[bdoggca]

Samsung d6900, I just bought a 55"d6900 and can't figure our which way to go with calibration.. Can I purchase a device and do it myself? Should I hire geek squad to come out? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[SierraMikeBravo]

All depends on what your time is worth to you whether or not to DIY. The cost incurred to DIY will likely be around or more than it would be to hire a pro with much more experience and likely better equipment. In addition, you won't learn this overnight. It will take many hours of practice and learning, so you have to equate what your time is worth to you in dollars. Some will hire a good professional who will teach them the basics of video calibration and what they are doing, so you are learning from an experienced professional. On the flip side, purchasing the equipment and learning how to calibrate a display will allow you to perform calibration for yourself for several years to come...although you'll likely have to purchase a new meter every few years due to drift...and the satisfaction of "doing it yourself". Regarding geek squad...its a hit or miss with them...likely a miss. It takes me usually 3 to 4 hours to calibrate a display. I believe Geek Squad is allowed 90 minutes in and out (last I heard)...sometimes less. I once heard of a Geek Squad calibrator who had just learned how to calibrate the night before, was not certified, and was sent into the field alone to perform eight calibrations in one day! Yikes! People were paying for this low ball service! So, I'll let you come to the conclusion as to what caliber of service they provide.

As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

 

[bdoggca]

Interesting, if I wanted to do it myself where can I purchase the equipment? Also, if Greek squad is hit or miss where can I find someone to do it right for me? Thanks

 

[SierraMikeBravo]

Chromapure and CalMan by Spectracal appear to be the favorites of the forum users. I prefer CalMan myself, but that is my opinion. There is some free shareware out there as well, but again there is a significant initial learning curve and the cost you would spend on the equipment would be as much or more than a professional. Expect to spend weeks or months becoming adequate enough to refer to your display as calibrated. Here is one list to find a quality calibrator. Best wishes!

http://www.thxvideotech.com/forum/sh...deo-Calibrator

 

[RyanHomsey]

If you're wanting to do it yourself for as little cost as possible go with the free HCFR program, a i1 DisplayLT, and this tutorial: http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457


HCFR: http://www.homecinema-fr.com/colorimetre/index_en.php


DisplayLT ($110): http://www.amazon.com/X-Rite-Display...4367775&sr=8-4


Having said that - I must reiterate the leaning curve involved. I used the above tools/resources and learned how to calibrate but I have approximately 20 hours of 'learning/calibration time'. Part of that is due to the finicky CMS system in the LG LCD I calibrated but much of it was due to just learning calibration. If you're not someone who plans to become a bit of a hobbyist in calibration and just wants to calibrate a single TV - it's likely not worth the investment of time. In that case, pay a pro to bring out their pro equipment and get it as tightly calibrated as possible.

 

[Doug Blackburn]

The learning curve for someone at the point you are at (not really knowing anything about calibration other than you think it may provide more accurate images) is going to be VERY steep. Especially when you own a TV with 10 grayscale adjustment points, a number of gamma settings, and a proper color management system (CMS) with 18 additional controls to make colors accurate.


In addition, some meters are not accurate when measuring TVs that have LEDs for the light source, so you may have to pay extra for a "characterization" of the low-cost meter you purchase against a better meter so corrections can be applied to make your meter more accurate for TVs with LED light sources. As someone else mentioned, filter-based colorimeters (common in meters costing circa $500 or less) drift over time because the filters themselves change over time. So the meter you buy today, won't necessarily produce decent results in 3 or 5 years from now.


Browse the "Calibration for Dummies" thread here on AVS and see if the information appears daunting. You'll be learning how to understand what the meter is telling you at the same time you are trying to understand the purpose of each type of adjustment and how to tell when each adjustment is right or wrong. I tell people who are considering DIY calibration that they will invest as much as or more than the cost of a pro calibration in tools PLUS probably 100 hours of study and practice before they get a calibration that's about the same as what a pro calibrator could do with the same meter (yet the pro calibrator will typically have superior hardware and software and MAY have access to insider info from manufacturers if they are THX certified or if they are members at ISF Forum (not the ISF website).

 

[ka81]

51D6900


i understand that all tvs are individual, but anyway - please write down any or some calibration settings (maybe some general for most 6900's) .


thanx.


p.s. the problem is with a lot of yellow, specially i can see it on people's faces.