THX/ISF Video Calibrator Introduction

[greg_di]

Hello,

I recently had Mike come by to calibrate my Panasonic 60" GT50 in Bolton. I had the set downstairs in the basement.

I had both 2d and 3d calibrated during this session. Mike went through everything he was doing and I definitely learned a lot about video display (especially that the colors of the wall could make a huge difference on which setting should be used (dark or day) and also learned a lot about the calibration process. He went step by step with what he was doing and answered every question I had.

I thought the original THX setting Pansonic offers looked very good but after the calibration and after seeing the changes on the graph Mike provides at the end of the session the set now looks incredible, I really didn't think it would make such a big difference but wow! Colors are now stunning, White detail is great and the blacks are incredible. You can see so much more in the picture now and you also know you are seeing exactly how the director wanted you to see the movie.

I highly recommend Mike and will definitely be using him again if I get another set or to re-calibrate this one sometime down the road when the set gets older.

Thanks again Mike!

[Murrayb]

I had Mike in to do a THX calibration on my new Panasonic P65VT60 this past week. My experience was the same as everyone else who has posted - amazing. Mike is an incredibly nice guy who is extremely knowledgeable about all things video. He explained every step of the process and answered all my questions. The nearly 4 hours to do the calibration flew by. And the result? Well, amazing pretty much sums it up. I was a little disappointed with the picture on the Panny out of the box and after my own tweaks as it wasn't close to the replaced 50" Kuro (relegated to the family room), which had been calibrated. The pictures weren't even close. After Mike did his magic, well, the Panny's picture is now simply stunning. Colours are rich, whites and blacks are crisp and the picture simply pops. Love it.

There is simply no question that having a professional calibration done to your tv is worth the money. Without it, you are simply not getting value for the money that you sink into the set or any where close to the best picture that your tv can produce. I highly recommend Mike and won't hesitate to use him again.

[geedeecee]

Mike came to my house in Cambridge on a Sunday morning and calibrated my 65VT50. He was here for several hours and I was well educated during that time. He is a very nice guy and knowledgeable about so many things. It was a pleasure to have him in my home discussing a variety of topics. I am glad that I was able to connect with him and have my panel calibrated. The picture in 2D and 3D is amazing. Thanks Mike.
Gerry

[kevininoakville]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for doing such a great job on my Plasma! WOW, looks amazing!!!!! HD, 3d, all looks good! Thanks again!!!

[stengel]

Mike came to our house in St.Williams during the Christmas holidays and did a calibration on our JVC RS45 front projector.Great guy very knowledgeable. I was pleased with results. I feel it is well worth the investment knowing it is now at its best . I would recommend Mike with out hesitation.

[Jazz-e]

I had Mike come out during the holidays to set up my Sharp LC-60LE845U. While at first I was getting used to the oversaturated picture it was displaying, I quickly realized after calibration how much more natural the picture can look.

Spending the extra money on calibration after you spend 2200 on a tv was a hard sell with the wife however she agrees the picture looks better. Anytime you can get a women to agree with you, something was done right don't you think?

[Suave]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the calibration with us Jazz-e. I find that especially LCD and LED TVs benefit from a calibration because most of them produce a pretty artificial picture out of the box.

Yes, the extra money on a calibration may not be easy to come up with... but if you consider the amount of time you watch TV, it is usually well worth it

[GBlack88]

I had Mike out to calibrate the new tv I purchased. I pulled some settings from the internet thinking that it would make a difference in viewing, boy was I wrong. Mike came out and ran the first set of diagnostics on the tv and the settings were way out of whack. He explained everything that was involved in the process in layman terms so that it was understandable. He just didn't jump in and DO, he explained as he went along. The process took about 3.5 hours to do and Mike was more happy to answer all of my questions as we went along. I never knew that there were so many steps in getting the best picture possible. He took his time and made tweek after tweek to get the settings to the best possible range, there was no rush. After it was all finished and the tv was ready for viewing he ran a test Blu ray - what a huge difference in the picture from what it was originally set to, it was like looking through a window, unbelievable clarity. Then it was HD tv time and the hockey game - it was as if you were sitting against the glass at the arena, again the clarity was incredible. Mike was professional, friendly and very approachable on any and all questions I had. I never thought that having a tv calibrated was neccessary - I was wrong. You most certainly should get it done and I would recommend that you get in touch with Mike. I have already advised 2 of my collegaues to give him a call. I am now THX cerified and have Mike to thank for it. Great work Mike you really are the best out there.

[Suave]

Thanks for sharing this experience with us GBlack88! That's the great thing about Mike - he'll explain everything to you about the calibration, in as much or as little detail as you'd like. I would imagine that this gives TV owners a whole new perspective and appreciation of the TV/movie watching experience. I know it did that for me

It'd be great if you properly introduced yourself to us on the forum, along with a list of your gear and couple of pictures perhaps. The Member Galleries thread is here: http://canadahifi.com/forum/forumdis...6-Home-Theater

[DundasHiFi]

I had been told that calibration of a plasma monitor is recommended. Did not think much of it when I first got my plasma monitor, a Panasonic TC-P65VT30.

I am not one to tweak the monitor too much and so thought I'd give Mike a call, who was highly recommended from the store where I had bought my equipment.

Regarding Mike, he was very professional and very cordial. He was quite generous with his time and was willing to answer as many questions as I had.

Regarding the end result, the difference was quite remarkable and noticeable right from the start. My wife also appreciated the difference on first viewing and we watched a few movies that same evening.

In a nutshell, a very pleasant and professional experience and a great result. Where one just wants to make sure that things look great without sweating the small stuff, this is highly recommended.