Why Should I Calibrate My HDTV?

Written by the ISF Forum Library Community
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
[ Q ] Why should I pay to calibrate my new HDTV? It looks great to me and I'm concerned I won't see improvement after paying for calibration.

[ A ] The sole objective of video calibration is the accurate reproduction of images, based on established video standards. But the way your HDTV was configured at the factory, accuracy was not a priority.

The picture quality of an HDTV is heavily influenced by the viewing environment, particularly as it relates to ambient light levels. Because HDTV manufacturers have no knowledge of your home viewing environment, they assume the worst and use picture settings that will make the TV look reasonable, regardless of where it ends up.

But do you really want to watch an HDTV that was set up for the "worst case" viewing environment?

Having your HDTV calibrated by an ISF professional will ensure it has been optimized for the best possible picture. This includes, at a minimum; calibrating the grayscale/white balance to bring it as close as possible to the D6500 standard and adjusting contrast, black-level, sharpness, color balance and color decoding correctly for your viewing environment.

Additionally, depending on the adjustment controls available, a calibrator will ensure that you are able to enjoy the full resolution your HDTV is capable of delivering, while minimizing edge enhancement or other types of artifacts that may prevent you from seeing the image as intended.

Contributions to this Calibration FAQ answer were provided by the following ISF Forum calibrators: Bill Hergonson, Clearly Resolved, dhancock, Glen Carter, Zygmunt

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