Pro Calibration=Voided Warranty?

There is little reason to be concerned about this. Unless the person calibrating the set does something to cause a problem there would be no reason to expect a warranty problem. Most repair techs would never be able to tell that a set was calibrated and unless the calibrator was completely incompetent there should be no effects of calibration that would create a problem.

Any manufacturer can choose to void a warranty for any reason, however. It is unlikely that such action would be defensible unless there was evidence that the action taken by the owner or calibrator was the cause of the problem. You should discuss your concerns with the dealer, calibration specialist, service center, and manufacturer if you are not sure. If you are smart and lucky the first three will be the same, giving you greater confidence in the calibration and repair services.

Greetings

If pro calibrations voided warranties, why would manufacturers put "ISF" modes in the service menu of their TV sets for ISF people to adjust? And why would stores like Best Buy now offer this same professional calibration service?

With that said ... different TV makers have different takes on professional calibration. Pioneer for instance has ISF modes built into their Elite plasma sets ... but if you try to professionally calibrate a non-elite unit ... then you void your warranty in their eyes.

Professional calibration is a grand double edged sword that TV makers lover to play both sides of. On one side ... they provide review samples of TVs to magazine reviewers knowing full well that the reviewer in question will go into the service menu to properly calibrate the TV. The TV then gets a raving review and the TV maker touts they have the "TV of the Year."

On the other side ... if you try to do the same to the TV to get it to "TV of the Year" performance levels ... and you happen to tell them when getting warranty work ... they void your warranty. You then spend the next 4 to 6 months arguing back and forth with them at which point they relent and provide the warranty work.

Bottom line as above ... talk with the calibrator and see what the status of your particular TV is ... because it differs from TV company to TV company.

Regards