LCD/Plasma/CRT/DLP - questions

[jimtendo]

Anyone got any good calibration settings for the Benq GL2750HM LED monitor?

Currently got brightness at 30-35
Contrast at 57
Sharpness at 3 (out of 5)

I've left the RGB range in the monitor at 0-255

Using HDMI for both.

I've heard that for XBOX 360/ PS3 it's ok to put RGB to expanded, because its more suited to monitors?
And the black/white should not be crushed? As it was when I tried full/ expanded RGB settings on my LCD TV.

Lyris, calibration god, I need advice!

[Lyris]

Never used one of those, but go here:

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

Brightness is black level, so follow the black level instructions there to make sure the lowest shades are still visible.

Contrast does different things on different monitors. Usually it's a backlight control, in which case set it so it's comfy to look at. Sometimes it's a backlight AND white level control combined, so set it so it's comfy and make sure bright white objects aren't crushed (white crush looks like an overexposed photograph only uglier).

I've heard that for XBOX 360/ PS3 it's ok to put RGB to expanded, because its more suited to monitors?
And the black/white should not be crushed? As it was when I tried full/ expanded RGB settings on my LCD TV.

Basically if the blacks look grey, change the setting, if not just leave it alone.

[Soundwave]

Anyone got any good calibration settings for the Benq GL2750HM LED monitor?

Currently got brightness at 30-35
Contrast at 57
Sharpness at 3 (out of 5)

I've left the RGB range in the monitor at 0-255

Using HDMI for both.

I've heard that for XBOX 360/ PS3 it's ok to put RGB to expanded, because its more suited to monitors?
And the black/white should not be crushed? As it was when I tried full/ expanded RGB settings on my LCD TV.

Lyris, calibration god, I need advice!

See you have access to a PS3 if you want I have a HDTV setup disc that you can borrow if you like??

Its the DVE disc like this one...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Video-Essentials-Basics-Blu-ray/dp/B000V6LST0

It worked pretty well setting up my G20 so might be worth a shot with yours??

Neil

[jimtendo]

Never used one of those, but go here:

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

Brightness is black level, so follow the black level instructions there to make sure the lowest shades are still visible.

Contrast does different things on different monitors. Usually it's a backlight control, in which case set it so it's comfy to look at. Sometimes it's a backlight AND white level control combined, so set it so it's comfy and make sure bright white objects aren't crushed (white crush looks like an overexposed photograph only uglier).

Basically if the blacks look grey, change the setting, if not just leave it alone.

Thanks for that link.
I downloaded the pictures and tried them via USB on the PS3, but somehow the colours seem a bit off when trying the adjust the brightness during the black level test. As I think my monitor does the brightness & contrast all in one (the contrast button) as the brightness button really controls the backlight as such.
When setting it to a level where I can just see the first square (contrast: 65) the white level gets crushed, and does what you describe, so the white turns off colour and slightly yellow/ cream colour.

There's a Xbox Live arcade calibration app (found within Xbox Indie games as 'TV calibration') and tried that out. That seems ok, but more tinkering needed.

As for RGB settings (either standard/ intermediate/ full) It seems that both consoles will have to be set on 'Full' as when trying the Xbox TV calibrator, anything other than 'Full' and the blacks are just grey and washed out. The only time when they are 'black/ black' is when the contrast settings are practically near the 0-10 value.

Lyris, what do you think of the Spyder calibrators?
More specifically the Spyder4TV one?

http://spyder.datacolor.com/portfolio-view/spyder4tv-hd/

See you have access to a PS3 if you want I have a HDTV setup disc that you can borrow if you like??
Its the DVE disc like this one...
It worked pretty well setting up my G20 so might be worth a shot with yours??

Neil

Neil, I might take you up on that offer. Though at the moment I'll mess about with it a little longer to find a decent balance. I'll let you know when I need assistance.
Cheers though!

[Lyris]

If you want to calibrate a video device like a PS3, don't use those test patterns. Instead use a test disc like DVE or the free AVSHD disc (Google it, you can download and burn to a recordable BD or DVD).

Regarding Spyder: the calibration meters themselves are decent for the price, but the software wizards that guide you through the process are not so good. I tested one out on request and it made a total mess - it's just too simplistic to work properly, and didn't tell the user to do vital things like turn off all the TV's gimmick features.

Have a look at the charts here (which should basically be straight lines) to see what the basic software did: http://forums.hdtvtest.co.uk/index.p...17761#msg17761

If you want to calibrate Greyscale, Gamma and Colour, shoot me a PM and I can loan you a DTP94 meter I have lying around as a spare. It's more accurate than a Spyder will be. Just be sure you have time to spare to learn this stuff, sadly none of it is very obvious at first, although there are probably some good guides online.

[PaTaito]

Quick question lyris, having received my TX-P50ST50 plasma, and trying out the settings off hdtv test, the image looks much improved in every area apart from one.....black crush.

The colours are visibly improved, and flicking back to basic cinema mode from true cinema(with settings applied) reveals the green tint that runs through the image out of the box. The colour, contrast, and upper greyscale all look fantastic, but i'd say around the lowest 20% of the grayscale looks crushed.

