Home FAQs ISF Video Calibration But I Was Told My HDTV Was Calibrated at the Factory...

 

[ A ] You're right to wonder about the claim your salesman makes, because if it's true you'll need some additional information about the settings that should be used in order to benefit from a factory calibration. This is the sort of feature you should expect to be explicitly documented in your user manual -- if it isn't covered in the manual, with an explanation of what factory calibration means and what you need to do to benefit from it, then the salesman is probably mistaken.

Whenever you hear that a HDTV or projector was calibrated at the factory, you should bear in mind that most of these products are assembled in less than an hour and that labor is a significant component in overall product cost. On the other hand, calibration is a detailed process that requires special skills, experience and equipment -- and at least a couple of hours of effort to deliver worthwhile results.

In addition, calibration requires a "systems approach" that takes into account not just the HDTV, but also the viewing environment and the different types of sources connected to your display. For example, setting the black level for a HDTV in a factory environment is going to produce results that look very different when the TV is placed in a more light-controlled setting.

While it is true that some manufacturers are taking more care in how they set up their televisions at the factory, it's extremely rare for a calibrator to come across an HDTV or projector that can't be substantially improved from the default settings, even those that include a 6500K setting or something similar. That's why manufacturers who are genuinely supportive of customers who appreciate accurate imaging are building in the tools that calibrators need to deliver the best possible video performance. Pioneer, with its ISF-licensed "3C" system, is a good example of that growing trend.

Contributions to this FAQ article were made by the following ISF Forum calibrators:
Clearly Resolved, Mastertech Repair

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