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How do I
adjust the picture controls (color, tint, sharpness, contrast, and
brightness) on my Digital TV or HDTV? Most
TV sets are sold with the picture controls for color, tint, sharpness,
contrast, and brightness optimized for a TV showroom, where the
manufacturer wants to make the set stand out from the competition.
As such, the sharpness, contrast, and brightness controls are usually set
way too high for the best possible and natural picture in your home.
A brightness setting that is too high can also quickly cause burn-in and
premature wear for CRT-based TVs. The best
way to adjust these common picture control settings (color, tint,
sharpness, contrast, and brightness) is to use a calibration source
material. The most common calibration material for consumers is Digital
Video Essentials (released on July 15, 2003) for HDTV, and a number of DVD-Video based calibration
discs for standard definition (480i or 480p). Read the answer
to our FAQ below. Until you can
calibrate your Digital TV or HDTV with a calibration source material,
adjust the color and tint for natural skin tones by “eyeing it”.
Turn the sharpness control all the down to its lowest setting. This
minimizes or eliminates picture artifacts caused by the sharpness
function. Turn the contrast control to the middle. Finally,
turn the brightness control down to about the middle as well, particularly
for CRT-based TVs to minimize the risk of burn-in.
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How do I
calibrate my Digital TV or HDTV?
You can use Digital
Video Essentials (released on July 15, 2003), by Joe
Kane Productions, when it becomes available on the Digital-VHS
format to calibrate your Digital TV or HDTV. This reference
calibration program provides a comprehensive set of video test patterns
and sample HDTV footage with a narrated guide allowing you to properly set
your Digital TV or HDTV's picture controls (color, tint, sharpness,
contract, and brightness) to optimal settings that closely reflect the
standards established by the industry (namely the Society of Motion
Picture and Television Engineers [SMPTE]). Digital Video Essentials
also has audio test tones and narration to help you get the most out of
your home theater surround sound system as well.
To use Digital
Video Essentials on the D-VHS
format, you will need a D-VHS VCR, such as the JVC HM-DH30000
($600, as low as $549.88
at JandR.com),
Marantz MV8300 ($1,600), Mitsubishi
HS-HD1100U, and Mitsubishi
HS-HD2000U.
If you watch mostly DVD-Video, then you can
use of of these calibration disks:
Be sure to allow
adequate time for your Digital TV/HDTV to warm up by turning it one and
let it display HDTV programming for at least one hour prior to the
calibration process.
Also, see the answer to this
FAQ.
answer last updated
5.5.2003
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How do I
get the most from my new Digital TV or HDTV? To
get the most from your new Digital TV or HDTV, you should have it
professionally calibrated by an ISF-certified technician. The Imaging
Science Foundation (ISF) is an organization that seeks to establish
new standards and methodologies for the video and home theater industry,
and is dedicated to improving the quality of video displays. Depending
on what type of Digital TV or HDTV you have, these professional
calibration can run $150-$300 or more. For an HDTV of $6000 or more,
videophiles and enthusiasts may choose to go this route. We
recommend this service for owners of CRT-based front projectors and
high-end CRT-based rear projection TVs (costing over $6,000). Click
here to find an ISF-certified
dealer/technician in your area. For most everyday consumers,
they can alternatively do some of this themselves using a calibration program. Read the
answer
to the previous FAQ.
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How do I
connect my Digital TV or HDTV to my DVD-Video player? For
video, use the component video
output of your DVD-Video player and set your DVD-Video player output to
progressive scan, if you have a progressive
scan DVD-Video player. The selection can be made either by a
button on the back panel of the DVD-Video player or via DVD-Video player's
menu selection, depending on the your particular model. If your
DVD-Video player does not have component video output, then use the S-Video
connection. For audio, use a pair of stereo
audio interconnects to connect the analog stereo audio output (RCA jacks)
from the back panel of the DVD-Video player to the corresponding audio
input for the set of video inputs used (e.g., “Video 1”). If you
have a home
theater receiver, read the answer to this
FAQ.
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How do I
connect my Digital TV or HDTV to my broadcast satellite system? Depending
on the connectivity of your broadcast satellite set-top box and your
Digital TV/HDTV, you should use the following video connection to your
Digital TV or HDTV (listed in order of preference, from best quality to
mediocre:
For audio, use a pair of stereo audio
interconnects to connect the analog stereo audio output (RCA jacks) from
the back panel of the broadcast satellite set-top box to the corresponding
audio input for the set of video inputs used (e.g., “Video 2”).
If you have a home
theater receiver, read the answer to this
FAQ.
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How do I connect my Digital TV or HDTV to my
VHS VCR?
For video, use the S-Video
connection. If your VCR does not have S-Video, use the composite
video connection. For audio, use a pair
of stereo audio interconnects to connect the analog stereo audio output
(RCA jacks) from the back panel of the VCR to the corresponding audio
input for the set of video inputs used (e.g., “Video 3”). If you
have a home
theater receiver, make the audio connection to your home theater
receiver instead of your Digital TV/HDTV.
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How do I
connect my Digital TV or HDTV to my PVR (personal video recorder,
e.g., TiVo or ReplayTV)?
For video, use the S-Video
connection. If your PVR does not have S-Video, use the composite
video connection. For audio, use a pair
of stereo audio interconnects to connect the analog stereo audio output
(RCA jacks) from the back panel of the PVR to the corresponding audio
input for the set of video inputs used (e.g., “Video 4”). If you
have a home
theater receiver, make the audio connection to your home theater
receiver instead of your Digital TV/HDTV.
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