I just hooked up a new Mit 73736 rear-pro DLP, and it needs adjustment... I have read the "calibration for dummies" and want to give it a try myself before maybe having to call in a pro. I was considering two meters Eye-One 2 or LT or maybe stepping up to the Chroma 5.

Now let me tell you a little about my set up. As I said I have a rear-pro DLP to which is attached a marantz 8500 pre/pro via HDMI . The marantz switched between two HDMI sources a D* HR10 and a PS3 for mainly Bluray. The TV is in a living room that is not really light controlled but I can do the calibration at night with as little as possible ambient light.

for my setup would it be worth stepping up to the chroma 5 meter or are there two many detrimental factors with my room setup to get the additional benefit from the chroma 5 and so I should stick with the Eye-One?

I just hooked up a new Mit 73736 rear-pro DLP, and it needs adjustment... I have read the "calibration for dummies" and want to give it a try myself before maybe having to call in a pro. I was considering two meters Eye-One 2 or LT or maybe stepping up to the Chroma 5.

Now let me tell you a little about my set up. As I said I have a rear-pro DLP to which is attached a marantz 8500 pre/pro via HDMI . The marantz switched between two HDMI sources a D* HR10 and a PS3 for mainly Bluray. The TV is in a living room that is not really light controlled but I can do the calibration at night with as little as possible ambient light.

for my setup would it be worth stepping up to the chroma 5 meter or are there two many detrimental factors with my room setup to get the additional benefit from the chroma 5 and so I should stick with the Eye-One?


What software package are you going to use for performing the calibration? Have you checked around to see how much a professional calibration would cost compared to you procuring the hardware/software, and taking the time to learn how to calibrate your set?

Lee,

thanks for your reply. I was planning on using the free calibration software ColorHCFR as described in the "calibration for dummies" article but have also read that many prefer the CalMAN software so I am a bit torn on the software route.

From what I can see online, a professional calibration would be around $350-$450 and that would be for one set. Although I mentioned the DLP in my first post I also have a LCD in the bedroom that could benefit from adjustment but its not viewed enough to warrant much being spent to bring it upto par.

If I look at it purely from the monetary side doing it myself with the eye-one LT and ColorHCFR would just cost me ~$150 and could go as high as $480 for chroma 5 with calMAN. Of cousre my time must be added on to the cost above but I also have an on going benefit of being able to do my secondary tv and any future TVs...

That being said, if I were to get a very competitive offer from a pro I would go that route and save myself the potential headache.

I don't think you want to consider the Chroma 5 with your DLP...

You may want to consider the EyeOne Pro when you upgrade.

Greetings

DLPs might not be a good match for the Chroma 5 ... certainly not any attempt at CMS on the Mits units.

regards

turbe,

sounds like you just made my choice of meter a bit easier, as I can't afford the eye-one pro and the Chroma 5 is not the best fit for a DLP that really leaves me with the eye-one 2or LT.

thanks

If you got the Chroma5/Calman Package, you can get the opal diffuser to use with the C5 that should alleviate any problems with color wheel DLPs. I use my C5 on the Samsung LED DLP(no color wheels) with no issues without having to use the opal diffuser.

I also have created a 'color mixer' chamber for the C5 that uses a 2 1/2" PVC fitting, painted flat black inside, that the C5 mounts into exactly, to allow some space between the C5 and the lenticular screen.

I'm sure someone at spectracal can aim you towards your needs.

I'm sure someone at spectracal can aim you towards your needs.

They are very helpful. I emailed them about different meter options and their software. I had a response in an hour and this was 10 PM Central time. They have great customer service and gave me all the answers I needed. I did opt for the i1 pro/calman bundle based on what I needed.

To avoid major disappointment, you really have to know in advance what measurements you need to be able to make accurately.

Modestly priced filter-based meters may be perfectly fine for grayscale measurements but they are almost always way inaccurate for making color measurements of primary and complementary colors. Furthermore, many moderately-priced filter-based meters will be accurate with plasma or crt displays, but not accurate with CCFL or LED backlight LCDs or anything with a projection lamp. Since you have displays with a projection lamp and (presumably) a CCFL backlight, you need to use extra care in selecting an appropriate meter. AND you CANNOT forget the color measurement issue if that is important to you (depends on whether 1 or both of your displays have CMS adjustments or not).

