Best Buy Calibration. Yes or No? ( Free Service from Rewards )

It is hit or miss honestly, more often miss but I did see a good calibration that was posted for a Sammy plasma recently. There really is little reason to get in the service menu these days on most sets. What set do you have if I can ask ?

Greetings

LG ... SM calibration ... No
Samsung ... No
Sony ... No
Sharp ... No
Panasonic ... Maybe ...
Toshiba ... No ...

Chances of messing things up in the SM is slim to none. And if they do ... something called warranty.

Regards

Kick me if I'm wrong but I think you have to go to the 6+ series before you have 10p Grayscale and the Color Management System available, leaving the 550 with 2 point Grayscale only. If this is the case the calibrator can get you a good GS as well as setting color luminance based on red to begin with and then finding the lowest average (of all colors) error setting. I say go for it.

Greetings

Yup ... no cms in 5 series.

regards

Greetings

It means there are even fewer options or less things to screw up ...

It's free ... go for it.

regards

Wait a minute... the calibration is not exactly "free"... sure there is no cost per se as it is paid for (in this case) with points from the Rewards Card program... BUT... those points caould be used for something else... Blu-ray discs or to lower the cost of some other purchase. In the end those points do have real value and there's no sense throwing that value away on something that's likely to have a negative outcome.

People have asked about BB calibration on AVS MANY times over the last few years... there should be MANY threads discussing it. The general consensus is that you have maybe a 10% chance of getting a useful calibration and a 90% chance of getting something that either makes no difference or makes the TV look worse.

To my way of thinking, the points are worth $100-$300 if you purchase something tangible (like Blu-ray discs or whatever)... so that makes a bad BB calibraion worth, literally, $100-$300. I personally wouldn't spend that much money on something with a 90% chance of failure. Much better to hire a pro (independent) calibrator and just use the Rewards points on something you know you will get value from.

There are calibrators who call themselves pros that are not much better than the best buy guys. One must choose a good calibrator and then be happy with a rec 709 calibration over the wrong to various extents the view had before. many prefer more saturated and brighter than the end result after calibration. i would save the points

In my opinion, I think you should use the points on other things. But not because I think the BB guy is incompetent but because I think you should spend a few hundred dollars and buy your own equipment and learn how to calibrate your TV yourself. Calman 5 is a very straightforward program and the Grayscale Calibration for Dummies Guide can walk you through a calibration. You can even download HCFR for free if I'm not mistaken which means all you'll need is a meter which can be had on the cheap. If you're dead set on a BB calibration, then go for it! I have a hard time believing that if I can use a Calman 5 and a $300 meter and get the results that I do, that even a Best Buy calibrator can't achieve the same results. He's supposed to provide you with a before and after report anyways. If the report says he didn't change anything or provide you with noticeable changes, then call the store and let them know. A DIY cal will probably not be as accurate as a guy who's been doing this sort of thing for many years day in and day out, but it will be close with a little effort. I think the same will hold true for a BB calibration. It will not be professional grade but you should have noticeable changes.

The calibration is EXACTLY free. it isn't paid for in any amount of reward certificates. It's absolutely free provided you're a premier silver rewards member (meaning you've spent $2,500 in a calendar year at BB). it doesn't cost any points or cause you to redeem any certificates.

Then if there is nothing else that you can redeem your free calibration for in lieu of a calibration, then you can take a chance that you'll get somebody who truly knows what they are doing and won't screw your tv up by going into the service menu or some such nonsense like that. As previously mentioned, most people have been less than satisfied with their BB calibrations and some have reported problems afterwards.

If there are multiple calibrators in you area, find out some names and send them each an email. Ask them for a 5-10 minute phone call to answer your questions about the service. You should be able to feel them each out in that amount of time. AFAIK, most areas only have 2-3 guys (unless you are in LA or something).

Good luck!