Audio Video News

All together now - let's hear you say it.

"D'oh!"

I didn't quite hear you. Let's try it again, but much louder.

"D'OH!!!"

That's better.

That's the only appropriate response for one of these "Why didn't I think of that?" moments. In particular, Integra engineers are putting video calibration inside their AV receivers and processors.

What a great idea. Both audio and video are routed through gear like receivers, where switching and format conversation takes place, so why not calibrate video as it goes through? You can even calibrate each video source independently, so each one is exactly tweaked. Even better, the calibration uses the respected ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) standard, so you know it's good.

So far, three Integra components have this perk:

The Integra DTR-8.9 and DTR-9.9 receivers, and the DHC-9.9 preamp-processor have built-in ISF. Priced at $1,900, $2,600, and $2,000 respectively, these ain't cheap, but at least the sharp picture won't cause you to waste money on glasses it turns out you don't need.

Why did the Integra engineers think of incorporating ISF calibration and you didn't? Because they are smarter and better than you. Sometimes the truth really, really hurts. -Ken C. Pohlmann