OTHER TECH

Top 6 A/V Urban Legends EXPOSED! Page 7

6. All TVs are adjusted for the best possible picture right out of the box.

If you've ventured into any electronics superstore lately, you know that there's no shortage of TVs vying for your entertainment dollar. And it would seem to make sense that you should be able to bring a TV home, plug it in, and watch it without having to make a lot of adjustments. But if you read the "in the lab" boxes in Sound & Vision's test reports, you know that most TVs do need calibration to look their best. What gives?

legend 3

On those crowded showroom floors, brighter is perceived as better, so sets are adjusted at the factory for a picture that all but leaps off the shelf. "The ambient lighting in retail showrooms presents a tough challenge to TV manufacturers," says Joel Silver, co-founder of the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF). "It's not just different from the lighting in most homes, but harsher and brighter. So TV sets must be preset to compete with that lighting for manufacturers to survive in this intensely competitive market. But many TVs have a menu selection that adjusts the set to look better in our homes. The tragedy is that many viewers could be watching dramatically better pictures if they only knew what button to press! But the nomenclature of these menu items is a quagmire of confusion."

Sets that have been properly calibrated exhibit more natural colors, produce deeper blacks and a full range of grays, and perform within their operating limits, which actually extends their life span. The best place to start is with the test patterns on the Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-up DVD. And if you do decide you want to tweak your set to the max, you can always call in a calibration professional.

With revolutionary new technologies appearing all the time, you can expect plenty more A/V urban legends to appear in the near future. Just remember to take what you hear with a grain of salt. And if you hear anything that could be a new legend, send us an e-mail at soundandvision@hfmus.com with "Urban Legend" in the subject line.

X