Consumer Level Disney World of Wonder (WOW) vs. DVE Blu Ray

I posted a pretty extensive review of the WOW disc.

The BEST thing about this disc is it's ease of navigation. DVE is a stellar tool for DIY calibration but getting around the disc is extremely frustrating to me. Another great thing about the WOW disc is that you can select your display type in the Advanced section and it will somewhat customize the tests to your display's needs. There is also 3 parts to each video and audio test. The first part defines what is about to be tested. For example Brightness or White Level. The second part describes the test ans shows you visually how to work the test. The last part is Calibrate Now, where you actually perform the test. Each test is further explained in detail in an included 50+ page booklet.

When it comes down to do they work, yes they both will do a fine job at calibrating your display. However, I find the WOW disc easier to use.

For those interested:

Link to Tracy's review
http://www.***************.com/showt...hp?tid/144738/

Link to CEPro review
http://www.cepro.com/article/hands_o...ibration_disc/

Thanks for the attempted link Richard. We are a competing site, our URL is blocked from AVS.

If any AVS members wanted to read my review I put a link to it on Home Theater Review's FaceBook page. You should see the WOW disc cover art near the top of the page.

It was a pleasure working with the disc.

A couple of us spoke to the people at the Disney booth at Cedia. It seems like they put in a great deal of work and it may be a good disc. I would probably choose this over Avia, but I am not sure how it compares to Spears.

I haven't used the Spears & Munsil disc so I can not comment on how they compare.

Hi Tracy,

I just noticed your signature line...I used to own DCM Time Windows as well... DQ-10's before that...and now Gallo Strada's & Gallo Sub for Stereo Playback, Class A Amps, Tube DAC / Line Amp, Esoteric P-10 Transport, Vinyl, etc.

Finalizing the equipment list now for an all Class A Home Theater and a hybrid Solid State A/V Preamp / Tube Amplified Home Theater.

In fact, I still master all the audio on our projects in a Tube Analog chain..

Greetings

Considering that the disc streets like today ... not too many people have had a chance to look at the disc.

regards

Are you referring to 'DVE' on DVD or the new 'HD Basics' version on BD?

DVE on Blu-Ray was much better than the navigation on the DVD version. I still think the WOW disc is easier.

Don't get me wrong, DVE on Blu-Ray is still a great tool.

Another thought is, you can start off with the Beginner level on the disc if you are in a rush or new to display calibration. The Advanced level is more in depth and will get you a finer result.

Hopefully someone else will chime in who's seen the disc.

Richard, if you like reminiscing about DCM Time Windows, check out my thread.

http://72.9.159.100/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=652191

I have a copy arriving shortly, so I'll be able to get exposure to its contents in the next few days. I'll report back on my impressions.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

I wish I never sold them ... or my Dahlquist Speakers ... or my classic Fender, Gibson, and Rickenbacker Guitars, or my Pre-CBS Fender Twin Revereb, or classic and now very valuable Martin Brazilian Rosweood D-41 Guitar...or a long list of other cool stuff I owned that I regret selling.

Makes me wish I was a packrat...

just gave it a quick look over. nice disc, lots of neat new patterns and the white level and black level set up is best i have seen so far. Using it for my CRT Blend was extremely helpful.

I did not se any windowed patterns though for doing a greyscale calibration. One thing they could have easily added.

this is more for a non probe type calibration.

Athanasios

A fairly extensive review posted at Blu-ray.com

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Disney.../16216/#Review

I spent some time with it last night and don't have much to add to the review in the link. It has some unique and helpful test signals. I'm glad I can add it to my usual library of test discs. As mentioned previously, there aren't nearly enough test patterns for a complete calibration with instruments. It's obviously aimed primarily at display users and installers, rather than calibrators. I didn't find a discussion yet of viewing environment issues or a test pattern for adjusting ambient light level. One notable advantage of 'Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics' is the inclusion of native 720p test signals and demonstration material. When I have more time, I'll sit through the entire program and amend my remarks as needed.

Can someone elaborate on the disk letting you select your display type? So, the disk lets you choose "Plasma" or "LCD" and then either includes or removes the section on the backlight, etc?

I got this in the mail today, it lets you choose display type, but it is labeled lcd/plasma (together,not seperate). As for backlight toogle i didn't see one.

Josh

Do you have the Spears and Munsil disc?

Hi,

Thank you for your positive comments. We always appreciate comments from AVS Forum Menbers.

I truly apologize for any confusion using the Blue Gel in the "Disney WOW - World Of Wonder" disc, so please allow me to address your concerns:

* The reason it is now a "Single Eye Monocle Viewer" verses a set of "Glasses" was strictly a production decision. The cost was basically the same. However, with the thickness of the Printed Inserts and the 56 Page Booklet, we could not fit the glasses in the case. The case would bulge significantly with the "Glasses" verses the "Monocle."