Is this because the setting isnt tv specific, or is it something you have to live with for having such inky blacks?

Its not unbearable with bluray, but sdtv and such exhibit the issue much more.

Also, and i know its a big ask, but seeing as you have the 50" st50 can you share the true cinema settings you use, just so i can see the variation with the 42" settings i currently use off hdtv test.

I know its no guarantee of a better picture, but it might be closer being the same size panel.

[Lyris]

It's impossible to say without seeing (or measuring) the specific panel. As you say, you can't copy settings from unit to unit, although in your case it sounds like it's made some sort of improvement.

Have you set the Brightness control using a test disc like Spears & Munsil, AVSHD, or DVE?

Also, what gamma setting are you using? That's specific to your viewing environment. Are the ones on HDTVtest the ones I posted? If so, I'll probably have recommended using "2.6" setting (which is actually 2.4) since I tend to watch in dimmer lighting conditions. "2.4" (actually 2.2) will reveal more black detail if your irises are closed more (if you're in a brighter room).

[PaTaito]

It's impossible to say without seeing (or measuring) the specific panel. As you say, you can't copy settings from unit to unit, although in your case it sounds like it's made some sort of improvement.

Have you set the Brightness control using a test disc like Spears & Munsil, AVSHD, or DVE?

Also, what gamma setting are you using? That's specific to your viewing environment. Are the ones on HDTVtest the ones I posted? If so, I'll probably have recommended using "2.6" setting (which is actually 2.4) since I tend to watch in dimmer lighting conditions. "2.4" (actually 2.2) will reveal more black detail if your irises are closed more (if you're in a brighter room).

I havent used any disc to do any basic calibration, my plan was to scour the internet for a couple of calibrated settings and see if i can find one that visibly looks accurate. The one i am using as i say does, but for the crushed blacks at the lower end. The gamma setting i am using is 2.4 on the set as per your st42 calibration settings.

Have you noticed any variation between that model and the 50" you own?

[Lyris]

If you're eyeballing it, what are you using as a reference? With copied settings, it's more likely that you've traded one tint for a less obvious one.

And yeah, the 50" I own needs totally different settings, like all displays.

Definitely go through the basic setup steps on something like DVE, AVSHD, S&M, or at a stretch, even the THX optimizer on DVDs.

[PaTaito]

If you're eyeballing it, what are you using as a reference? With copied settings, it's more likely that you've traded one tint for a less obvious one.

And yeah, the 50" I own needs totally different settings, like all displays.

Definitely go through the basic setup steps on something like DVE, AVSHD, S&M, or at a stretch, even the THX optimizer on DVDs.

Well i checked side by side with my old 10 series calibrated commercial panel. and it looked excellent.

Ah well i was looking for an easy "that'll do" fix but i guess i'll just stick with basic true cinema settings. Do you still recommend the 14 steps from full contrast, factory brightness, and -2 steps from the colour? even if not calibrating white point and colour?

[TonyDA]

Apologies if this isn't the correct place to post, but are there any good reference sites regarding buying a new blu-ray player? Am buying a house in the next few weeks, and have a budget of around ?4k for an amp, speakers, TV and blu-ray player (have lived in a flat for the past ten years, so no scope for surround sound!) . I'm pretty settled on the amp/speaker/tv part, and had budgeted ?500-ish for a blu-ray player. Is this too much?

[Shozuki]

far too much mate, you can get a Pioneer LX55 for about ?250 and it's pretty brill! You can spend the rest getting it modded or buying a pre-modded one...

[TonyDA]

Thanks - thought that was going to be the case. Do you know of any reputable sites for buying modded/multi-region players?

[Shozuki]

got mine from here:

http://www.mrmdvd.com/catalog/

[Lyris]

Apologies if this isn't the correct place to post, but are there any good reference sites regarding buying a new blu-ray player? Am buying a house in the next few weeks, and have a budget of around ?4k for an amp, speakers, TV and blu-ray player (have lived in a flat for the past ten years, so no scope for surround sound!) . I'm pretty settled on the amp/speaker/tv part, and had budgeted ?500-ish for a blu-ray player. Is this too much?

You don't need to spend that much on a BD player unless you want a luxury-styled item, or analogue surround audio outputs. You can buy a cheap player and get the same quality (assuming you're using HDMI for video and audio), provided you ignore the players that screw with the video (Panasonic don't provided the setup is correct).

I got a Panasonic DMP-BDT120 free with my plasma. The BDT220 is the logical one to buy if you have to pay though (costs the same and has built in wireless networking). The video quality in the "Custom" picture mode is reference - untampered with. I measured one here to confirm: http://forums.hdtvtest.co.uk/index.p...=7206.msg17457

What's more, it can be soft-modded to be region switchable. You have to visit www.firmwareinfo.com and pay a 30 euro (minimum) donation for modded firmware. Once that's done you can switch regions with a few remote presses. You'll need a CD-R (yes, not DVD-R, that apparently won't do) to feed the hacked firmware to the BD player though.

I'm delighted with this solution because it's a no-BS item that just works properly, and I didn't have to pay an extortionate fee for being able to switch regions.