Foreward: Apologies to Jeff - This review is LONG overdue.
Another plus for Jeff Meier and Accucal. I had him calibrate a Grand Wega for me years ago when he lived in Houston. Since then, I've had him over for several calibrations. Each time, Jeff eagerly will engage in discussion what he's doing and why, and any potential issues that require resolution.
All of the advice that Jeff/Accucal have given me that's been useful. The work Jeff does says a lot. The work Jeff won't do says even more.
- Jeff would NOT even touch an Insignia LCD I had purchased on sale for my father. My Video Essentials eye-balling of it was the best he could do. He wouldn't take money to do it. Jeff will not work on a device that he does not feel will meet his standards after working on it. The Insignia died a year later, and I replaced it with a 50" Panny VT-series Plasma, partially as an apology for getting him such a POS previously.
- My Epson 1080UB initially was mounted at the back of my small dedicated room. He suggested a ceiling mount to bring the brightness to where it should be, post-calibration. My calculations were based off of some stuff I read online, which was not entirely accurate for my calibrated projector.
- My Kuro Elite Pro-151FD had permanent image retention, and the screen was replaced in warranty. While the new screen calibrated out beautifully, its blacks were elevated and there was nothing that could be done. Because of this, I ended up selling the set (and gave full disclosure/calibration info on doing so) and picked up a Panny VT25.
- After moving to Austin, Jeff re-calibrated my BGCorp 5.1 setup as a 7.1 setup with in-wall rear speakers. He verified my Epson kept its calibration after a couple of years, and got the room sounding wonderful. While he was there, he said he might as well calibrate the new VT25. The VT25's image now rivals the Kuro Elite I used to have, with better black levels, since my FD151's black levels were mildly elevated.
- I recently had the opportunity to purchase a JVC DLA-HD100. Jeff recommended against purchasing the projector, since he's had experience with LCoS machines having issues on the used market and recommended going for a DLP. (which, reading AVSForum, was sensible) However, I did not ultimately follow Jeff's advice this time - The gentleman who owned the projector let me try before buying it, and I decided to go ahead. The seller noted that blues and greens were pushed and there was no way to improve upon it, per a local ISF calibrator. I had confidence that Jeff would be able to improve it, and made the purchase. In spite of me not following his advice, Jeff didn't take it personally at all, and said he'd be happy to have me ship him the projector for him to work on it. The
same day the projector arrived, he informed me that I did in fact get a good machine, as demonstrated by his calibration report. The projector was shipped yesterday and I eagerly await its return tomorrow.
That being said, I'll have a perfect condition Epson 1080UB calibrated by Accucal in the for sale section soon.
As the adage goes, the results speak for themselves, especially when it's work in the audio/video field. But more-so than that, Jeff has a professional, yet affable personality that's backed up with years of experience, an analytical mindset, and a love of what he does. Every display I've had him calibrate, especially my projector, has elicited wows from friends and family. More recently, a digital artist friend apologized to me after we watched a movie together. "I thought it'd be like what other people call 'home theaters' - you really do care about accurate colors, don't you? I'm sorry that I expected less." Sometimes, it seems, guests are eager to speak for the results, too.
-Geoff S.
