# TV Calibration, two times for day/night?



## Emuc64

So that I don't hijack another poster's thread regarding TV Calibration, I've started a new one. 

My understanding is that TV calibration will be different depending on room specification (e.g. furniture, flooring, lighting, etc). If one were to calibrate a tv, via disc or professionally done, does it happen twice for rooms with windows?

My tv is in my living room that has a fair amount of windows. Daytime lighting is most definitely different than nighttime. So, I'd have to have two calibrations done, correct? One setting for the day that can be saved to a setting like "standard" and another at night for a "movie" setting?


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## lcaillo

Yes. Both the black level and the color of the ambient light will be affected and if you want the best performance you should calibrate under both conditions.


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## Emuc64

lcaillo said:


> Yes. Both the black level and the color of the ambient light will be affected and if you want the best performance you should calibrate under both conditions.


Thanks very much. I've always read about calibration for room settings, but no one that I can recall has ever suggested doing it more than once for scenarios like the one stated above.


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## donnymac

Emuc64 said:


> Thanks very much. I've always read about calibration for room settings, but no one that I can recall has ever suggested doing it more than once for scenarios like the one stated above.


Most high end displays now have special calibration modes to accomodate day and night time viewing. They are usually called isf/day and isf/night. A standard calibration will usually set you up for a day and night mode.


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## Alan Brown

Emuc64 said:


> So that I don't hijack another poster's thread regarding TV Calibration, I've started a new one.
> 
> My understanding is that TV calibration will be different depending on room specification (e.g. furniture, flooring, lighting, etc). If one were to calibrate a tv, via disc or professionally done, does it happen twice for rooms with windows?
> 
> My tv is in my living room that has a fair amount of windows. Daytime lighting is most definitely different than nighttime. So, I'd have to have two calibrations done, correct? One setting for the day that can be saved to a setting like "standard" and another at night for a "movie" setting?


"Day/night" is simply shorthand for two sets of calibration settings memories: one for dark room viewing conditions and one for brighter room lighting. No video display can deliver its best image in bright viewing conditions due to the inevitable contamination from screen reflections and other factors, some of which are related to the human visual system's perceptual characteristics.:rubeyes: Video programs are mastered in dark room conditions with color correct bias lighting.:sneeky: "Day" or bright room viewing conditions are, at best, still a compromise.:sn: Ultimate image fidelity is only available when reference viewing conditions are provided. This article explains in more detail why this is so: 'The Importance Of Viewing Environment Conditions In A Reference Display System.'

I have read many times in forum discussions where it is recommended to calibrate a viewer's TV under their "normal" viewing conditions. This advice ignores the fact that most consumers have never been instructed regarding the limitations of video displays and human visual perception. Most viewers intuitively recognize that their TV looks best when viewed in a darkened room. Understanding why and how this works can solve specific problems with video performance. If we all lived only by intuition, the world would be very different.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"


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