Free calibration soft (non-excel) - Page 2

Hey, I was checking this out, but am not sure which options to try, to use this with the meter I bought/got with my SMART III calibration kit.

I have one of the Extech "403125" meters, and some R / G / B filters.

I assume I should choose the generator HCFR to get the test patterns off my HTP, but manual DVD to get the patters off my HD-DVD player?

And then for meter I choose Capture Simule? And then choose "Start Calibration" rather than using an existing file.

And then for "reference" ("Display"?) I choose sRGB.

But I'm not sure what next?

Hi all

I'm a member of Colorimetre HCFR team too but worked on the meter design.

nathan_h, "Generator HCFR" is a special designed mode that allows to get patterns from a DVD player with automatic pattern selection. It will only works with HCFR meter because it requires an IR LED.
"Manual DVD" allows you to get patterns from a DVD (or HD DVD) player with manual pattern selection.
"Affichage mires" allows you to get patterns from video output of your computer.

"Capteur simule" is a test mode that displays theorical measurement value without doing physical measurement.

By the way, as there is no interface with any other meter than HCFR one (at that time ), there is no use for these parameters for you. Just select "Cancel" and paste xyY measurement from your meter in the table (if you get them).

Ki

Hmmm. Okay. I can measure lumens for each (R / G / B) color separately at each IRE level played back from HD-DVD test patters, but it sounds like I cannot just plug those figures in.

The Spyder2 is this one, right?, from the Colorvision site: Spyder2express?

The right meter is the HCFR DIY one. It's the only meter with wich you can directly make measure with the Colorimetre HCFR software.
With a Spyder 2, you can make measurement and, using tools described in this topic, paste xyY measurement into Colorimetre HCFR software.

Could someone from the team explain how to build the HCFR DIY meter step by step? I'm anxious to work w/ this program.

Seems I am too young to post url

All the details on the meter are on the homecinema-fr website ... but in french
It's on a page called /colorimetre

Note that the described meter PCB is the second version.
A third version has been done to make mounting easier but is not on line yet.

Ok do i understand correcly that i have to take the dvd and catch greyscale off the dvd and also red green blue with s2fly:
greyscale: 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
red: 0 25 50 75 10
green: 0 25 50 75 100
blauw: 0 25 50 75 100
And then i convert the output in the excel and copy them in te colorhcfr?

grt,
Ruben

Which patterns of the dvd do i use for according to white and according to black?

The link given by SgtPepper is not the last version of the DVD.
It does not include near white and near black pattern.

You will get the correct version by replacing DVD_V1.0.9.ISO by DVD_V1.1.3.ISO
You will find the patterns your are looking for in "niveaux de gris complémentaires".

On this dvd you can select if you use a CRT device or a projector device (for CRT device, reduced patterns are displayed instead of full screen patterns)

This dvd still has a bug : if you select "saturation des primaires" patterns, you will get reduced patterns instead of full screen patterns. It should be fixed within a short time.

ok got it. Now i can do all the calibrations where i can manualy put in the values. But how about de ones where you can't put in the values manualy. Do I realy need these? Or can I do without them?

Noob question

Will the Spyder2express (cheapest) meter bundle work fine for calibrating any display including Lcd, Plasma, LCoS, DLP ect. with S2Fly and HCFR or should I get SpyderTV?

Do either of these include the revised meter?

Ok love the programm, but we have to get the spyder2 to work with this programm, iff we can do that then we have a winning combo.

George, possible to get the DVD in NTSC format? Nice program.

Thank you for showing where the directions are. Phew! Looks too complicated for me. Much better I buy the Spyder2 and hope for an automated interface -- or just write down the results into the software!

For those that was a flavor of what it takes, here is the babelfish translation:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babel...re%2fsonde.php

Is there no way for the authors of the programm to get this working with the spyder2? Maybe they can ask lyckyman as he seems to have done it with his programm.

Hello,

I'm also one of the members of the "Colorimetre HCFR Team"

We are releasing version 1.0 (software) at the moment, BTW, it looks like we can probably have a french/english version quite easily with help from you guys...

