Plasma / LCD - $375

ControlCAL allows ISFccc adjustment on Pioneer Elite Kuros (including monitors) and grayscale adjustment (profile v.10) on standard Kuros!  500/600m patcher installation available.

Have you ever noticed how truly nasty some of those plasmas look in the store? It's gotta look better than that, right? Right! There's so much potential waiting to be unleashed. Don't settle for green tinted shadows or pasty colors on your new plasma or LCD.

After we discuss your sources and connections along with what you like and don't like about your TV, the first order of business when I get to your house is to measure the current settings of your display and make sure all connections are optimized.

Next up is finding the proper settings for the standard brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, and tint. If possible, I'll adjust them so that the default point of the user control is the correct setting. When possible, I'll also make adjustments to the gamma, color decoder/CMS (Color Management System), brightness stability, and edge enhancement. Some manufacturers make all these things adjustable in the service or advanced user menu, but others might not have an adjustment for everything. For example, Brand X might have adjustments for everything except the CMS- which means that I'll just have to make do as best as I can without that adjustment.

Now we come to the heart of the matter- gray scale tracking, or white balance. Very few TV's have a properly calibrated gray scale, due in part to sloppy or time restricted manufacturing and a desire for the image to scream at you on the brightly lit showroom floor. Poor grayscale performance can result in a colored tint to dark areas of the picture in addition to the inability to look natural no matter how the color and tint are set. Using a color analyzer, I'll adjust it as close as possible to the TV standard of D6500. Sometimes, this is a tedious balancing act that could take hours.

Finally, I'll go back and fine tune the basic controls. Then it's time to evaluate the picture! In a few situations, your display might look more subdued than before calibration, but vibrant colors and more lifelike details will come shining through. Picture problems like the caked on makeup look, chronically sun burnt flesh tones, dark images that sink down into black blobs, and colored shadows will be greatly reduced or eliminated.

The time it takes to do a calibration depends on your display and how easy and complete it's service menu or advanced user menu is. Most flat panels take about 1.5-4 hours. Do I mind if owners watch me do a calibration? Usually not- in fact, it's great to be able to explain what I'm doing; but there will be some long, boring time lapses (some with all the lights off), so have a laptop or something else handy! If something has been really messed up on your TV, like if you went into the service mode and accidentally hit "reset" or if someone got into something they shouldn't have, warn me ahead of time.

Many people have wondered if performing an ISF calibration will make all displays look more or less the same. The reality is that while a calibration will get the most out of your display, there will still be significant performance differences. It's somewhat like the differences between 2 different speakers after they have both been equalized and optimally placed in a room.

The grayscale, CMS, and other tweaks combine to make a significant improvement in the enjoyment of your set. If you need advice or help in choosing a brand, feel free to email me or check out the Home Theater Forum.

Note: Not all adjustments or procedures are available or necessary on every set.

ISF calibration: $375

• Calibrate user controls with test DVD/Blu Ray and HDTV generator. All used inputs (HDMI, DVI, component, s-video, composite, VGA) and scan rates (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080P/24, and 1080P/60) are included.
• ISFccc and Pure mode adjustment for Pioneer Elite Kuros
• THX mode adjustment for Panasonic and LG panels
• Calibrate CMS, gamma, and any other available control
• Center user controls
• Adjust gray scale to D6500
• Provide before and after gray scale and measurement graphs if requested

Calibration went Great. Chad was a wealth of knowledge and did a superb job. I've got some .pdfs that show before and after that I can post when I get home. I was really shocked by the difference. Chad actually said the grey levels were almost perfect, so kudos to you for the good eye JSB.

Chad changed my settings to Cinema, got the Gama Curve, color balance, and errors almost perfect. The TV is now brighter and more colorfull than it ever was. Watched Transformers post settings, and all the color and picture problems I experienced with JSB's settings had gone. It was well worth the $375. Contrast ratio ouput doubled and the Lumens output went way up as well. I think he said to 46. The TV has the pop I was looking for. My brother, who is cheap, but an extreme electronics freak even said he thought it was worth it and is planning on getting it done to his next set.

-P-Rizzle, AVS forum

I'd list my settings but it would not get you far. He set the TV to cinema as he mentioned it has the best gamma curve usually. After that all other tweaks where done in the service menu, he did not touch any of the brightness, color, sharpness, etc settings in the standard menus. They came out being just where the needed to be after the service menu changes.

Anyway just thought I would through it out there for those who where looking to get it done. I can def recommend him, he did a stellar job compared to the last guy I used.

-Mikecoscia, AVS forum

-Rocketman253, AVS forum
 

I just had my 700 calibrated by chad b. I waited for three long months after buying it. All i can say is SUPERB! My wife was first hesitant, then when she saw the picture, she said, WOW.

-Catmonv, AVS forum