# How do I setup my new HDTV (contrast, brightness, color, etc.)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-setup-my-new-hdtv-contrast-brightness-color-etc/394879>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 6, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-setup-my-new-hdtv-contrast-brightness-color-etc/394879 "2007-03-06T23:41:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-setup-my-new-hdtv-contrast-brightness-color-etc/394879/1 "2007-03-06T23:41:58Z")

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Just got myself a nice 32" LCD TV. Looks great coming from a regular tube SDTV, but I have a sense that the settings need to be “customized” for my room and video sources etc.

Yeah, I know how to actually do this through the TV menus. What I don’t know is what criteria I should use when setting them up to be perfect, especially contrast vs. brightness. I have some basic sense that blacks should be black, but then again things look a lot better (ehh, more visible) with the brightness cranked up so you can actually see stuff.

Any advice would be helpful. FTR, this isn’t a particular dark room. There are quite large windows and light during the day and at night I usually have 2 or more lamps on when watching/gaming.

Suggestions?

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-setup-my-new-hdtv-contrast-brightness-color-etc/394879/2 "2007-03-06T23:52:11Z")

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Pick up a setup DVD like _Digital Video Essentials_ or Avia Guide to Home Theater, and they’ll step you through the process of tuning your TV with some pretty easy to use test patterns.

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-setup-my-new-hdtv-contrast-brightness-color-etc/394879/3 "2007-03-07T00:07:55Z")

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If you have one of the _Star Wars_ DVDs, you can use the THX calibration. On my trilogy DVDs, you go to Options, then select the THX optimizer.