Once again a newbee question. What is calibration and why do displays need to be calibrated. I have heard of a few calibration programs like AVIA, what do I need to know about them?
They help set the video controls (colour, hue, contrast etc) so that what you see is close to what was intended. You ever notice when you walk into an electronics store that every TV is displaying the same picture except ina different colour? Also, when you consider that most if not all TV's come out of the factory way maladjusted, and that CRT's can suffer from "burn-in" after just a few minutes if displaying a static image on the screen with the contrast too high, the importance of products like AVIA become more apparent.
Brian, calibration is a must for every monitor IMO. Here in the U.S. we use the NTSC format and that's what is used when dvd's are created, when you calibrate using a calibration disc such as AVIA or Video Essentials, you ensure that the way the dvd's were mastered is the way you'll see them.
In short, every dvd you watch will be accurate, or as close to accurate, as the creators intended. You'd be surprised at how a simple caibration session using one of these discs will bring out the splendor in your dvd's. I've been in this hobby for years, and I put a lot of stock in them. Every HT lover, either expert or novice shouldn't be without one.