First Time Reader
Dear Gary: I was given Widescreen Review for the first time. I was reading your article, “One Installer’s Opinion,” and I thought I would drop an e-mail to ask a couple of questions. I am still in the “Home Theatre In A Box” realm but know there are much better products out there. I never knew about calibration before and was wondering how much it usually runs. I just bought a new home where I will be setting up a Sony 57-inch projection unit and a Sony Theater System. Would it be worth it to have it calibrated, or should that only be done for higher-end systems. My setup doesn’t compare to what I saw in your magazine but I thought I would look into it. I would like it to be set up to get the most out of it.
Renato
One Installer’s Opinion Columnist Terry Paullin Comments:
First, welcome to WSR. I’m sure you will find it to be a continuing source of useful information/education. Had you been reading my column for these past few years, you would have heard me rant about spending money just once (meaning doing your homework and buying the right stuff the FIRST time—subscribing to this magazine counts as homework)! Your 57-inch Sony will absolutely benefit substantially from Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) calibration. All digital chasses will, but large screens, which “magnify” video artifacts and geometric distortions as well as intended images stand to benefit most observably. Most ISF technicians will charge you as a function of the number of memories you want calibrated (almost all monitors have a separate memory for each input and/or sweep speed). A typical request is for one 480i and one hi-def (1080i) input to be calibrated and a typical charge for this would be about $500. Expect to get geometry, focus, overscan, grayscale and “front panel” adjustments optimized for this price as well as the menu settings on your TV and DVD player set properly, if necessary.
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