# SpectraCal 2010 Professional Boot Camp Calibration Training



## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Jeff Murray, formerly with Sencore, now President of SpectrCal Sales, Inc. has been touring the US, giving one day classes for Professionals (8 hours) and a shorter class for enthusiasts. They have been demonstrating the new version 4 of CalMAN software, as well as the new DVDO Duo processor, the VideoEQ processor, the Lumagen Radiance processor, the Quantum signal generator and HDMI tester, and other products that they sell as well as providing calibration training with hands on time with various displays, probes, and processors. 

I attended the class in Tampa and will be putting together notes on some of the content and products and posting here, but will likely not have time to do so for a couple of weeks. If anyone has any questions about any of these products or the new software, I will be happy to answer them.

Generally, the class is rather ambitious for one day, hitting the high points and focusing on questions as needed for the audience needs. Those attending were a surprising mix of professionals from a number of industries that use video displays, as well as home theater techs and calibrators. Jeff's delivery and preparation were average, IME, not having the personality of someone like Joel Silver of ISF, but he does have a great deal of experience with lots of different products and test equipment, and provides a broader view of the available equipment and its best application. Overall, I found it a useful day, mostly by being able to try out some processors that I had not previously calibrated with. The calibration and video science content was nothing new, but was likely useful for many of the attendees.

I have been a Beta tester of the version 4 software, but frankly had not used it since one of the very early Beta releases. I had some issues with it and never got any response to my comments from anyone at SpectraCal, and have been busy with other matters, so I never returned to it. It is a VERY ambitous program. It is also VERY good and will do so much that no other program will do that I have to say I was impressed. I was not impressed with a few bugs, but we were not using the final release for the class, but a late release candidate. I presume that they have most of those worked out. SpectraCal has obviously devoted a great deal of programming effort into this version, and the result is going to dominate the business. The ability to automate calibration and work interactively with direct interfaces to the various processors (this is implemented now) and displays (coming, but I understand the Panasonic interface is very close) results in greater accuracy in very short periods of time with the right equipment. The smoothness of the integration for using multiple probes profiled to one another to take advantage of their inherent strengths will make this practice quite the norm for many calibrators who simply have not done so in the past.

More to come on the software and the processors...


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I'm signed up for the September class in Minneapolis. :T And I too experienced some of the early bugs in the early beta releases. I rarely got any of the beta versions to run. And when I did they were very limited. I am encouraged that they've released the final version though.

My biggest issue with v4 though is backward compatibility. None of the saved files from previous versions are compatible with v4. That's a game breaker for me. I have a lot of screen/paint/calibration data saved that I want to be able access. And I can't do that with v4. I have it installed but I have yet to try the released version. I'm waiting for v4.1 to have, what I consider, a major fix.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

I was not aware of data incompatability. That is a real problem if they have not fixed it.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I'm unsure if they're taking it seriously or not. I would hope so. My guess would be that a pro calibrator would like to be able to bring up a previous calibration of the same set in one program. Right now you have to hang on to v3.7 in order to view the old data.

I put up a request at their forum for this to be included. I'll go check on it.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

They did take it seriously! :T There is currently a Customer Database Importer over there for testing. 

Good job Spectracal!! :clap:


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

It really is a well thought out program. There were a few things that did not work in the version that we used, but Jeff says that they are fixed in the released version. I would be very surprised if that is not functional. We have to be able to access and use old data.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

After further review, the importer did nothing more than import my name, address, etc. It did not import my data. And apparently that was all it was designed to do. 

I'll be sticking with 3.7 for a spell longer I guess. :rolleyesno:


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I finally got to sit down and actually work with version 4 for awhile on Friday evening. Profiling a meter has become a dream. You can profile a meter simultaneously with your spectro. It did burp a couple times. But I'm pretty sure it was the USB ports because I switched to a powered hub and the burps never surfaced again. I'm going to play with it some more to try and determine how the data is tied to the workflow. I'll have to create some custom workflows and get a lot of readings. May take some time.

