# HDTV calibration



## rambo64 (Aug 2, 2010)

Can anyone report on the effectiveness of the Monster HDTV Calibration DVD? Does it really work or is it just a waste of money? Want to get my TV near perfection if possible without calling in an expensive tech to do it.


----------



## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

There are better discs for the same or less money that don't help fuel one of the worst companies, home theater or otherwise, to ever exist. Look for Joe Kane's DVE, AVIA, or Spears and Munsil right here in the shask store: http://www.hometheatershack.com/hom...bluray-16295751-calibration+dvd-sr-1-DVD.html


----------



## DeBo (Feb 14, 2010)

I like these disc better. Each has their own advantages.
Spears & Munsil
DVE HD Basics
Avia II


----------



## rambo64 (Aug 2, 2010)

Thanks Eugo, Debo,

I had never heard of those dvds. Without buying all of them which do you think is best overall for a 73 inch Toshiba DLP?


----------



## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Any of them would be good, but if I had to generalize:
If you're a beginner, go with AVIA. Lots of general HT knowledge on there in plain speak.
I haven't seen it yet, but Spears and Munsil seems to be getting lots of buzz as the new standard. Go with this if you need something more advanced.
Joe Kane's DVE is a classic. Go with this if you've used and liked DVE in the past, or you trust Joe's expertise above all others.

Can't go wrong with any of the 3 really.


----------



## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

Avia is great. You can go directly to the test patterns you need OR you can watch the many tutorials on how to use each pattern to dial in your TV. 

DVE is great if you know how to use the patterns. No experience with the others.


----------



## rambo64 (Aug 2, 2010)

The Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray Edition with Bonus FREE BluScenes Coral Reef Aquarium Blu-ray Disc (SM-bundle) from BLUSCENES
$ 24.95


----------



## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

As has been noted, there are disks with much more to offer. The Monster/ISF disc is, however, a very good choice for a novice looking to learn how to use the basic controls on a display properly. It is very easy to follow and uses actual images similar to what you would normally watch instead of test patterns. The same info, BTW, is available in most versions of windows if you use a HTPC.

I don't like the term "calibration" applied to what you do with this disk, however. What you do is adjust your set visually. Calibration requires a set of standards and reference test equipment. The other disks with reference patterns might be used in calibration, but they may also be used to visually adjust a set. It becomes calibration when there are reference measurements involved that visually assessing the image does not provide.

With respect to Monster as a company, they have products that are reasonable values at times and this is one of them. I find most of their products overpriced, but then there are hundreds of other vendors selling the same kind of products for both more and less. Their tactics as a corporation have been extreme, IMO, but that does not keep me from considering their products when they represent a resonable value.


----------



## rambo64 (Aug 2, 2010)

lcaillo said:


> As has been noted, there are disks with much more to offer. The Monster/ISF disc is, however, a very good choice for a novice looking to learn how to use the basic controls on a display properly. It is very easy to follow and uses actual images similar to what you would normally watch instead of test patterns. The same info, BTW, is available in most versions of windows if you use a HTPC.
> 
> I don't like the term "calibration" applied to what you do with this disk, however. What you do is adjust your set visually. Calibration requires a set of standards and reference test equipment. The other disks with reference patterns might be used in calibration, but they may also be used to visually adjust a set. It becomes calibration when there are reference measurements involved that visually assessing the image does not provide.
> 
> With respect to Monster as a company, they have products that are reasonable values at times and this is one of them. I find most of their products overpriced, but then there are hundreds of other vendors selling the same kind of products for both more and less. Their tactics as a corporation have been extreme, IMO, but that does not keep me from considering their products when they represent a resonable value.



Got my new Spears & Munsil DVD today. Wouldn't say it was a waste of money but my TV was spot on except for the black tone, so I adjusted it and all is well. :T


----------



## tsteves (Dec 18, 2009)

The Monster disc is for people who don't want to think about it and just get a quickie nirvana feeling, and hopefully a pretty good improvement without much work. It's helpful for a lot of people, but it seems like it besmirches the ISF name. The others require a lot more thought and a certain amount of understanding. It's hard to recommend one over another since they approach things in different ways, and one may be easy to understand for one person, while another may be better for someone else. I currently like the S&M disc best, but it doesn't give the same type of explanations as the others. I have them all and still occasionally use them all for this or that, except the Monster one.


----------



## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

The Monster/ISF disk has very different purposes than these others, and it does them quite well. It is intended to educate people who are not professional calibrators and give them simple tools similar to what they may expect to see in actual programming to make basic adjustments to their displays. The videos are designed to show the difference between proper and improper settings in a way that most people who have never seen nor heard of a pluge nor have any idea what saturation and luminance mean.

Not everyone is a hobbyist like most users here. Most people just want to USE their sets to watch and enjoy television and movies and are not interested in much beyond assuring that their picture is decent. There is a lot that this large majority can learn and something like DVE or S&M are just not appropriate for everyone.

It is a tool. When used for the purpose it is intended it is quite good. I use it often when adjusting a set after repair when a calibration is not going to be done. It is NOT calibration and calling it that IS misleading. It is an educational tool and an aid in making user level adjustments. For that purpose it is fine.


----------



## tsteves (Dec 18, 2009)

lcaillo
I don't think that could be stated any better. I know they worked very hard on it to make it have the most easy to see and understand video examples they could come up with. I got one for free when they first came out during ISF training. My negativity is probably mostly because of the "M" word. I should probably dust it off and use it after adjustments or calibration and lose my snobby attitude towards it!


----------