* The image in the booklet was for reference and changing that image at the latter stages of production was not possible.

* Regarding the Blue Filter. I can assure you no expense was spared when it came to sourcing or producing the Blue Gel. We searched or 6 months to find the best, most accurate, and optically clear Blue Gel possible.

* We did not flash the Color Bars because we did not feel it was necessary for obtaining accurate results. A steady color reference image seemed to provide a consistent & stable reference for fine tuning as you got closer to optimal color setup.

We are confident that the Blu Gel in the package is accurate. In the end, we chose the best possible blue filter and it yields excellent results when compared to our reference. It has been tested by many professionals with excellent results.

Please try using it again with only one eye open and see if you get better results. This is the way it is designed to be used. I would be curious to know if this approach works better for you.

Richard Casey
Producer / Director
R&B Films, Ltd.

I've seen this policy enforced on a few forums and it is always a petty move and only hurts users. I don't patronize forums that censor links and this will be the last time I read AVS. It has been deleted from my bookmarks. Yay!

Yes, we are active in several forums because we love this stuff as much as you do..

Again, thank you for your favorable comments. I worked for almost 3 years putting this together, so it is great to hear positive reviews. Thank you..

Please allow me to respond to your comments.


Comment - Re the glasses versus monocle ...


Reply - As noted below:


* If you look closely at our filter ... you will find that it is not a single strip of film.

* We tested every film there was ... almost literally in fact ... and in the end, we could not find ANY single layer Blue Gel ... including custom films we had created ... that could meet our very strict specifications for accuracy, optical quality, and light transmission.

* We put the Two (2) Filters in a "Monocle" to keep them together because "Glasses" did not fit in the case with the 56 page booklet.

* We went with the Monocle because we believe having two (2) loose film strips with instructions to "Double" them up would have been confusing for most consumers.

* All of the single filters we tried leaked an unacceptable amount of green. You can test this yourself by trying various filters and looking at the amount of Green transmitted.

* Yes, it is a different shade. You are correct. However, let's be clear on what I said and did not say. I did not make any claims compared to other blue gels on the market. You need to test that for yourself and feel free to report any results you come you with.

* Perhaps the Monocle takes a little getting used to, but we believe it was the best solution under the circumstances. Think if it like aiming and using your dominant eye. You can look online to see how to determine which eye is dominant. Here is a link as an example.

http://www.ehow.com/how_11347_determ...inant-eye.html

* Again, I hope you get a chance to check your color setup with our blue filter verses any other disc you may have used. I am fairly confident you will be happy with the results.


Comment - Color Calibration


Reply - As noted below:


* Understood. We did look at every other disc on the market before creating our patterns. In the end, we created what we thought works best. However, I assume everyone has different preferences .. and in fact I expect that to be the case. We understand it takes a bit more critical focus to adjust color...and do not feel that is necessarily a negative.

* Your comments are duly noted and we appreciate all feedback from end users and forum members. To be honest, a lot of this disc was created based on comments I recieved over the years for forum members. We thank you for your constructive comments.



Comment - 3D Calibration


Reply - As noted below:


* The jury is still out with 3D. We are primarily focused on the Sales & Marketing of our current products as a top priority right now.



NOTE: You may want to check the quality of the Audio / Video encodes on your system. We went through great pains to make this product look and sound stellar. Without giving away all of our trade secrets, I can only say that I believe in this product and feel that it is a world class reference for BD and HDTV.


In the end, we would like to think we created something that is reference quality yet very different than anything else on the market.

All forums have rules and more often posts I disagree with. However, this is the way all forums operate I guess. Being too busy to start my own, I have to live by the rules of others I guess...

Also, and not having any affiliation with AVS whatsoever, I can honestly say that I would hate to see you go. It takes a blend of forum members provide balance and perspective. If we did not have everyone participating, it would all become very lopsided and pretty useless in the end.

I hope you decide to stay.

Just want to mention that using a DVD designed for a CRT display that's standard definition released years before bluray was even a twinkle in Sony's eye is not the proper tool for calibration a bluray/high definition system.

Although Avia has some great patterns, keep in mind that you're making an awful large assumption that your player is properly converting standard definition into the correct HD color matrix. Many players do not.

Although I don't have the WOW disc yet, the correct comparison would be to the BluRay Digital Video Essentials disc, not either Avia (not the pro version) nor the old DVE disc that's a nightmare to navigate.

As for sound test decoding the new high definition formats is kind of a big deal so you do want to use one of the bluray mastered calibration disc especially if you're running your BD player audio as analog out.