[brebeans]

Hi:

We currently have a Samsung 720p 40" LCD and are looking to upgrade to a Samsung (we think) LED (probably the UN46B6000, givne the price).


The cost for this TV, including a blu ray player at BB Is $1499.98.

First of all, is there another TV, in this price range that is better than this Samsung? This TV gets great reviews from Consumer Reports and also CNET ranks it pretty well.


We never got our previous Samsung calibrated and now BB is trying to sell us on getting our new TV professionally calibrated by them, at $299.


First of all, is it necessary? Secondly, if a professional calibration is STRONGLY recommended by folks on this board, what cost should I expect to pay for getting it professionally calibrated by someone other than BB?


Sorry for all the questions, but although I'm somewhat knowledgeable and interested in electronics, TVs, audio, etc. the new hardware, software, format and set up options these days is pretty overwhelming. I just want to be sure I get a great picture for a reasonable price.


Thanks, in advance, for any advice.

 

[sotti]

So the samsung is a good display, and it has good calibration options in it's menu.


Calibration will give you a much more accurate picutre. Spending $300-$400 is pretty much the norm for what people charge.


The trick with calibrators is getting one that cares about their work. Just like with any job there are people working on their craft and people punching clocks.


Also movie mode on a samsung isn't bad out of the box, but it certianly has a ways to go to be correctly.

 

[Klass1K]

$299 what a rip off. I'm sure you can find some settings here through the forums or google.


Vizio is a good TV. They have a 47" for about $1499 that looks good.


Everything I had SAMSUNG has always broke when well taken care of so I stay away from them.

 

[sotti]

Also when I saw the title I thought this might be a do it yourself post.


You can get a colorimeter for as little as $100 and start with free software, or go with software like calMAN (I'm a developer on ver4) and do it yourself.


The trade off there is that it can sort of be cheaper to start, but you won't have the same level of tools that a pro does. If you care, you can probably do about the same job as a BB employee, but won't be able to match a guy that cares, has a ton of experience and a $5000-$10000 meter.

 

[sotti]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Klass1K /forum/post/18139462


$299 what a rip off. I'm sure you can find some settings here through the forums or google.


Vizio is a good TV. They have a 47" for about $1499 that looks good.


Everything I had SAMSUNG has always broke when well taken care of so I stay away from them.

The setting in the forums aren't going to be close.


The differences from model to model are enough to make everything 2 or 3 clicks off one way or the other. When you take all those clicks in aggragate the signal will be signfigantly different.


Of course the picture looks nice out of the box (but not accurate), so it will sitll look nice using someone elses settings, but it might even be less accurate.


Calibration is not subjective (looking nice), it's about making a display as accurate to standards as you can.

 

[PlasmaPZ80U]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sotti /forum/post/18139508


Also when I saw the title I thought this might be a do it yourself post.


You can get a colorimeter for as little as $100 and start with free software, or go with software like calMAN (I'm a developer on ver4) and do it yourself.


The trade off there is that it can sort of be cheaper to start, but you won't have the same level of tools that a pro does. If you care, you can probably do about the same job as a BB employee, but won't be able to match a guy that cares, has a ton of experience and a $5000-$10000 meter.

I'm not sure a budget meter would perform well with LED backlighting (or edgelighting, in this case) and it likely wouldn't be ideal for CMS work either. For these reasons, getting a meter and software bundle like the C5 and CalMAN would be the minimum and would end up costing considerably more than a single pro calibration.

 

[sotti]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PlasmaPZ80U /forum/post/18139550


I'm not sure a budget meter would perform well with LED backlighting (or edgelighting, in this case) and it likely wouldn't be ideal for CMS work either. For these reasons, getting a meter and software bundle like the C5 and CalMAN would be the minimum and would end up costing considerably more than a single pro calibration.

All true.

 

[brebeans]

Hi:

Thanks, everyone.

I'm pretty sure we're going with the Samsung 46" LED, will calibrate, as much as we can, at home and then decide from there whether to have BB come out to calibrate or hire someone else to professionally calibrate.


Any other advice is appreciated, though.


Thanks.