how/where can I buy...... (1 Viewer)

[Allen C Hecht]

I hear alot about the sound & vision, and AVIA home theatre tuneup dvd's. First, are they worth anything, second, where can I find them, and third, are they easy to use? I currently have a Sony STRDE545 av reciever, Sony NC655P progressive 5 disc cd/dvd player, and Polk Audio RM6500 speakers. My new toy is arriving on Sat, Mits ws55411, and I want to make sure that I get the most out of it. Email me at [email protected]. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jay H]

Having not used one before, can't tell you how good they are, but I know the one store that I got some stuff sells them online:

Video Essentials I think is older that AVIA but is in the same vein of calibration software.

http://www.avielectronics.com/web.html

Might want to check whether they are the latest revisions though, those pictures have been there for years.

Have you tried a google search on the AVIA?

here's a couple I just found with a quick search now:

http://www.dvigear.com/ovsofavdvd.html

http://www.onecall.com/PID_14428.htm

Jay

 

[JayDaniel]

Allen,

To answer your questions in order:

(1) Yes they are worth it. It made one of the two biggest improvements I've made to my entire system. I recommend the S&V HT Tune-up. It is only $15, and is made by Ovation Software, the same people that make the Avia Guide.

(2) You can pick up the S&V at Best Buy & Circuit City, or buy off the internet. Some rental places like Blockbuster also rent the Avia and Video Essential discs.

(3) They are very easy and straightforward to use. The S&V disc is almost an HT for dummies, it is that simple.

To get the full benefit of the audio calibrations, you really need to buy an SPL meter from Radio Shack ($35 - $50) or Parts Express ($50). Together, this will be $50 - $75 very well spent, and is a small price to pay in relation to what you have spent on your entire system. Again, this gave me one of the 2 best improvements I've made to my entire system.

Good luck.

 

[Jeramy_K]

I just ordered the Avia disc from www.deepdiscountdvd.com for $36.99 w/free shipping. (5 - 10 business days) Though you can pay an extra $5 for priority 2-3 day. I didn't need it that fast though.

-Jeramy

 

[Robert_J]

My new toy is arriving on Sat, Mits ws55411

Before you ANY type of calibration with a DVD, turn down the contrast to at least 50%. Do this on each input since most settings are input specific. To fix the red push on the standard inputs, there are color settings in the setup menu. I set the red and magenta to about 25%. To fix the red push on component inputs you will need to get an attenuator (preferably variable) or open up your TV and connect it to a computer with the IC2 cable.

-Robert

 

[Neil Joseph]

AVIA is worth it yes. Also keep in mind that Digital Video Essentials is coming in June this year and is supposedly more geared to 480p and such. I don't know the details.

 

[Cagri]

Yes they are worth it. It made one of the two biggest improvements I've made to my entire system. I recommend the S&V HT Tune-up. It is only $15, and is made by Ovation Software, the same people that make the Avia Guide.

That may be true for some individuals, but for me the S&V disc wasn't worth the $17 I'd paid. The audio calibrations were exactly same with the settings I had done using the receiver's test tones and the SPL meter. Video calibrations were slightly different than the levels I had set using THX tests which you can find in certain DVDs, but nothing visible, 2 notches lower contrast, 1 notch higher brightness,etc. I have a direct view TV set though, test results may differ for RPTVs as they have more settings. S&V disc has some extra video test patterns, but no explanation on how to use them so that didn't help me at all. I don't know how AVIA is. I still think that you should buy a tuning disc to be sure you have the correct settings on your particular system, I would say pay a bit more and get the AVIA, but if someone who had tried both jumps in and says AVIA is not worth the extra $$ on top of S&V, than just get the S&V. Just my $.002...