Having never calibrated my own TV before, I was ultimately struck by the improvement in picture quality that resulted from just simple adjustments.

There are three different sets of tools - for beginners, advanced users, and experts - each with tests for brightness, contrast, aspect ratio, sharpness, color, and viewing angle at different levels. While it doesn't quite make TV calibration 'doggone easy and fun,' as Goofy claims on the packaging, WOW's test patterns are plenty helpful. While there are a number of TV calibration DVDs, Disney's World of Wonder Blu-ray ( $16.73 with free shipping, a low by $1) is one of the most user-friendly options. Only a slightly more costly method is using a calibration Blu-ray disc or DVD. A professional calibrator will be able to correctly adjust your TV's temperature, as well as access the fine-tuning controls in its service menu - modifications beyond most laymen's capabilities.

If you've just dropped a cool $1,000 or more on your new HDTV, the expense of hiring a pro may no doubt seem worth it. While there are plenty of independent contractors to be found (at various price points), for $250, an ISF-certified technician from Best Buy's Geek Squad can calibrate two inputs. Just make sure that the professional is certified by either the Imaging Science Foundation or THX. Every TV has its own idiosyncrasies that are affected by the attributes of the room you place it in, specifically lighting and viewing distance to get the most out of the latest technology, whether it be a standard set or something more fancy that sports 3D or 4K TV, then it's necessary to make some adjustments to your set's brightness, contrast, sharpness, and color.Īs with most things in life, hiring a professional calibrator to fine tune your set is the simplest way to calibrate your TV. If your living room isn't lit by a dozen fluorescent lights (and we hope it's not), then you'll want to calibrate your HDTV to get the best picture quality. But did you know that the default settings for most HDTVs are optimized for the glare of a showroom's fluorescent lighting? If you're like most HD television owners, chances are you haven't touched the video settings on your TV since the day you pulled it out of the box.

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