Hello,
I received a replacement tv from Best Buy due to my Samsung DLP dying out on me. I ended up getting the 63" Samsung PN63B590T5. They offered a calibration for $199. I told them that I will think about getting the calibration. I wanted to research before I make my decision. Is a calibration required for plasma tv's? If so, are there any other options besides BB? Or the should I just let BB do the calibration?

Thanks

Greetings

A calibration is a good idea if you want accurate images. A BB calibration might be decent to competent to incompetent. It all depends on who does the job on the set. Some of their calibrators actually care about what they do ... but many do not.

In the best case scenario ... expect a competent job, but no explanations as to why things are the way they are.

A calibration from a traveling calibrator will cost you more ... but you will also learn a heck of a lot more about the whole process in return.

Imagine getting an answer to a question ... but not understanding what the question was actually about. Then ask yourself if the answer is actually worth anything then.

regards

That's what I want a more accurate picture. This Samsung Plasma model has a excellent display but I want this tv to reach it's peak potential. So basically you are saying BB is not route I should take?

Like a lot of calibrators, a new source of business for me has been going in after a bad BB calibration and making it right. There are plenty of threads on AVS with posts from those who have gotten terrible "calibrations" from BB and a few from others who were happy with their BB calibration (though they have no way, for sure, to know if they got a good calibration or not - finding that out really requires measurements of the display).

You can find calibrator options in your area at www.isfforum.com (http://www.isfforum.com) or go to the AVS Forum thread titled "ISF Calibrators - Where are you located?" and post your location and TV model and ask if there are any calibrators covering your area.

The independent calibrators who hang out at AVS are real "pros" - they own their own equipment and it's often much better equipment than what is used by BB for calibrations. They are motivated individuals who chose the calibration profession over everything else. The BB calibrator works for a retail store and may have been selected by having a finger pointed at him and told he was going to training. Who is likely to give you better results? I'll agree with Michael though, in spite of all the potential negatives and road blocks to success, there do seem to be a few BB calibrators who do fairly good work. The problem is... how would YOU know in advance if you were getting one of those or if you were going to get a guy with a $20 disc to adjust your user menu controls? I could probably tell if I could talk to the guy in advance, but a "civilian" isn't likely to know what to ask nor how to parse the answers.

Thanks for your reply. I just remembered BB gave me free calibration. I did some research going from site to site trying to get some opinions and an idea on what to look for. The BB tech came by today and I was asking him questions like I was a detective. He seemed like he knew what he was doing. I asked to explain what he was doing and he was thorough and knowledgeable. I also noticed he had the equipment that many people said that was required for the calibration process. He did tell me that they have three techs. He is the primary and they use his alternates when he's off or on vacation. According to what the tech told me his counterparts only know the basics and really don't know what they are doing half of the time(exactly what Mike said). He also said he has been ISF certified for three years and he has been doing calibration the whole time. Once he completed the job I wasn't disappointed at all.