Lets say I have a friend who has the same make and model television and that I have and this friend has his set professionally calibrated. Let's say I don't want to pay for a professional calibration; should I elect to copy his service menu setting would that be more likely to improve or degrade the quality of my picture?

In a similar scenario, let's say I have a friend who is not a pro, but knows how to use a color anaylizer and has spent a good deal of time in the service menu. I don't think this changes anything, but wanted to add it as a second scenario.

What are pros and cons of copying someones settings. Looking for opinions from pro calibrators

There is already a "sticky" thread discussing this topic at the top of this section of the forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1055906 . The short answer to your question is, it might help, or it might not.

Just about as accurate as saying your friend is sick and you feel sick, so you will just use his medication....... There are those who don't see a doctor till it's too late.........

Since you don't want to pay for a calibration, how much can you expect for "FREE" or at the expense of another? If you don't set your hopes too high, you won't be so disapointed.

Calibration and its results are real, nothing will change that fact. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself, you cannot get real, professional calibration results for free.

Just about as accurate as saying your friend is sick and you feel sick, so you will just use his medication....... Hmm. My analogy is that it is as likely to be effective as borrowing your friend's corrective eyeglasses. Nothing fatal but rarely useful.

Hmm. My analogy is that it is as likely to be effective as borrowing your friend's corrective eyeglasses. Nothing fatal but rarely useful.That's a good one too. I often relate TV calibration to having a piano tuned. Hey, my tuner turned the middle "C" 28 degrees clockwise, try that on your piano......"

I agree wholeheartedly - its like a lottery. I haven't found a single set of settings, apart from my own measured ones, that work best for my set.

There are too many small variables in every set... gotta do the measurements on your own set, those are the only ones that work...