Casey,
Lumagen has a new machine out now called the Mini. Still a little expensive, but it works with Calman V4, so 'even a caveman can calibrate'.
I'm still using Calman V3.5 and haven't moved to V4 yet. I use a Eye 1 Pro meter.
There is an upfront cost for doing your own calibration and a pretty steep learning curve, but it does come in handy when you consider just how much drift you get with both grey scale and gamma on projectors as the bulb ages. I recalibrate about every 200 hours and end up making changed each time.
It was tempting, however, I decided, for the moment to pass on the "Mini". By the way, I have both the latest Calman software packages including the 4.1 version and prior to that the 3.7. If you already had the 3.7 the 4.1 upgrade was free. I have a Video EQ Pro which is "suppose" to work interactively with the latest 4.1, however, it has been an exercise in frustration and along with still having some issues, I have given up on it.
The software that I am NOW using which has been rated the best of all of them is "Chromapure" developed by a well known calibrator Tom Huffman. It is MUCH easier to learn and use, even calibrating manually. What I have learned is there is a difference with software developed by computer "geeks" as opposed to that developed by an actual calibrator. Although the 4.1 "looks" very impressive it is hard to use especially for a novice with as you say, a steep learning curve. This latest version of Calman is not really designed for a first-timer. The ironic thing is that the Video EQ was developed by AV Foundry, a subsidiary of Spectracal that developed the Calman software, however, I find it works just as well or not better with the Chromapure software! Where I find the ease of use and effectiveness superiority of the Chromapure over the Calman is especially in the CMS calibrating tables and their function. MUCH easier.
You can be assured that I have tried all of them and I come back to Chromapure because it is just easier to use and more effective. It also has a superior detailed help section in the software and should you have issues, Tom Huffman himself is at the other end of the E-Mail to help you. Early on I had a question about something and E-Mailed Chromapure support on a Sunday night, of course, not expecting a response until the next day. Believe it or not, Tom Huffman replied personally, that same evening within the hour to answer my question. (The guy must be there 24/7)!
Oh, and by the way, it is a fraction of the price of Calman with, when required, more free upgrades.
