DataColor SpyderTV
May 2006
TV calibration you can do yourself
You've spent a small fortune on the latest HDTV and home theater system. You've followed the directions for balancing your speakers, hooked everything up properly, run wires all over the family room and even programmed your universal remote so the whole family could watch a TV without calling for tech support. But when you look at the final picture, something just doesn't look right. The TV's blacks are a little gray, the whites are a little blue and the reds are a little orange.
Guess what? Your TV needs a color tune-up. It may be a surprise to many, but very few TVs, even the best high definition models, are set up to look their best when you get them out of the box. Most TVs are set up by the manufacturer to look impressive in the retail showroom, and that means bright. For whatever reason, buyers have come to believe that the bright TV in the store is the best, so most TVs are tuned like lighthouses when you get them home. The brightness and contrast are usually boosted way up, and the color and tint settings are equally out of whack. To correct this in the home, we always recommend one of two options. For most people, using the test patterns on a TV set-up disc ($20-$40), such as Digital Video Essentials, will get a TV closer to theater perfection. For the high-end home theater fan, someone who doesn't mind spending top dollar for perfection, an ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) certified calibration professional can do a superior job by using advanced measurement tools and fine tuning the controls in the TV's service menu. That kind of service can get expensive though, as an ISF tech may charge $150/input/source (i.e., DVD, standard cable, HD cable, video game…).
Now DataColor offers a do-it-yourself solution that falls in the middle of that range. The SpyderTV combines a DVD of video test patterns with PC software and a TV colorimeter (color sensor) to let you do much more precise adjustments without getting into the TV's sensitive service menu (when the wrong move could ruin your TV). At a cost of around $250, it's a good compromise between the professional job and the user eyeball method.
The SpyderTV kit consists of three key elements. First is the software, which you need to install on your laptop PC (a desktop won't work because you can't easily move that and the monitor over to your TV). Next is the colorimeter—a small sensor that is attached via USB to the PC. You stick it to the front of the TV with suction cups. Finally there's the SpyderTV DVD which contains all the test patterns you'll use to measure the TV's output.
You've spent a small fortune on the latest HDTV and home theater system. You've followed the directions for balancing your speakers, hooked everything up properly, run wires all over the family room and even programmed your universal remote so the whole family could watch a TV without calling for tech support. But when you look at the final picture, something just doesn't look right. The TV's blacks are a little gray, the whites are a little blue and the reds are a little orange.
Guess what? Your TV needs a color tune-up. It may be a surprise to many, but very few TVs, even the best high definition models, are set up to look their best when you get them out of the box. Most TVs are set up by the manufacturer to look impressive in the retail showroom, and that means bright. For whatever reason, buyers have come to believe that the bright TV in the store is the best, so most TVs are tuned like lighthouses when you get them home. The brightness and contrast are usually boosted way up, and the color and tint settings are equally out of whack. To correct this in the home, we always recommend one of two options. For most people, using the test patterns on a TV set-up disc ($20-$40), such as Digital Video Essentials, will get a TV closer to theater perfection. For the high-end home theater fan, someone who doesn't mind spending top dollar for perfection, an ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) certified calibration professional can do a superior job by using advanced measurement tools and fine tuning the controls in the TV's service menu. That kind of service can get expensive though, as an ISF tech may charge $150/input/source (i.e., DVD, standard cable, HD cable, video game…).
Now DataColor offers a do-it-yourself solution that falls in the middle of that range. The SpyderTV combines a DVD of video test patterns with PC software and a TV colorimeter (color sensor) to let you do much more precise adjustments without getting into the TV's sensitive service menu (when the wrong move could ruin your TV). At a cost of around $250, it's a good compromise between the professional job and the user eyeball method.
The SpyderTV kit consists of three key elements. First is the software, which you need to install on your laptop PC (a desktop won't work because you can't easily move that and the monitor over to your TV). Next is the colorimeter—a small sensor that is attached via USB to the PC. You stick it to the front of the TV with suction cups. Finally there's the SpyderTV DVD which contains all the test patterns you'll use to measure the TV's output.
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