This may be common knowledge, but I just found out about it and found it very useful. So, I just purchased a new plasma HDTV. After a little research it was apparent that I should not leave the picture settings as they were out of the box, as they are often set to be displayed in the harsh lighting of big box stores. You can adjust the individual settings by eye; you can pay an “expert” to come do it for you; you can buy a calibration DVD for about $15 - $20; or… you can use the THX Optimizer that is included on a number of commercial DVDs. The optimizer is a tool that walks you through the settings with easy to see visual guides. I didn’t have any of the DVDs (list here.) A quick Google search landed the tool on a downloadable ISO. You can also look for one the DVDs at the local library or Red Box machine for a free or cheap alternative.
It definitely made my picture look better. There is a separate version if you have Blu Ray.
Yup, that does a decent job. I’ve heard the calibration DVDs are even better. What the THX discs do best is calibrate your audio, especially getting your sub crossover at the correct level.
That’s a good question. I let my Audyssey mic set the levels for the speakers, but I manually set the sub. It just seemed to have been off - or I have a different expectation/preference on that. And of course, not all receivers have Audyssey capabilities.
I don’t know what the disks do for Audio but I try to trim out the sub so male voices don’t boom too much. I hate that. I drive my 23" HDTV with computer speakers and use the built in equalizer to do that for the bedroom TV. Most movies seem to correct for that in the cutting room but live TV announcers sound horrible otherwise.
Booming voices come from a handful of compromises. The main reason is that the subwoofer crossover frequency is too high - unfortunately, if your main speakers are little coffee mug sized things, you probably have to have the sub crossing over at 100 or even 120 Hz as the mains have no actual bass. If you’ve got this sort of setup, about all you can do is try to find a happy medium of reducing the bass level so voices don’t boom, but you still get some bass out of the sub. And definitely turn off the “loudness” setting.
OTOH, my system has the high cut crossover for the sub at 40 Hz, and there’s no booming voice problem. In order to have such a low crossover, you need main speakers that make some bass on their own, and an actual subwoofer (as opposed to a “bass module” that can slip behind the sofa).
As for calibrating displays, if you poke around places like AVS Forum, you can often find “starter” calibration settings for popular TVs that will be a vast improvement over the defaults.
I wish I had know about the Optimizer. I had someone come out, although the results are likely about the same and well worth the trouble. My blacks show even the most subtle variation and detail, something that’s very noticable with things like men’s suits. Best though is that it radically reduced the amount of heat generated by the set. It’s working much easier now, expending a fraction of the effort. This should translate into an appreciably extended life.