LCD Calibration

[FanIn80]

I have a buddy who works at Future Shop. I'm getting them to come out and calibrate my 3 year old plasma (which has never been calibrated), but only paying half price.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

From within the link Vulcan posted:

http://www.lionav.com/services.php

Lot's of good info on the surprisingly named info page as well.

I'm not sure why some of you are in such denial of this service? It exists for a reason. Like FanIn80 posted, they don't show up with what you already have and charge you for them to do it. They have their own equipment they bring, and are trained and certified to do what they do, at least Michael Chen was. They also take ongoing courses to keep up with the changing technologies.

Kind of like...if you're happy with the car you just bought and the k&n you just threw in, fine. Enjoy it. Nothing else matters. But if you're curious to see how much more you can get out of it for better performance, you start messin' with electronics, pulley sprockets, cams and exhausts, and maybe throw a turbo or supecharger in and...and...yeahhh...thats the ticket!

But anyway, I digress. If you're content with your tube out of the box with a couple menu tweaks and a sound and vision dvd, calibration isn't for you.

I guess I am just a guy who never trusts aftermarket services because I believe that most of them are cons that don't really do anything that you can do yourself.

I don't know. When I read that list on that site, it all sounds like bunk to me, like what a guy would come up for his list of things he does to "optimize" your computer when I know it's mostly nonsense and stuff that's written to sound formal but that doesn't take a rocket scientist to do. Or maybe like a mechanic telling you that you need to do this and that to your car and presenting a bill and hoping that you don't understand that he really did nothing at all. 95% of that stuff is in your TV manual and you can do yourself from the menus that come with the TV. If they weren't accessible by menu or user accessible service panel, these calibration techs wouldn't be able to do it without voiding your warranty. I just feel like it is taking advantage of people who don't know better.

A car is very different from a piece of consumer electronics. With a TV and "calibration" it's just a guy playing with the menu and settings and a few accessible controls and service menus that come with all TVs according to what he feels is best. If it's your TV and your living space, why not set it up yourself to what you would prefer you viewing experience to be like? I know I am always changing my color temperature depending on what I am viewing and the samples he provides on the info page are settings that I sometimes purposely set depending on what I am watching. A lot of this stuff is digital as well and there is no need to fine tune everything.

Keep in mind, these TVs are all built by multimillion dollar corporations who have already spent a lot of money on real engineers designing the best image they could come up with for the price. What makes the default settings so bad that you have to spend another $250 for a guy to come and play with your remote on a $2500 TV? Aren't you the best judge of how a TV looks in your living room? Why not sit back on the couch and play with the settings until you are happy in your own time?

I still believe LCD calibration services as provided by these stores are a scam, just like how they push monster cables on unsuspecting folk. This is how they really make money you see. See this consumerist article:

http://consumerist.com/2008/03/circu...for-10474.html

Looking at that LionAV site, if you look at one of his services, the ISF C3 Calibration, this is a thing on Pioneer TVs where certified techs charge $200-$300 to do. They probably are paid or have some kind of kickback structure with Pioneer. They are given a code to access a hidden service manual to do this.

Alternatively, you could just google it for the service menu codes and software and do it yourself and save $300.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...php?t=1011896]

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by cKy

All very good info. Thanks everyone. I decided to cancel the appointment. My setup is ok, but the lack of using Blu-Ray and just using a 360, WDTV HD player, and Bell HD, I just don't see the point of forking it out.

I'm not a picky guy, if I don't get the best shading possible, I am not going to complain.

Thanks everyone!

Since you mentioned that the guy who sold that to you is a "friend of a friend," it's probably worth pointing out that he's 100% commission and that he made practically nothing off the actual TV sale. His commission comes from services (calibration, install, etc) and warranty.

I'm not saying anything is right or wrong, just letting you know how the commission structure works there. Again, only because you mentioned he's a friend of a friend.

[cKy]

I already talked to my friend, and he told me if I don't want it, then don't get it. His friend is more of an acquaintance, then he is a friend. I was thinking about the commission there (my gf worked @ FS for 2 years) but in the end, I have to worry about me, and not someone else.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by cKy

I already talked to my friend, and he told me if I don't want it, then don't get it. His friend is more of an acquaintance, then he is a friend. I was thinking about the commission there (my gf worked @ FS for 2 years) but in the end, I have to worry about me, and not someone else.

For sure. Just looking to help you avoid some drama, but it looks like you're already ahead of the game.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

For sure. Just looking to help you avoid some drama, but it looks like you're already ahead of the game.

Yeah, I went off on a bit of a rant, but I really just didn't want the OP to get ripped off or pressured into buying a calibration service from Futureshop (I hope he didn't get talked into a product replacement plan or monster cables! )

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Yeah, I went off on a bit of a rant, but I really just didn't want the OP to get ripped off or pressured into buying a calibration service from Futureshop (I hope he didn't get talked into a product replacement plan or monster cables! )

But HDMI cables can overheat and burn out from overuse!

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Yeah, I went off on a bit of a rant, but I really just didn't want the OP to get ripped off or pressured into buying a calibration service from Futureshop (I hope he didn't get talked into a product replacement plan or monster cables! )

Ok...I think I missed one of your points here. I do think you are correct when it comes to the upsaled, store version of a calibration. Unless I can be proven otherwise, I'm sure they don't take quite the same amount of effort, or have the same equipment possibly as a third party service like Michael Chen. This is of course merely an assumption, as these stores are most often just about upsales, profit, and move it on to the next customer. Michel Chen bases a lot of his business strictly on word of mouth (these days = internet)

Michael Chen, as well as the outfit he represents claim to have no affiliation with any manufacturers. What do I know...could be a lie, but I doubt it. He came across pretty honest. Also, all higher end TV's, not just Pioneer, have internal settings (service menu) that are not accessible by the average person. Having said that, it's not too difficult to find out how to get into them. Once you are though, it's quite a rats nest of settings that I sure the hell wouldn't want to fata up.

As far as equating it to modding your car...I know. Bad similarity. I was grasping and just kind of babbling...but I think it gets the gist across?!

[cKy]

You know, it wasnt even being pressured into buying it. It went like this. I bought the TV, and he showed me the side by side demo of the calibration. I noticed the difference (ofcourse) and he said, i'll give it to you for $150, lets go book a date while filling out the info on the computer. I shouldve said something there, but it was a fricken whirlwind as it was.

And the kicker is, he booked me for weekend (saturday) and the calibration guy only works weekdays. I'm not taking time off work to get this done, that seems a little silly to me.

[Vulcan]

With a TV and "calibration" it's just a guy playing with the menu and settings and a few accessible controls and service menus that come with all TVs according to what he feels is best.

At this point I'd like warn people from going into the service menu and adjusting TVs according to what he feels is best or even following step by step instructions found on the net. Manufacturers are always changing firmware on what look like identical TVs and what one person finds works on one TV doesn't always work on a identical TV.

If you search around the linked AVS Forums you'll find a number of people who have bricked their TVs playing around in the service menu.

Now I haven't hired a pro calibrator, but I wouldn't equate their services to buying Monster cables. I've got a lot of Scottish blood and if you do a search, I'm the first person on this board that recommended Monoprice. There may not be as much need for them anymore, what with the rear projection CRTs going out of style but if I have made a serious investment in a TV and I am not completely happy with the picture, I'd seriously consider hiring a Michael Chen. There are just too many good reviews of what these guys can accomplish.