Review Wanted: Home Theater Tune-Up by Sound & Vision (1 Viewer)

[David Glenn]

Is the "Home Theater Tune-Up by Sound & Vision" made by the same people who make Avia? What are the differences between the two? Is Avia more comprehensive as far as calibration tools?

The new Sound & Vision Tune Up is less than half the price of Avia so i'm not sure which to get.

 

[David Glenn]

^ Wasn't this released yesturday. Somebody must have used it by now.

 

[Eric Stuckey]

This is GREAT!

I just tuned up my system and my picture has never looked better.And to think I'v never had my Sub set correctly.The DD5.1 trailers are awsome.Best $13.00 iv spent in a wile.

 

[Ted Lee]

mine should arrive in the next few days...i'll try to post a review once i've goofed with it for a while.

 

[Everett A]

For those who have this, does it have an anamorphic chapter for setting up 16x9 tv's?

 

[Guy Kuo]

I'm quite curious because this comes up every once in a while. What are people wanting to do with "anamorphic" versions of the test patterns. I set up both 4:3 and 16:9 displays and very rarely feel a need for an aspect ratio specific pattern. After all the only thing that would differ is if one is verifying geometry. For setting controls like color, hue, brightness, contrast, sharpness there really wouldn't be a difference between 4:3 and anamorphic versions of the patterns. The only thing that would be changed is a flag set to tell the display to automatically switch aspect ratios. Simply selecting the other aspect ratio on the display converts the patterns from one format to the other. Even for setting of overscan, the same grids work on either type of display. It's only with front projectors with variable size screens that need their baseline limits set that "anamorphic" pattern would be needed. Actually, even in that circumstance, 4:3 patterns would still let you do the job. So WHY a desire for "anamorphic" patterns?

There is one "anamorphic" pattern on HTT. It is the Widescreen enhanced resolution pattern in the extra patterns section. That section is smaller than the large set found in AVIA, but the ones which are included are pretty significantly advanced over what previous patterns. I'll be describing the new details over the next few weeks. On superficial examination one might mistake them as being unchanged, but there are some technical advances incorporated into HTT's patterns.

 

[Everett A]

ooo... I feel humbled!
I only ask because doesn't Avia have a part where you select widescreen vs. 4:3?
Maybe I'm mistaken..
But geometry is something that it seems a number of people do need to adjust out of the box on their set. Mine needed it.

 

[Ted Lee]

guy -
i for one will eagerly look forward to your comments on this new disc.
i know i'll get 300% more out of the disc when i read what you have to say.
where will you be posting? i'll be sure to keep an eye out!

 

[Matthew Anderson]

I got this disc yesterday and I have been using the different sound calibration tests and they seem to work rather well. It includes both DD and DTS test tones for balance, sub level and phase testing. There are some great DD and DTS demo trailers along with some instruction for using a sound meter. This is a question for Guy Kuo. Are the levels of the test tones done at 75db or 85db like the Avia disc? Overall, this is great tool for setting up your home theater. I have not even got the the video tests yet. Thank you Ovation and S&V for a product that is not too expensive yet serves the purpose for HT setup.

 

[RobG]

Where can I buy it??

 

[NickSo]

is this test disc as extensive as AVIA and Video Essentials??? If it is, $15 is a GREAT deal for it...

 

[Eric Stuckey]

For those that want to know where to buy it, I looked at 2 local CircuitCity's and neither had it. I got my copy from Buy.com . But really, this is a easy and great way to set your tv and DD/dts up right. I dint even realized that I had my 4:3 (letterbox) inactive on my dvd player.But know iv got it all going know.For what it is and the cost..Id give this so far THE BEST DVD OF THE YEAR.

 

[Ted Lee]

i played around with this dvd for about an hour or so yesterday. i only used the dolby digital tests as i don't have dts capability.
main feature
the main part of the dvd has to do with basic home theater concepts. i found the subjects (ht basics, setup, wiring, etc) pretty simplistic. i suspect most people here will already have a good understanding of this part. i must admit that i did not watch all the features in it's entirety. however, for a "newbie" i think it will provide a great summation of what ht is all about.
video calibration
this consisted of test patterns to help adjust the usual settings: color, brightness, hue, contrast, etc. i found most of the tests pretty useful, especially the brightness and contrast tests. i had some problems with the sharpness test, but i think that was more my fault than anything else. note that the dvd does come with a blue filter to help adjust color and hue. there's also a great test for moire effects. i was pleasantly surprised to see that my original settings, before doing the tests were pretty close. in a couple of cases, i could not get my tv to theoretical perfection, but i know that's more a limit of my gear than anything else. i found this section very useful
audio calibration
the usual stuff on this part. channel identification and phase checks. previously, i had calibrated using the internal test tones of my dvd (i'm using the 5.1 inputs on my older onkyo) but i found that i was off by quite a bit. i ran into some problems with the phase check part...i think it was supposed to do my mains, the left-center, but for some reason, at one point, it kept bouncing between the two tests. i didn't worry too much since i *know* my speakers are in phase. again, a very useful section.
extras
there's some nice demo stuff, including dts and thx trailers. there's also a quick featurette on how to use the radio-shack spl meter.
so, all in all, for 15 bucks i'm not complaining. i've never used avia or ve, so i don't really have anything to compare it to. i do wish some of the tests were more complex (i wonder if i could have tweaked it a little more with additional tests?), but at this price-point, it is a a worthwhile tool.

 

[Rob Dawn]

Could someone please elaborate on the demo trailers that are included on this disc?

Are they just the "flying disc" and "sonic landscape" DTS trailers along with the standard "blue rectangle" THX one?

Any Dolby Digital trailers? (I've never seen any of those DD trailers, except for the one on T2:Ultimate.)

Thanks,

Rob

 

[Dave Malo]

Has anyone seen this disc available for sale in canada

 

[Alex Giese]

Could someone please mention if this calibration disc would be easy to use for someone who is hard of hearing or deaf?

I have never seen or used such a disc before so I don't know if instructions are voiced or mostly shown as text to follow during calibrations. If the DVD include closed captions or subtitles, that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[Ted Lee]

i didn't check to see whether the dvd had subtitles or not. i'll try to remember to check tonight.
obviously, for the hearing tests, you might be out of luck.
however, for the video tests, if you'd like, let me know and i'll type out the instructions for you for each test. it's pretty simple once you see what's happening.

 

[Bobby T]

It does have anamorphic and 4:3 settings

 

[Ted Lee]

rob -

if i remember correctly:

there's a bunch of dolby digital trailers...about 7 or 8. i didn't look at all of them.

there's three thx trailers, the one where the planet melts then forms the logo. it's the same trailer in different aspect ratios.

i didn't check the dts trailer...i think there's only one.

there's also one more demo thing. something about henning-something-or-other. it was a couple of short clips...one being a quickie on jack the ripper the other some black and white story. i'm guessing (at least for the jack the ripper story) it was there to help examine black-levels, etc. it's a pretty dimly lit featurette.

 

[Lito]

What are people wanting to do with "anamorphic" versions of the test patterns.

how about: on avia with my malata 996N, the dvd player sees the 1.78 pattern
as being in the 4:3 mode and so puts pillars on the left and right. makes it a lot
harder to get the geometry set up properly.