One thing that I really do like about version 4 is that it's a lot easier on the eyes. Calibrating a projector usually involves a dark room. And the old bright layout did cause some eye strain.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

I still have not had time to work with it, and likely will not for another couple of weeks. Last week I was out at scout camp with the boys all week, this week will be catching up, then next week we have the NESDA convention and training in Nashville most of the week.

I will be interested to get your feedback on the class, mech. It is very ambitious, trying to get so much into one day.


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## louerhardt (Jul 19, 2010)

The remaining dates on this tour are:

Philadelphia, PA – July 30
New York, NY - Aug. 3
Boston, MA – Aug. 6
Pittsburgh, PA – Aug. 10
Cleveland, OH – Aug. 13
Toronto, ON – Aug. 17
Detroit, MI – Aug. 20
Cincinnati, OH – Aug. 24
Chicago, IL – Aug. 27
Milwaukee, WI – Aug. 31
Minneapolis, MN – Sept. 2
Sioux Falls, SD – Sept. 3

There is an 8am - 5pm hands-on session for the Pros, and an introductory 3 hr evening session from 6-9 pm.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

louerhardt, are you affiliated with Spectracal?


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## louerhardt (Jul 19, 2010)

lcaillo said:


> louerhardt, are you affiliated with Spectracal?


Yes I am. I should have clarified that, my apologies. I am the manager for enthusiast market sales for SpectraCal.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Thank you for the information, Lou. I hope some of our users will find it useful and choose to take the class. We look forward to your contributions to the forum. I noted that you have a rental deal on some meters that enthusiasts may find useful. Which ones do you do that for and does the into session get someone to the point where they would be able to DIY a calibration? I think lots of our users are going to fall into the category that you deal with at Spectracal and I would like to expand our offerings in this area for them.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

Welcome to the Shack Lou! :T


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## louerhardt (Jul 19, 2010)

Thank you for the warm welcome! To answer your question, currently we are just experimenting with the rental program on the ColorMunki. We're trying to emphasize the importance and benefits of meter profiling. For those that don't have a spectrophotometer, this is a great way to transfer that accuracy over to your tristimulus meter(s). For those using the new software version, this is as simple as selecting your target and reference meters in the dropdown boxes.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

I see. So someone who has a less expensive meter could rent it, profile their meter to the CM, and perhaps get better results on sets that require a spectrophotometer?


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## louerhardt (Jul 19, 2010)

Exactly. Essentially the spectro meter creates a profile looking at the spectral characteristics of your specific display. That information is used as a reference and then transfered to your tristimulus meter. You then get the best of both worlds: Increased accuracy from the Spectro, Increased low light sensitivity and measurement speed from the Tristim.

We do the same procedure using a $30k Spectroradiometer as a reference to add profiles on our meters before they ship. In our case, we're using reference displays in our labs that have been found to behave with typical spectral characteristics for a given technology (LCD, LED, CRT, etc). In the users' cases, they can now do this on their own display(s). This is very helpful since displays will slightly vary with their unique spectral characteristics, even when comparing among the same technology.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Are you considering a rental program that includes a limited time use of the software and meter? It seems to me that many may want to DIY a calibration and not invest in the equipment and software for a one time use.


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## louerhardt (Jul 19, 2010)

Good question! We don't really have a way to rent the software, since the calibrator is purchasing a key. In those cases (for a one-time calibration) we would be happy to recommend a nearby CalMAN Professional to assist you. There are very accurate and powerful tools available to pros, and many of the ISF calibrators are offering fairly robust calibrations for about $300 or so. That varies slightly by area and on your specific needs.

For the DIY folk, we _DO_ also offer some very nice entry-level packages for a bit less than that. Even if you are new to calibrating, you can easily remain budget-conscientious and still have access to all the support channels we have available. It is also worthy of mention that as displays age and change, so does their performance. Thus, annual or semi-annual recalibrations are often recommended to maintain optimum performance. This is another definite advantage (economically speaking) for the do-it-yourselfer.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

lcaillo said:


> I will be interested to get your feedback on the class, mech. It is very ambitious, trying to get so much into one day.


