The foundational and primary goal of display system calibration is image fidelity (faithfulness to the original program). Film and video are mass communication mediums. The objective of any communication medium is to convey an original message as accurately and completely as possible. Any alteration of the message becomes a distortion of the original intent. Example: the parlor game where a circle of people pass a whispered message, delivered to the first person in the circle, then whispered to the next, on around the circle, and finally the last person announces what he thinks the message was. Invariably, each person alters the message slightly until the final recipient announces a garbled version that typically bears little resemblance to the original.
The video industry is governed and guided by standards, engineering guidelines, and recommended practices, defined by organizations such as: the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), etc. These standards and practices are intended to encourage and preserve: signal/equipment/program accuracy, integrity, unity, consistency, and repeatability, all along the chain, from program production, through post-production, to exhibition/broadcast/tape/DVD/etc., and finally to the audience (consumer). If at any step along this path, industry standards are deviated from, the program can become diSt0rtEddd.
Video monitoring displays used by program professionals are designed, manufactured and calibrated to tightly adhere to industry standards. They include in their design certain features that allow technicians to adjust them periodically (sometimes each day), using reference test signals, to insure picture accuracy. Such professional video monitors cost up to tens of thousands of dollars for relatively small sized screens. They must perform reliably for years, sometimes operating around the clock. One recent example of how far professional monitor manufacturing can go to achieve ultimate performance capability is Dolby Labs' new PRM-4200 Professional Reference Monitor. It's a 42" LCD that weighs 150 pounds and has an MSRP of $40k.
Consumer displays typically are designed, manufactured and adjusted at the factory to appeal to focus groups and the uninformed masses. Few consumers have ever seen a reference picture displayed on a calibrated broadcast or post-production monitor. Therefore, consumers are left to guess what their TV picture is supposed to look like.
Consumer TVs and projectors typically cost far less than professional displays. Manufacturers must cut corners to reduce costs in order to compete with one another in the marketplace. They also adjust their products at the factory to compete with bright store lighting and/or attract attention to their TVs on a show floor alongside samples of their competitors' wares. This could be compared to straining one's voice in a shouting match. Such over-accentuated pictures may dazzle the casual shopper but are not representative of correct pictures for regular viewing in the home. Video industry standards and practices are frequently deviated from and/or ignored by manufacturers. Fortunately, many consumer displays include adjustment features that allow someone who knows what they're doing to make the picture behave closer to proper standards.
Display system calibration is simply making adjustments to the video display, and associated system components, in order to achieve a more accurate picture. The artists who produce video programs want their intended audience to see what they saw when final approval is determined on their video display system. Uncalibrated consumer displays cannot convey completely and faithfully what the program originator intended. A compromised and distorted picture is the result. Artistic integrity is diminished or lost. Distortion reduces the value of any program and prevents the owner of the equipment from fully enjoying the capabilities of the display device they have purchased. The picture may be "watchable" and even enjoyable to an individual viewer- up to a point. Most consumers are never aware just how much better their programs can look if they were able to experience the picture the originator of the program envisioned.
Some consumers may actually prefer a distorted picture. For more discriminating viewers, there are resources available that help bring correct/accurate/authentic imaging into their home. Professional results can be obtained from many consumer display devices, with the right understanding, skills and tools. Reference test signals and simple tutorial programs have been available on optical discs for many years to help the consumer make some picture adjustments. These programs are limited, however. The most complete resource for optimizing consumer display systems is available in the form of professional calibration services. Such services can be performed by consumers, but only after much study, investment in technical instruments, suitable aptitude, and perseverance. Hiring a trained professional is much less daunting to the average display owner.
In any case, the display owner must keep in mind that the goal of calibration is not to achieve any individual's preconceived notion of what a "good" image should look like. The originator of a given video program is the one responsible for determining how the image is supposed to appear. The goal of calibration is to make the display system behave as much like a professional one as possible. Ideally, the display system should serve as a neutral and accurate communicator of the video signals delivered for the viewer. Only then can artistic integrity, picture accuracy, and image fidelity be completely enjoyed. In the end, it's really all about correctly communicating the art.
Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate
"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"
Edited by GeorgeAB - 11/9/11 at 9:09am
The video industry is governed and guided by standards, engineering guidelines, and recommended practices, defined by organizations such as: the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), etc. These standards and practices are intended to encourage and preserve: signal/equipment/program accuracy, integrity, unity, consistency, and repeatability, all along the chain, from program production, through post-production, to exhibition/broadcast/tape/DVD/etc., and finally to the audience (consumer). If at any step along this path, industry standards are deviated from, the program can become diSt0rtEddd.
Video monitoring displays used by program professionals are designed, manufactured and calibrated to tightly adhere to industry standards. They include in their design certain features that allow technicians to adjust them periodically (sometimes each day), using reference test signals, to insure picture accuracy. Such professional video monitors cost up to tens of thousands of dollars for relatively small sized screens. They must perform reliably for years, sometimes operating around the clock. One recent example of how far professional monitor manufacturing can go to achieve ultimate performance capability is Dolby Labs' new PRM-4200 Professional Reference Monitor. It's a 42" LCD that weighs 150 pounds and has an MSRP of $40k.
Consumer displays typically are designed, manufactured and adjusted at the factory to appeal to focus groups and the uninformed masses. Few consumers have ever seen a reference picture displayed on a calibrated broadcast or post-production monitor. Therefore, consumers are left to guess what their TV picture is supposed to look like.
Consumer TVs and projectors typically cost far less than professional displays. Manufacturers must cut corners to reduce costs in order to compete with one another in the marketplace. They also adjust their products at the factory to compete with bright store lighting and/or attract attention to their TVs on a show floor alongside samples of their competitors' wares. This could be compared to straining one's voice in a shouting match. Such over-accentuated pictures may dazzle the casual shopper but are not representative of correct pictures for regular viewing in the home. Video industry standards and practices are frequently deviated from and/or ignored by manufacturers. Fortunately, many consumer displays include adjustment features that allow someone who knows what they're doing to make the picture behave closer to proper standards.
Display system calibration is simply making adjustments to the video display, and associated system components, in order to achieve a more accurate picture. The artists who produce video programs want their intended audience to see what they saw when final approval is determined on their video display system. Uncalibrated consumer displays cannot convey completely and faithfully what the program originator intended. A compromised and distorted picture is the result. Artistic integrity is diminished or lost. Distortion reduces the value of any program and prevents the owner of the equipment from fully enjoying the capabilities of the display device they have purchased. The picture may be "watchable" and even enjoyable to an individual viewer- up to a point. Most consumers are never aware just how much better their programs can look if they were able to experience the picture the originator of the program envisioned.
Some consumers may actually prefer a distorted picture. For more discriminating viewers, there are resources available that help bring correct/accurate/authentic imaging into their home. Professional results can be obtained from many consumer display devices, with the right understanding, skills and tools. Reference test signals and simple tutorial programs have been available on optical discs for many years to help the consumer make some picture adjustments. These programs are limited, however. The most complete resource for optimizing consumer display systems is available in the form of professional calibration services. Such services can be performed by consumers, but only after much study, investment in technical instruments, suitable aptitude, and perseverance. Hiring a trained professional is much less daunting to the average display owner.
In any case, the display owner must keep in mind that the goal of calibration is not to achieve any individual's preconceived notion of what a "good" image should look like. The originator of a given video program is the one responsible for determining how the image is supposed to appear. The goal of calibration is to make the display system behave as much like a professional one as possible. Ideally, the display system should serve as a neutral and accurate communicator of the video signals delivered for the viewer. Only then can artistic integrity, picture accuracy, and image fidelity be completely enjoyed. In the end, it's really all about correctly communicating the art.
Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate
"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"
Edited by GeorgeAB - 11/9/11 at 9:09am
