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Daytime calibration housing to block out ambient light......is there such a thing?

post #1 of 23
10/9/12 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
I'm wanting to calibrate my plasma display during the daytime and be able to block out ambient light to avoid their influence on the measurements.

What are others using? Keep in mind that my primary display is a Panasonic 65VT50 plasma and that I'll be doing non contact with an i1Display3 and a i1pro2.

Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 23
10/9/12 at 8:42am
A big black sheet.
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post #3 of 23
10/9/12 at 9:07am
Here is what I did with the mounts
http://www.spectracal.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=342&p=22824#p22702

Then with some hot glue, foam board and velvet along with s few other odds and end make a hood.. the i1pro was shoehorned into this as well after I got it but I don't know where the pictures are..
Index of hood pictures
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post #4 of 23
10/9/12 at 9:12am
Thread Starter 
I'm leaning towards getting one of these, turning it inside out and cut out the front diffuser. But would rather not reinvent the wheel if someone has already found a ready made product.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Light+Control+Type_Mini+Softboxes&ci=655&N=4288586347+4289357621
..
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post #5 of 23
10/9/12 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimP View Post

I'm wanting to calibrate my plasma display during the daytime and be able to block out ambient light to avoid their influence on the measurements.
What are others using? Keep in mind that my primary display is a Panasonic 65VT50 plasma and that I'll be doing non contact with an i1Display3 and a i1pro2.
Thanks in advance.

why not just use contact mode? it's the easiest way to block out ambient light and you can also add a black sheet if you want
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post #6 of 23
10/9/12 at 10:07am
Thread Starter 
It would only be a matter of time until I would scarf up the screen coating.

Then you've got the whole heat gain from a plasma affecting your readings debate .
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post #7 of 23
10/9/12 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimP View Post

It would only be a matter of time until I would scarf up the screen coating.
Then you've got the whole heat gain from a plasma affecting your readings debate .

I don't see the first point being a problem if you are careful and gentle when placing the meter on-screen and adjusting its position. The latter issue should have little affect on your meters as both isolate the sensors from heat better than older meters like the D2 and i1Pro(1).

All in all, contact mode is a great way to block out ambient light and make meter set-up much less time consuming/complicated for direct view displays. Non-contact is really only necessary for front projectors.
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post #8 of 23
10/9/12 at 1:00pm
One of the main problems with trying to construct something to block daylight is that panel displays generate a fair bit of heat and you'll be blocking light for 3 hours or more at a time. So anything you create will trap heat and that can affect the display as well as the meter. If you construct something more complex with convection paths that allow cool air in at the bottom and exhaust hot air out the top you have the complexity of having to have a "baffle" system that allows air in but blocks light. It's easier to wait unto after dark and turn off the room lights. Another option is the calibration software may allow you to make a reading with and withour ambient room light and create an 'offset" that compensates for the room light. But the light in the room would have to remain constant for the duration of the calibration session (3 hours or more) --- and that's damn near impossible if there's a window because the sun moves and changes what comes into the room even if there are blinds or curtains.
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post #9 of 23
10/9/12 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
Doug

Thanks for your comment.

Given your comment about traping heat, wouldn't the same thing apply for contact mode?

Does contact mode during daytime even block out all the light? Seems that you'd still have a glass screen and light in a bright room that would find it's way in front of the meter.

I've been waiting until dark to calibrate but find that waiting until after dark, then having to wait for the wife to go to bed makes it so late that most of the time, I just call it a night and go to bed.

Got to find another way to do this.
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post #10 of 23
10/9/12 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimP View Post

Doug
Thanks for your comment.
Given your comment about traping heat, wouldn't the same thing apply for contact mode?
Does contact mode during daytime even block out all the light? Seems that you'd still have a glass screen and light in a bright room that would find it's way in front of the meter.
I've been waiting until dark to calibrate but find that waiting until after dark, then having to wait for the wife to go to bed makes it so late that most of the time, I just call it a night and go to bed.
Got to find another way to do this.

Plasmas do have a gap between the glass and the PDP itself, so some light could get in between... Covering the whole screen in black cloth could get around this, but you won't be able to see what pattern is on screen so that approach may only work with automated pattern setups like pattern generators and BD players with the USB-UIRT.
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post #11 of 23
10/9/12 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Blackburn View Post

One of the main problems with trying to construct something to block daylight is that panel displays generate a fair bit of heat and you'll be blocking light for 3 hours or more at a time. So anything you create will trap heat and that can affect the display as well as the meter. If you construct something more complex with convection paths that allow cool air in at the bottom and exhaust hot air out the top you have the complexity of having to have a "baffle" system that allows air in but blocks light. It's easier to wait unto after dark and turn off the room lights. Another option is the calibration software may allow you to make a reading with and withour ambient room light and create an 'offset" that compensates for the room light. But the light in the room would have to remain constant for the duration of the calibration session (3 hours or more) --- and that's damn near impossible if there's a window because the sun moves and changes what comes into the room even if there are blinds or curtains.

What is your stance on using meters like the i1Pro1/2 and D3/C6 in contact mode for LED/LCD and Plasma flat-panels?
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post #12 of 23
10/10/12 at 8:27am
another option if needed.. 30+ gallon black garbage bags over the windows
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post #13 of 23
10/10/12 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
Wish that would work but with 12' tall windows, it'd be a challenge.