You may find that the meter you need for accurate measurement of a projection lamp (or LED illuminated) DLP and an LCD for grayscale may cost as much as pro calibration of both. And you may also find that if you need a meter that will be accurate for making primary and complimentary color measurements on either or both of your TVs in addition to making accurate grayscale measurememts will cost MORE than pro calibration of both displays.

I'm not a good source for knowing the capabilities of various meters so I can't make any specific recommendations for moderate cost meters. As a calibrator, I selected my meter to be reasonably accurate for all display types, to be reasonably accurate for grayscale AND color measurements on all types of displays, to be able to read fairly low light levels, and to not take forever to get measurements of lower-luminances. I found anything that was reasonably priced was often not of much use below 20% white - and that low luminance readings would take a LONG time - and that gets frustrating when you are making repeated changes trying to zero-in on the right settings for cuts/offsets or the blue primary in particular. I worked with $50,000+ spectroradiometers for decades beore I retired so it was a whole different experience to have to purchase something accurate and portable for professional calibration... something accurate and fast enough that a calibration wouldn't take forever. It ended up costing more than $10,000.

I've calibrated TVs after they were calibrated with inexpensive meters and never failed to improve image quality enough that each owner noticed the improvements immediately upon viewing their familiar reference Blu-ray or DVD titles. So... that has to be taken into account as well... you get software, you get a meter, you practice calibration a bit, on the 3rd or 4th try you think you've finally got things looking pretty good. Only you find out later that a pro (with the right equipment) can STILL do a better calibration than you can after you spent $200-$500 on a meter and/or software. I've said this a number of times before... those who get into calibration to save money over professional calibration typically don't get the results they were expecting - they either end up with a sub-par calibration (and they may or may not know that) or they end up spending much more than the cost of a pro calibration and probably doing quite a bit better job.

There are 2 categories of DIY calibrators who end up spending much more than the cost of a pro calibration... those who thought they were going to save money over a pro calibration but found out that doing it right resulted in a number of progressive "upgrades" until they finally got a good-enough meter/software combo to do the job well but ended up busting their original budget several times over AND those who got into calibration from the outset knowing they were never going to save money over a pro calibration but got into it for the sheer love of learning something new even if it wasn't going to be economical in the long run. For the group who started out trying to save money... the whole thing gets frustrating and some helpful person on the forums convinces them they are just a few hundred dollars away from being able to do it right so they upgrade... only to find that there's yet another limitation or inaccuracy and again, they are just a few hundred dollars away from solving THAT one... etc. They get frustrated as a good calibration always seems like it's just a little less than the cost of a pro calibration away. The second group who get into it just to learn something new and they carefully select hardware and software (spending more than a budget-budget) so they can get accurate grayscale AND color measurements... they end up, mostly, doing pretty well and enjoying the learning process.

sounds like you just made my choice of meter a bit easier, as I can't afford the eye-one pro and the Chroma 5 is not the best fit for a DLP that really leaves me with the eye-one 2or LT.

As Lee indicates, the Chroma 5 is a pretty good fit for a DLP. That being said, I do agree in broad-strokes with Doug, as well. While I would offer a few more nuances in terms of how we see the market breaking down, if you have a single display and you are worried about calibration being a "headache" while being open to paying a professional, then I would say a professional calibrator is probably right for you.

If you like what you see and you upgrade your TV, then you might consider heading up the learning curve for calibration. Most of our DIY customers are people who, as Doug indicates, are people who just want to learn, or they are people who may have a few different TVs where they are "trying to save money", even though there is probably also a strong desire to learn more about this end of the hobby as motive #2. Yes, upgradeitis exists here as much as anywhere, though there are just as many people who get to "good enough" and are willing to be done with it.

Your best chance of getting value for the money spent would be from a "professional" calibrator with the proper equipment for your display. About $400 and you're good to go for quite a while. For the less critical viewer, that could be as long as bulb replacement.