L). We monitor them for each color we adjust and try to get all three errors as low as possible.

8. Now Go Forth And Calibrate!

I hope we’ve at least whetted your appetite for HDTV calibration. Even if you don’t want to invest in a package from Datacolor or SpectraCal, you can make a noticeable improvement for just thirty bucks if you add the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark to your video library.

You can see from our rundown that display calibration is mostly a balancing act. There is never just one right way to set a particular image parameter. It’s the way they work in concert that makes or breaks ultimate picture quality. We say over and over that the goal is simply to maximize dynamic range, achieve accurate color that is true to the source content, and to have an image that is free of edge enhancement and other algorithm-generated artifacts.

Of course, making that investment in a color meter, test patterns, and software can yield even better results. Datacolor’s SpyderHD is a complete package that brings calibration into the home without the added cost of training or pro-grade gear. The simple wizard-based interface walks you through every step and tells you exactly what pattern to measure, what control changes to make, and what your new image should look like.

The two things we missed from SpyderHD were grayscale and gamma calibration. While they fall into the category of advanced techniques, many HDTVs have a two-point white balance function and multiple gamma presets. With Datacolor’s experience in designing easy-to-use wizards that hold your hand every step of the way, the company should be able to add an advanced mode for users that want to maximize their display’s performance.

Modern HDTVs are better and more accurate than ever before. You saw in our review of Samsung’s F8500 plasma panel that it needed very little adjustment in its Movie mode to post near-reference quality results in all of our video tests. But those few tweaks took the picture from great to excellent.

If your interest has been piqued beyond the need to buy test discs, and you want to do more than just get your feet wet, we recommend taking a hands-on class with either the Imaging Science Foundation or THX. It is an expensive proposition at $1600 or more, depending on options. But even if you don’t become a professional calibrator, the knowledge gained is tremendous.

Speaking of professionals, there are over 5000 certified individuals nationwide (at last count) who can calibrate your HDTV or projector in the home for a $300-$400 fee. That’s about the price of a basic kit from Datacolor or SpectraCal. But the pro will be equipped with more precise tools like signal generators and spectrometers. And there’s no substitute for the experience of having calibrated thousands of displays!

Whether you hire a pro or immerse yourself further in the hobby by buying your own equipment, display calibration is a rewarding pursuit. Once you’ve enjoyed the results and become acclimated to your more accurate HDTV, it will be difficult to watch TV anywhere else. Realizing all the performance your display has to offer means you’ll never settle for an uncalibrated image again.

We realize this article is more of an overview than a definitive guide to HDTV calibration. If you have questions, we’ll do our best to answer them in the comments section.