LCD TV/Monitor Calibration
Calibrating my LCD TV/Monitor was what was on my mind last night when I was browsing through my photos using Google’s free Picasa photo software. Whilst playing around with the brightness and colour correction settings of the photos, it struck me that it was pointless changing photos when I’d never actually properly done a LCD TV/Monitor calibration or configured my Viewsonic
While this thought was fresh in my mind, I did a Google Search (now located to the right of this article for your convenience!) and found it was actually quite difficult finding something to help me calibrate and properly configure my LCD monitor - I thought that they’d be plenty of LCD TV/monitor calibration tests for LCD monitors by now as you find plenty on DVDs for your LCD TVs (more on this later), however most results I found were for professional paid LCD TV/monitor calibration services - certainly not what I needed in terms of calibrating the LCD monitor of my home computer.
So after many more searches, I finally found Julian Robinson’s Photography Site that had some good, basic online guide on to how to go about it.
After that, I then had the thought of actually trying out the THX Optimizer calibration disc tests otherwise known as the tests that you find on the Star Wars DVDs
Obviously using a DVD for LCD TV/monitor calibration is all dependant on any changes to the video settings you have made in your display settings, but I’d left mine as the standard defaults, so it seemed to work OK. It’s all subjective - so I could be way off for all I know! But hopefully not!
While you’re calibrating your monitor though, you might want to test it for dead pixels - where you find there are solid ‘dots’ of non-changing colour on your screen. If you want to check for this, then go take a look at the Dead Pixel Tester.
How do you set your LCD monitor settings up? Have you found any better ways of doing it? Please let me know if you have. You might want to try taking a look at the LCD calibration discs below.
Now you’ve got me curious! Lol
I’m not sure how to calibrate the settings on my laptops LCD screen so I’ll have to look into that. As sson as I get some free time I’ll have to check the settings on my LCD TV too.
I’ll definitely stop back to review this and will let you know how it goes.
That would be good Bill. So far so good for me, I’m still happier with it and not heard any complaints from anyone who’s seen my monitor recently.
My LCD TV took an awful lot of playing about with too, I’d get it set up and then be watching a tv show, particularly ones like 24 which are quite dark and just had to keep fiddling with the display settings - think I spent a whole episode doing that, probably missed most of what actually happened!
If you are looking for an easy way to calibrate your display, and aren’t the type to use a Blue Filter and other equipment, then check out the Sexy Girl HDTV Calibration Slates, They are the best way to calibrate a TV.
Now that really does make for a good way of calibrating your monitor/tv - I’ll be sure to give it a go!
Dynamite review covering Calibrate your LCD Monitor/TV. Always enjoy this point of view!
How necessary is calibration on an LCD TV? My local big box store wants to charge me $400 to calibrate an LCD TV! Does this sound right? Can I do it myself?
A certain amount of calibration would be useful to any LCD TV, however I’d certainly not pay anything like $400 for somebody to do it for me!
I’d take a look at the two products above that you can buy from Amazon which would help you to calibrate your LCD TV yourself at home and they cost much, much less than $400.
Hope that helps!