Yes I got a great deal on last years modelsaved over $1000
Yes I got a great deal on last years model
CANADA HiFi Video Contributor
I actually charge less then those prices than that Rochester person as listed by AlienTech even with the level of gear that I use (and I can legitimately claim that there isn't another calibrator that uses the same ultra high-end measuring instrument that I use in the field). If you are interested in a discussion on services you can PM or call me.
AlienTech - is this TV new or used? I'm only asking because you wrote "VT30" and the VT30s have been discontinued for about a year and replaced by the VT50.
It was a brand new unit left over from last year, I think they had 3 or 4 left.
What is a reasonable length of time to break-in a TV like this? I know of the colour and black level shift over time so I'd like to have it settled in before going for a calibration.
CANADA HiFi Video Contributor
There's typically been a rise in black level with Panasonic. The VT30 measures somewhere in the 0.0043fL Depending on how much the set is used over a period of time (I think the claim by Panasonic was somewhere in the era of 1500hrs), we expect the black level to increase by 0.002. In completely black rooms this would be mildly noticable. Over a year ago I had both ST30 and VT30 television in my house playing the same patterns. The difference between 0.0043fL and 0.0063fL is subtle but there. With any ambient light in the room (sun from closed shades, a small light turned on) it isn't noticable at all. The VT will give the best dynamic range because of the deeper black level.
A reasonable length of time is a few weeks just to make sure there aren't defective problems with the TV. Check to see if you need a firmware update with this TV before you get me in - I prefer to do the work after it's done. Measurably there isn't a difference between the TVs first month of use or three months of use. Plasma and LCD TVs don't "drift" enough in that short period of time to warrent waiting a long time. THX recommends 16 months before it needs to be 'touched up' from the original calibration, and even at that point it isn't far off. I have a client who calls me in on a yearly basis on the same panel and the difference was hardly measurable the first year, and slighly off the 2nd, and ditto for the 3rd (just minor adjustment needed). So it really depends on how long you want to watch your TV uncalibrated. There is no hard rule with 'hours' or 'slides' - that stuff's all placebo.
thanks for the info
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