TV Reviews

Unit-to-unit sample variations, the viewing environment, and the source might render these recommendations less than optimum. They are provided only as a potentially useful starting place.

All the settings here are for controls found in the user menus. Those most likely to translate reliably from one sample to another involve specific features with only a few selections, such as Gamma and Noise Reduction. The ones most likely to be subject to sample variations are video controls offering a wide range of adjustment, such as white balance (grayscale) and color management (where available). Different sized sets in a manufacturer’s same model range are also unlikely to perform optimally with these settings.

We strongly recommend that you find the optimum basic video settings for your sample by using one of the many available display setup DVDs, such as Digital Video Essentials (DVD) or DVE HD Basics (Blu-ray). These will help you to set the basic controls correctly—Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, and sometimes Color and Tint. Experimenting with the more complex color calibration and other controls in the user menus will do no harm; the changes may be easily reset. But tuning a set "by eye" with such controls is a hopeless task and no substitute for a full calibration, which is best left to a trained and properly equipped technician such as those certified by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) or THX.