Why Calibrate?
VIDEO: Isn't my new TV already making a great picture? Great? Maybe. But is it the best that
the TV can do? Probably not. Remember how different all those TV's looked at the store? It
probably wasn't the different quality of the sets as much as the non-standard adjustment of the
Individual displays. Manufacturers set their models to look as bright and appealing as possible
to compete with all the other models on the showroom floor. The user and service controls are
set for the highest apparent light output, the blue color control is set high to make the picture
look brighter, and often the red tint is "pushed" to compensate for the higher blue content.
Adjusting the user controls by eye can affect some changes, but doesn't get the set even close
to any kind of standard, the standard that was used by the broadcasters and film-makers that
made the films and TV programs that you watch. They want you to see the same colors and
details that they saw in the studio while mastering your show or DVD. Video calibration is one
of the most effective and least expensive upgrades you can make to your video system.
AUDIO: My system sounds good. Why do I need to calibrate? Why do you need to tune your
car or align the tires or change the oil or do any kind of maintenance? You want your
equipment to run at it's best, at the level that it was designed to operate, at it's maximum
performance. And regardless of how much you have spent for the gear, even state of the art
equipment will sound differently in different rooms. The room is as much a part of the system
as the amp or speakers. Professional calibration is the only way to analyze how the audio
signals behave in the room in order to maximize system performance. With audio calibration,
even a modest home theater system can sound like one costing much more. A professionally
calibrated sound system will provide intelligible dialogue, lifelike clarity, subtle details at low
volume, and full, smooth, enveloping sound to capture the full potential of your audio system.