ISF Calibration
Bill Kinnavy (left) and Doug Rowley (Right)
Calibrating your TV for best picture performance
There are several reasons why people who watch television should have their television (TV) calibrated:
- A television that is adjusted or calibrated will have a longer life span
- Depending on the television you own, with proper calibration and set up the picture will look dramatically better with more vivid colors, better black levels, and overall picture accuracy
- Energy savings over time can be significant
Televisions are usually calibrated and marketed by the manufacturer to look good on a showroom floor; that includes enticing the customer with a bright picture because TV’s are within close range of one another in the showroom and there is a high amount of ambient light. However, when you take the TV home, there is no competition from other TV’s and you can control the ambient light; at this point in time one should adjust the calibration to suit the needs of your particular room.
All audio video retailers that sell TV’s do not impress upon their customers the importance of calibration. At Barrett’s Home Theater, sales consultants recommend to their clients this very important service for optimal efficiency, value, and quality. As more and more customers are willing to pay for this new service/calibration, we expect the custom installation team at Barrett’s Home Theater which does the calibration to become very busy in the coming year.
John Wettlaufer, custom sales manger of Barrett’s Home Theater, educates his clients from all over Chicago land area and reinforces the need for proper calibration as per his clients needs and wants. He includes this at the top of the list when TV’s are installed in their respective homes or businesses.
Wettlaufer comments on the importance of this program by stating, “The procedure of calibrating the TV is done as the last step in the set up of the custom installation process.” He continues, “Attempting to calibrate before the TV is in the desired location would reduce color accuracy and ultimate image quality because of the lighting conditions.”
Regarding energy efficiency, Front Projectors and Plasmas TVs have a tendency to produce additional heat in comparison to LCD or LED due to the way the image is produced. If you want to increase the lifespan and save energy, Wettlaufer highly recommends calibration upon installation.
Watching nature shows and sporting events gave me a true perspective of how good the color spectrum can be if the calibration is set appropriately. If not, you will never know what you are missing. If you already own a TV and have never had it calibrated, now is the time while you wait the warmer days of spring. If you are thinking of purchasing a new TV from Barrett’s Home Theater, be sure to read more about ISF calibration from our website or Google the words “ISF Calibration” and the technology advancements related the movie and television industry.
By Dianne Barrett