Will do Len. The class was full and due to my lousy yahoo email account, I didn't verify my registration until yesterday. Steve Jackson helped me get into the course. :T 

I was actually shocked at the response from the professional side. I really didn't think it would fill up but it did rather quickly. Steve tells me there's not as much enthusiasm for the Enthusiast course though. It may be canceled if there aren't more sign-ups. So if there are any calibration enthusiasts out there near Minneapolis, I'd recommend going just so you can understand the process better. I'd bet you can learn more in this short 3 hour course than you can browsing the internet. I guess I shouldn't say 'more', but you'll get the info you need quicker. If anyone is interested they can sign up here.

I've used version 4 a couple times so far and I like what I see. But I haven't put it through the paces like I did with version 3. I really need to get through the tutorials so that I can create some custom layouts.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

In my opinion, they need to offer the enthusiast class as a less formal demonstration as sort of a "clinic" at some willing dealer and do it for free. They also need to have an online class available at a very nominal price that covers the basics of color science, as well as a free class to prep one for that level of training. The Pro class should require the online basic class as a prerequisite then focus more on the hands on actual calibration of several sets of different types.

Hopefully, they will decide to get a little better organized for next year and offer classes that better address the needs of their users and potential users at all levels. That is not a criticism only of the Spectracal classes but ISF as well. Both ISF and THX have recognized that you don't get much done in one day when you have to teach people the basic science. What they have missed is that the basics could be covered in a tutorial, online interactive, or other distance learning manner and not have to take up valuable class time. It is also a waste for those who already know the basics.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I attended the class today. I'll have more on it later. For now just a brief overview. 

My class was held by Jaime Miller though, not Jeff Murray. Steve Jackson was also there. These are all former Sencore folks. Apparently they have gotten out of this business and Spectracal stepped in to pick up the slack. Pat Bradley was there as well. Steve said he's one of the top 4 or 5 in the field. :T He was a pretty decent guy and was very approachable. For some reason I didn't expect that. 

I thought that the class was fairly good. Keep in mind that I have taken no classes to date on any of this. The mix between hands on and classroom was perfect. I'd guess it was 30% classroom and about 70% hands on. 

There were 4 LED and 1 CCFL in the room. I was hoping there would be a projector (I'd heard they had a Runco with them in the past) but there wasn't. Other than the presentation pj hanging from the ceiling. They had 3 Klein K10s, 2 Chroma 5s and an i1pro. I was a bit disappointed there were no Minoltas in the room. But Pat did have his PR670 though. That made up for some of it. :bigsmile:

They also had 2 DVDO iScan Duos, 2 Lumagen Radiance (I believe they both were the XD or XE model), and 1 VideoEQ Pro processors available.

All of the stations but one had the Quantum Data 780 signal generator (I want one!!!). I never did look at that fifth station to see what they had there. There was no sign of the Spectracal DPG-1200. Unless it was at that fifth station. 

One of the main things that I learned, and it really caught me by surprise, was that I knew as much (in several cases more) than some of the professional folks in the room. There was one other enthusiast in the room other than myself.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

I am not surprised. Many professionals are poorly educated on the basic science. This seriously limits the hands on experience, IMO. I have been suggesting that they develop an online class as a prerequisite for their on site classes that would cover the basics. The focus of the classes where you have people and equipment present should be the calibration process and the effects on the image. There is a large disconnect between the adjustments, the precision, and the visible effects that often lead calibrators and enthusiasts to get sidetracked on one area while completely missing the significance of another that may be more meaningful to improvements in the image.

I will be interested to hear more about what you got from the class, both positive and negative. It sounds like there were no PDPs so I guess they did not show support for direct control of parameters on the Panasonics with version 4? That is supposed to be the first for which they will have the interface complete, according to the class I took. Any word on when that will happen?


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

The only word I heard on the direct interface was that it was coming. It was the first I'd heard of it and it was the first exposure I've had to video processors. It sounds pretty interesting as the remote buttons and the menu interface can be troublesome at times during the calibration process. Why manufacturers don't put the menu and it's structure in a different location on some of these sets has always bothered me. The video processors take both of those out of the equation and I'd guess the direct interface will be seamless as well.

