Buying a new TV can be a daunting process when there are so many products to choose from. When you walk into a store and see the multitude of displays, they all look different! So, we usually pick the one we like the look of the best and that best fits with our wallet.
But how do we know, without a standard to compare to, that our picture choice is a good one? All we have to compare to are the other TV’s on display. The truth is, they are all wrong!
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There are good reasons for that though. One reason is that it’s a competitive market and each manufacturer wants their product to grab your attention. So, more often than not, the picture on display will be overly bright with colours that are unnatural and over saturated.
But the main reason is that for a display (TV or projector) to be calibrated properly, the viewing environment needs to be taken into consideration; something that obviously can’t be accounted for in the factory. A good quality display may not have the best quality picture straight out of the box, but it will have the ability to be properly calibrated to global imaging standards.
Calibrating your display is much like tuning a guitar. Once the guitar is tuned to a certain standard, it will sound as it should. Likewise, once your TV or projector has been properly calibrated, you’ll see detail previously missing from the picture due to incorrect settings, you’ll see realistic colours and flesh tones and you will be able to immerse yourself in your favourite movies, knowing you’re seeing all the colour and detail the way the creators intended you to see.
This article was written by Mick Peaker of Avical Australia.
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