Or, do you use specific web sites to get the best picture settings?

I heard having it cal'd by a professional is expen$ive.

12/19/2011 1:08:17 AM

i used some calibration DVD once. seemed like a pretty reasonable alternative to $professionals

12/19/2011 1:14:41 AM

Best buy does isf calibration.

But, I don't see the point. your set top box is going to be a different device than what the calibration tool is, so you can't control for variances there. it seems like it would make more sense using a DVD to get close for that device, then eyeballing it for the cable box.

A calibration device makes the most sense if you're using it on apc because.

And a lot of TVs have a cinema or theater mode that is very close to what a calibrator would get you anyway.

12/19/2011 2:10:54 AM

Me, I just adjust the settings until the picture looks good to me. That usually requires me to turn the brightness down, tweak the contrast a bit and a few other little settings.

12/19/2011 2:16:45 AM

i start with avsforum recommendations and tweak slightly from there

12/19/2011 4:35:11 AM

I use my spider3 elite calibrator for the tv, but the output device is a pc so I have an actual way of calibrating it properly.

12/19/2011 7:10:28 AM

I found two good articles on it. One from Epinions, and another from Hometheater.com.

http://www.hometheater.com/content/lg-55lw5600-3d-lcd-hdtv-settings
http://www.epinions.com/review/lg-55-55lw5600-tv/content_570378718852

Looks like the Epinions settings came from Hometheater.com.

Either way, I'll see if there is a good calibration Blu-Ray DVD I can use.

12/19/2011 9:36:44 AM

Another forum I saw recommended buying the Spears & Munsil calibration dvd for $25.

The guys at HD Nation also say it is a good dvd.

12/19/2011 9:56:01 AM

I used Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics [blu-ray]. I've never done a calibration before so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was very in-depth and I am pleased with the results. The DVD also has a speaker calibration tool.

12/19/2011 4:08:37 PM

^i found that DVD to be nothing more than glorified eyeballing

12/19/2011 4:38:55 PM

Isn't that sort of the point?

Real talk: you own an LG LCD. You should've spent the money you're considering spending on professional calibration on buying a better television.

[Edited on December 19, 2011 at 5:03 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2011 5:02:45 PM

Buy the Disney WOW disc...really great calibration and most people at avsforum.com swear by it.

12/19/2011 10:03:39 PM

^^ wow...bit of a TV snob, eh?

Please tell me what TV I should have bought?

12/19/2011 11:02:25 PM

FYI: Every THX certified DVD has a copy of the THX optimizer tool on it for TV calibration, you probably already own one

12/19/2011 11:18:40 PM

I'm ISF certified via Best Buy...
It makes a big difference..

After about a year...I was able to know the "close" settings without having to spend all that time doing them...

I would suggest looking at some of the ISF websites people put their settings on...it's like the best cause it's free...

12/20/2011 10:13:06 AM

^ I'm guessing that's what I posted above...those links? The settings I used from those website made the DVD of Ocean's 13 a little redder than I'm used to. I know the movie is seeping with red and orange and brown (similar to the desert outside of Vegas), but I thought the settings accentuated it a little bit more than the old TV we had.

TV came today.

After our 42" broke, we were using the 32" from upstairs, and comparing that to the 55" is !!!

The thing is bigger than the entertainment hutch we have...

I LOVE the Wii-styled remote. It's a small remote with a wrist strap and can do everything with the TV. We don't have any cable, so we don't need to type in any numbers. It has a Power button, "Home" (menu) button, Vol/Ch Up/Down buttons, and a rounded D pad with an Enter button in the middle. The TV has a thin clear plastic frame around it and is THIN THIN THIN!

The only thing it doesn't have is composite audio out, which could be a problem for the PS3 headphones I have (Turtle Beach PX21).

The sound isn't the greatest. As I've disconnected the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 system I had reversed into the system to the 42" and 32" TVs, I'm only relying on the tiny speakers the TV is putting out. Let's just say I didn't buy the TV for the audio quality.

I don't want to deal with the wires a 5.1 or 7.1 system brings, so I think I'll save up some money and look for a really good sound bar (yes, yes, I know...oxymoronic). I've got two boys (6 and 7) and don't want them anywhere near the speakers we would set up, so the sound bar is the best option. And with that, I'll take the rest of this conversation over to a new sound bar thread, until one of the Mods deletes it and tells me to put it in a home theater thread.

12/20/2011 11:54:15 PM