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SubscribeSo, this time around my comments apply equally to flat panels as well as projector/screen applications.
Just for the fun of it, instead of making me type out the 28-characters "flat panel and projector/screen," from here on, let's call any video display a "Binford 9000."
We'll start with this premise: If you installed a new thermostat in your home, would you not want to then adjust it to the correct temperature setting for your environment?
If you installed a dimmable light array above your dining room table, would you not want to turn the knob to your desired brightness for that room?
So what about your Binford 9000?
Yup, this missive is about calibration.
We who perform calibrations often talk about it as being the last step in the manufacturing process. So, when I'm challenged with the question, "So, you know more about the Binford than the guys who built it?," my consistent reply is, "Nope, those Binford boys are pretty sharp. But I do know something they don't—I know where you are going to put it and how you are likely to use it."
Readers of this article don't need to be reminded that if the Binford lands in the pitch black dedicated theater versus the sunroom, the correct adjustments for those respective venues are quite different. And it's not just about setting brightness and contrast to get black level and peak white right for the environment where the Binford lives. An ISF calibration involves much, much more. To my simple and extremely biased mind, to spend thousands of dollars on an ultra-Binford and then not relinquish another few hundred more to make it as good as it can be every day for the next ten years or so is just, well, silly. Not only will calibration ensure enhanced viewing pleasure 24/7, it will likely extend the life of your expensive asset.
Among dozens of other adjustments (too many to mention this time—but stay tuned), one of the most important is color temperature over the entire luminance spectrum, a.k.a. grayscale. Most of you know it as the right place to be with color calibration—"D65" or "6,500 Kelvin color temperature."
When talking to clients I call it "syncing up with Spielberg." If Steven Spielberg is on set with his cinematographer, he might be looking at a half dozen monitors...uh, I mean Binfords. Each one of these is calibrated, or at least checked, twice a day to confirm they are at D65. If your Binford is not at D65, you are not watching the movie they wanted you to see.
Isn't that why you bought the top-of-the-line Binford?
More on calibration coming to this space soon...
No, you cannot do a full calibration yourself. If you hire a legitimate professional calibrator he has paid about $1,800 to attend a 3-day class on Imaging Science. He then has to spend between $1,000 and $20,000 for measurement equipment to do the right things to your display. Prices calibrators charge vary quite a bit depending on experience, equipment used, brand of display (some are usually easy, others are notoriously half-day jobs), travel distance, etc.
There are some things you can do to improve on the out-of-box factory defaults. You can find many DIY calibration discs on Amazon and E-Bay for less than $50. They will all come with simple instructions and all be worth the modest investment vs. as delivered settings. If you can afford it, I highly recommend the professional version. Good Luck.
Good to see a "pro" is still interested in this site. So you are going to beat me up for 3 Kelvin? ... Really? :) Yeah, I know most of the process has changed during the digital transition. About 25 years ago I was actually on set (my dad was an extra) of a film being shot in Temecula. I watched as they were calibrating a monitor. Didn't know what it was then, but after I had been calibrating with Joel, I recognized it as a Philips 5639 color analyzer. Although old news, we still use the "twice a day" line in class to underscore the importance to the film makers of getting the color right.
Now, you are going to make me explain "Color Volume" to the masses ... jeez
Thanks for your comments
My Binford 9000 already has a setting for "D65" color temperature. Am I all set? :)
You probably think "D65" is a caterpillar tractor - yes, you can trust everything in the menu. I talked to the guy who calibrated your TV and he said "If Ida had the right tools, I coulda done the job"
Miss you, buddy
As I understand, when we talk Kelvin for color temperature, it's like saying " I'll have a coke," however D65 is " I'll have a Coca-Cola" Our D65 reference point is an exact, measurable target and the 6500K/6503K are correlated color temperatures for that point, however there are many other points that still correlate to those Kelvin temperatures.
Regards, Glen Carter
Yes, it was wrong to humor him ... he should have been wearing a RED shirt! Turns out, calibrating a display actually INCREASES the RPM and, depending on the length of the lens, can take as much as a half second off the 0 - 60 speed
So Jim, I only get 3 or 400 words-give me a break! Eventually I will get to all the things you and I have had to learn the hard way - even screen stuff like white field uniformity, grey screens and, yes, even light rejecting screens. But for now, put away the bait box and give me a couple months!
Thanks in advance for your guidance.
