I took their calibration services for $250, is it worth it? Is the factory setting good enough? can i do it myself? What are the advantages of calibrating it by a professional (as BB say they are)?.
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I purchased a Sony 52' XBR4 LCD TV on Best buy.?
Verified answer
Very, very few consumers NEED a professional display calibration. Many of today’s displays are much improved over those of the past when to comes to grayscale accuracy straight out of the box; especially if you use the proper display settings and take the time to properly optimize your display. Consumers that purchase a high quality, well-designed display, such as Sony’s latest XBR series, will very rarely benefit from a professional calibration (see the reviews and test reports below,) and such a service could potentially make your display worse.
As a general policy I would not choose nor recommend Best Buy when it comes to display calibration. Based on my experience, including discussions with Best Buy personnel, it’s possible, though highly unlikely, that Best Buy’s Geek Squad technicians are sufficiently trained or knowledgeable to PROPERLY calibrate a display. (In Best Buy’s defense I am equally skeptical of other “ISF trained” display calibration technicians.) Unless the Imaging Science Foundation has improved their training program ISF certification alone is woefully insufficient when it comes to competent display calibration.
If you wish to pursue it further… always ask to see a calibration report* before making any commitment. Does the report simply specify a “correlated color temperature,” such as 6500K, for the grayscale calibration or does it correctly specify the proper target calibration value, i.e., CIE standard illuminant D65, which is comprised of a pair of specific CIE chromaticity coordinates, the before and after measured chromaticity values along with their deviation, ΔE, from the targeted CIE standard for each of ten (10) or more grayscale levels? If not simply walk away. For a little more info plus a thorough list of resources please read my answer to the following Yahoo! Answers question.
“How and where do you get your 1080i TV set ISF calibrated for optimum visual effect after purchasing it?”
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200802...
If a calibration fee of $250 to $400 is not a significant concern then you can easily test the value or worthiness of a professional display calibration. Rent or better yet purchase one of the optimization discs mentioned in my Y!A answer above. (Note: DVE High Definition, while not as user-friendly as the Avia discs, is the only ITU-R Rec. BT.709 compliant HD test and optimization disc currently available; currently available in HD DVD format only.) Combined with the test results and recommended settings from the resources below carefully optimize your display a day or two before you have your display calibrated. Invite friends and family to sit down with you to watch a movie and/or a few movie excerpts, both SD and HD if possible. After you have a qualified professional (or Best Buy’s Geek Squad service) calibrate your display, sit down with the same friends and family members and ask yourself if you notice a difference in the picture quality when watching the same video material.
The bottom line: when it comes to well-designed displays such as Sony’s latest BRAVIA XBR series I firmly believe that a professional calibration is not necessary for the overwhelming majority of consumers.
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*Sample Calibration Reports:
AccuCal Sample Calibration Report
http://www.accucal.org/documents/AccuCal%20Example...
“Michael TLV” Chen Sample Calibration Report
http://www.keohi.com/KeohiHDTV/isf/michaeltlv/isf_...
UltimateAV Review
Sony BRAVIA KDL-46XBR4 LCD Digital Color TV
http://guide.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?act...
CNET Review
Sony KDL-46XBR4 Flat-panel TV
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/sony-kdl-46...
Sony KDL-46XBR4 darkened-room picture settings
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/sony-kdl-46...
The Perfect Vision Review
Sony KDL-40XBR4
http://www.avguide.com/products/product-4034/
Sony KDL-40XBR4 Additional Notes and Technical Ratings
http://www.avguide.com/the-perfect-vision/82/sony....
Sound and Vision Review
Sony BRAVIA KDL-52XBR5 LCD HDTV
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hdtvs/2569/sony-b...
Test Bench: Sony BRAVIA KDL-52XBR5 LCD HDTV
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hdtvs/2570/test-b...
(Note: Sony’s XBR5 series is essentially electronically identical to their XBR4 series.)
I'm just telling you,if you bought Sony, you can be sure of it's services.