Looks like I'm going to have to jimmyrig a device to do this.
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post #14 of 23
10/10/12 at 3:36pm
Heat from plasma screens today isn't as bad as it used to be, but they still do get warm. Because of that, I personally woudn't use a meter that is in contact with the surface. It may work, but I wouldn't do it. Heat is the enemy of filters used in colorimeters. A spectro device has other issues with expansion and contaction of elements in the light path and may or may not be afected much by heat depending on the design of the spectro device. If I HAD to use a contact meter, I'd setup a small fan blowing gently over the area where the meter is located to help move heat away from the meter and bring cooler air to the area around the meter.

Do contact meters block ambient light? There's no 1 right answer to this. Some of them pick up a fair bit of light to the sides if there is any. Others are much more directional and see only what is directly in front of the meter. You can test your meter by taking a measurement with ambient room light, then cover the screen/meter with a blanket or something else dense enough to block the ambient light over the entire surface of the screen. I wouldn't leave the blanket there very long, just long enough for several "dark" readings. Speaking of several readings... I'd probably take 5 ambient readings, 5 dark readings, and 5 more ambient readings after removing the blanket over the panel, then average the 10 ambient readings and average the 5 "dark" readings. If there's any significant difference, you'll have to decide if your particular meter is close enough with ambient light that you can use it or not.
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post #15 of 23
10/10/12 at 6:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Blackburn View Post

Heat from plasma screens today isn't as bad as it used to be, but they still do get warm. Because of that, I personally woudn't use a meter that is in contact with the surface. It may work, but I wouldn't do it. Heat is the enemy of filters used in colorimeters. A spectro device has other issues with expansion and contaction of elements in the light path and may or may not be afected much by heat depending on the design of the spectro device. If I HAD to use a contact meter, I'd setup a small fan blowing gently over the area where the meter is located to help move heat away from the meter and bring cooler air to the area around the meter.
Do contact meters block ambient light? There's no 1 right answer to this. Some of them pick up a fair bit of light to the sides if there is any. Others are much more directional and see only what is directly in front of the meter. You can test your meter by taking a measurement with ambient room light, then cover the screen/meter with a blanket or something else dense enough to block the ambient light over the entire surface of the screen. I wouldn't leave the blanket there very long, just long enough for several "dark" readings. Speaking of several readings... I'd probably take 5 ambient readings, 5 dark readings, and 5 more ambient readings after removing the blanket over the panel, then average the 10 ambient readings and average the 5 "dark" readings. If there's any significant difference, you'll have to decide if your particular meter is close enough with ambient light that you can use it or not.

Would your answer be any different for CCFL-LCD or LED-LCD?
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post #16 of 23
10/14/12 at 4:35am
i perform daytime calibrations using a profiled i1d pro without any issues or impact from amibient light whatsoever.
the solution, as i saw it was very simple. i cut off the end of a thick black sock, infact an old black sports sock i found st the bottom of my drawer.
the metre is secured to the display by two sets of rubber bands from each corner, in a diagonal formation,which keep it gently pressed to the screen in contact mode. i then slide the sock over the metre and replace it back to contact mode, then slide the sock gently towards the screen, forming a nice black buffer around a couple of centimetres thick all the way around the base of the metre. voila. works like a charm.
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post #17 of 23
10/14/12 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PlasmaPZ80U View Post

Would your answer be any different for CCFL-LCD or LED-LCD?

It depends... some LCD panels get warmer on the surface than others... not sure exactly what is involved there. The ones that run cooler on the screen surface seem to have more hot air exiting the air vents on the back of the TV. Edge lit LCDs mostly run fairly cool. For determining if ambient light is affecting a contact meter, you might get away with averaging 2 readings (instead of 5) from LCD panels because the pixels aren't modulated as they are in plasma panels.
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post #18 of 23
10/15/12 at 4:31am
Thread Starter 
Another way to test that would be to put your meter on the screen in a dark room and while taking a continuous reading, turn on some room lights and see if the readings change.

I know my plasma heats up so I won't be doing that.
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post #19 of 23
10/18/12 at 12:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ndaa75 View Post

i perform daytime calibrations using a profiled i1d pro without any issues or impact from amibient light whatsoever.
the solution, as i saw it was very simple. i cut off the end of a thick black sock, infact an old black sports sock i found st the bottom of my drawer.
the metre is secured to the display by two sets of rubber bands from each corner, in a diagonal formation,which keep it gently pressed to the screen in contact mode. i then slide the sock over the metre and replace it back to contact mode, then slide the sock gently towards the screen, forming a nice black buffer around a couple of centimetres thick all the way around the base of the metre. voila. works like a charm.

Can you post a pic of this setup?
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post #20 of 23
10/20/12 at 4:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WiFi-Spy View Post

Can you post a pic of this setup?

Indeed I can.

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post #21 of 23
10/20/12 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ndaa75 View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by WiFi-Spy View Post

Can you post a pic of this setup?

Indeed I can.


Nice one Wifi-Spy.

Datacolor has one in the Spyder4 Elite package (afaik).
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post #22 of 23
3/15/13 at 4:59pm
Given my garden leave status currently (3 months off work!), ive been constructing some daytime calibration tools and also a frame i can use to profile my i1D Pro from my i1 Pro.
Check it out.

Constructed from using a Weber BBQ ash tray, black cotton, a sponge, an empty loo roll cut and sized accordingly and an old work sock.

The 'flower' shape housing sits tight up against the screen offering a competely dark environment in which to carry out a full calibration. The tube that fits on i1D pro is used primarily when taking 1% APL readings with a constant background, i dont want the background contaminating my result.

Works like a charm.












Edited by ndaa75 - 3/15/13 at 5:19pm
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post #23 of 23
3/15/13 at 6:49pm
Wait 12 hours.

Or get this:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Soft-Plush-Fleece-Blankets/dp/B008KSGVDY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1363398303&sr=8-6&keywords=black+fleece+blanket
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