Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Adjusting video: what do you do?

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.

If you adjust so that it looks good / accurate to your eyes, does anything else really matter?

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.

You are right, as long as you are happy, it doesn't really matter. However, for some, who are interested in greater video accuracy and getting the most out of their viewing experience, it really is not much different than wanting to upgrade your speakers or electronics.

a calibrated monitor, or tv, means that whatever you see is shown the way the director wants it to be seen.

if this is not done, and done right, it's similar to going to the cinema wearing a pair of red tinted sunglasses.

for some, it's ok and i got nothing against it; to each his own choice

I spent an excessive amount of time on AVS before I bought my TV and have seen all these points debated, redebated and then debated again. In the end, I used DVD essentials or something like that and am continually amazed at the jaw dropping clarity and color of my TV. I am glad I didn't drop the coin on a pro to come in and access my service menu to tweak color, temp and grayscale.

Thanks for that info Casey! I did not want to pay for a new version of Calman as I can get around 3.5 pretty quick. I'll check out Tom's software before I move to another version of Calman. I've been using Calman since it was in an Excell format.

Argon - If you like what you see, stick with it. I like accurate colors, flat grey scale and a progressive gamma. It's no different that audio really. If you like tone controls, use them, if you want accuracy, well I don't to preach to the choir.

Good idea and I am sure you will be impressed with the Chromapure software. If I might make a recommendation, I would say along with the Chromapure website itself, it would be advantageous to check out the CurtPalme.com site. Click on the "Products For Sale" heading at the top of the page and scan down the page till it shows the Chromapure heading. This particular site has a substantially greater variety of permutations and combinations for this particular product and in some cases the prices are actually a little less than the Chromapure website itself. For eg: the Standard software is actually $20.00 less than the main website($180 as opposed to $200). The Standard software includes the license for one meter.

Since you have an EyeOne Pro meter, which is already supported, all you have to do is give them the serial number of the meter, download the software(of course, after paying) and then you will be good to go. Very simple.