I'm more on the technical side of the meter and can give any tips to people interested in building their own.

At the moment we have two versions of the hardware, they are both identical in term of feature, only difference is the PVB layout (single sided/dual sided)... All the work is done with KiCAD and can be modified (kind of "GPL Licence" on this ) Files are available at the given link.

http://www.homecinema-fr.com/colorimetre/sonde.php (single side, easier to build).
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/colorimetre/sonde2.php (double sided).

BTW, I may do an english version of those pages...


Software 1.0 is now out and one of the next stages is to be able to use other devices, so that will definitly be done... some day.

--Patrice

It'll be awesome if it worked w/ spyder.

I wonder if those "DIY" meters are any accurate for reading color info.

They are (Given their known limits) Far enough for our needs...

--Patrice

I'm quite impressed by what you guys on the "Colorimetre HCFR Team" have put together. Building the meter appears to be beyond me -- I once tried to add a circuit to a video game player and that effort not successful at all -- but I think I can use the generic light meter I have, with the color filters, and generate figures for each IRE value off my DVE and put the values in manually...

wow, this is amazing stuff! this could revolutionize things for all the DIY calibrators at home....and I was excited about the possibility of a generic spyder2 + calman, but this could be even more affordable! Plus i'm a big proponent of open source

Does the DIY colorimeter work with all display types? Any idea how accurate it is relative to the Spyder2?

Nathan, you can make this, or get it made by a local electronic engineer for you.

All the parts are commonly avaliable, again if you are unsure go into an electronics store with a printout of the parts list for advise.

There is 2 components which which are harder to sort out.

The pcb, which there is 2 types. Single sided and double sided versions.
Look through your phone book for curcuit board makers. Again a few phone calls to local electronic engineers will steer you in the right direction. Downnload the files at the bottom of the web address listed previously and put them onto cd.
Take these to the curcuit board maker.

It can be 1/8 the price to get the pcb made as a prototype, that is without the pretty markings, so bare this in mind.

The next bit that is hard is the micro controller. PIC18F2550
This requires flashing with a hex code. Again the code is on the website.
Again let your fingers do the walking, ring round the electronics engineers.
What you are looking for is someone who can flash a PIC18F2550, which has 28 pins.

Now I have got 2 sources for both these 2 bits sorted I can proceed with making one for myself.

Thanks for the encouragement. Definitely be quicker for me to take manual readings with my existing meter, I think but I'll keep this in mind.

Does it require calibration? I looked at the datasheet of the sensor and it looks like calibration is necessary. How to perform it?

Yes it needs it if you want to acheive D65 (so far, we are looking on how to remove it).
We have the notion of "etalon" that are available for all major lcd/dlp/sxrd on the market.
If your one is listed there is no need.

--Patrice

This looks very cool.

If i understand everything you can only use "DIY" colormeter for direct readings.

Can I buy one somewhere ? and then how much $$$



When will it work with SpyderExpress, Spyder2 ?
Any date ?

Anyway, great work

Laric, I'm in the process of building 1(actually 2) and I was wondering how it was to be calibrated. where is this "etalon" and how do you use it.

I have a question about the components list for the probe.

Some of the capacitor values are different on the schematic drawing to the web site list.
Is the list on the web the one to follow?
examples.
27pF~33pF
56uF~100uF 10v(noted that the pics show a 16v item.)
Chemical polarized? I asked an electronics engineer and he had never heard of that term for a electrolite Capacitor.

The micro switch sw1,sw2, is the farnell 947-1707 microswitch the correct type.
X1-Quartz-4mhz is farnell 971-2283 the correct one.
Q1-npn-BC547 is farnell 109-7287 the correct one.

Also is there a French/English help(operation) file avaliable?

I'm in New Zealand so PAL is the prefered system so this will work well for us here.

Regards
<^..^>
Smokey Joe

Great software! One thing that is of concern is the color space that this software uses. I would imagine that the DVD test patterns are encoded in Pal, so they would use Pal color space and not NTSC, is that correct? Also, I though that Pal has different black level point. So if you calibrate your pj using this software and then watch NTSC movies would you end up with off colors? Am I totally off here