And yeah, I agree with the online idea. It'd be nice to have all of the classroom things as an online course. I should have put that on the comment sheet. It was nice getting some of the direct comments about some of the items covered from both Jaime and Pat though. But that could be put into an online course.

To be honest, I was just happy that they came up here. Every time I look at the THX courses it's always down south or in Seattle. I keep waiting for that Midwest course. :huh:

I'll go through my notes tomorrow for you. :T


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I had Jaime take some pictures for me while I was working on a set with a fellow from Collins Electric. I'm the handsome chap in the gray shirt with horizontal white stripes. You can see Steve Jackson taking pictures as well.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I brought up the online class and the direct interface release with Steve Jackson.



> Tentative date? Very good question. I am told that we are going to have additions to the list for the Cedia Expo –
> 
> We are working on some on line training initiatives right now so your suggestion is a good one. We agree completely.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

Took me a bit longer than I thought to go through my notes but here goes my best attempt to answer Leonard's (lcaillo) question about what I got, both positive and negative, from the class.

Some of the positives:

Meeting professionals in my area
Finding out that my knowledge is on par with most of these professionals
Confirming my knowledge of video calibration
Getting hands on time with CalMAN version 4 (I didn't get much time with it during the beta or since the release)
Getting hands on time with the various equipment (Klein K10, Chroma 5, Lumagen Radiance, DVDO iScan Duo, VideoEQ Pro, Quantum Data 780, etc.)
Getting to know the techniques that pros use (Pat Bradley for instance)
Hands on time with direct interface calibration with the three video processors available

The negatives:

Course-wise, there really wasn't much new to me
I would have liked to have had more exposure to a wider variety of equipment (Minolta, Optronics, other generators and displays)
Almost all of the calibration done was from the ISF work flow - which isn't available to myself as an enthusiast
Limited time frame - 8 (9 with lunch) hour class
No discussion of work flows 

Overall I think it was worth it just to be able to see what was out there from a professional point of view. I had no exposure to any video processors or signal generators up to this point. It was great to be able see the various equipment in action. 

And as I've said several times, I was very pleased to know that I was on par (or actually a few steps ahead in a couple cases) with these folks in the class. I went into it thinking I was going to be the confused one of the bunch but I think I impressed a couple of folks. Including Jaime Miller when he was talking about screens and someone was saying that the Black Diamond was the best screen out there. I told him that I didn't agree and why and Jaime piped in that he thought that the best ambient light rejecting screen would probably be the dnp Supernova. And he added "But who's ever seen one of those?" It was nice to be the only one in the room to say "I have. Manfred Freiberger sent me a demo of it to review." I think I got a little bit of respect at that point.

One thing that I wish would have been discussed was creating custom work flows. I had several set up with version 3.X and I wouldn't have minded a brief overview of how it works in version 4. I know they have a tutorial on it somewhere - either within CalMAN itself or on their web page. But I still wouldn't have minded spending a half hour on it in class. It's my understanding that a lot of the professionals have their own way of doing things and they like their layout to coincide with this.

Overall though, I kept wondering if this was really a class or an attempt to bring all of the former Sencore clients into the fold and show them new equipment and it's capabilities. And maybe make a few sales in the end. I don't know. But I do know that I had a good time and it was well worth it for me. Supposedly they'll be doing it again in a year or so. If it's the same thing I won't attend. If it's something new, I'll probably attend. I probably should have asked for the Enthusiast workbook just to see what was covered in that class. But it never occurred to me until a few days ago.

I'm going to be working on a CalMAN calibration write up in the coming weeks. I'm also going to do one for ChromaPure.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

OK I forgot one thing that I wanted to discuss. My favorite thing from the class was the calibration using the video processors via direct interface with CalMAN. I had no idea this was out there. It was incredibly easy to do and easy to dial in the displays to rec 709 standards. The only difference between the three was their speed. The VideoEQ Pro was the slowest, then the DVDO iScan Duo, and the Radiance was the fastest. It seemed like the VideoEQ took about a minute longer than the Duo. And about a minute and a half longer than the Radiance. I didn't time them but that's what I recall it seeming like. So for the extra money you get to Rec709 quicker. But is it worth $2600 extra? :spend: :huh:


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