Which calibration disk to buy? (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

Hey all, I'd like to take my first step into the world of calibration and properly calibrate my new HDTV. I'm looking to buy one of the calibration discs but can't decide on which one to get. DVE looks to be the cheapest from what I've seen but it seems like most people recommend Avia and others recommend the Sound & Vision disc.

I'm sure that each of these discs have their pros and cons but which one is the best to go with. I'm a first time calibrator with limited knowledge of video and it's common artifacts so I'm kind of looking for some thing that explains things well and gives good instructions on how to run the tests.

What calibration disc should I get?

Thanks!

 

[Paul.S]

Recently bought the S&V and still need to do a calib with it. As reputed, the old VE was not very user-friendly WRT its menu design. I think that's been improved on the new DVE tho.

-p

 

[Kelly Grannell]

The new DVE, although better than the old DVE, is still not as easy to use as the Avia.

 

[Keith_R]

I decided after further research to go ahead and get Avia, I was able to take advantage of a CC giftcard and order it online for a measly charge of $15 for the remainder of the cost that the giftcard didn't cover. The reviews I read touted Avia as being more user-friendly than DVE, which to me is well worth the extra cost. I also heard that the S & V disc was basically a stepped down version of Avia and was made more for real beginners who are just starting out in home theater.

All in all, I think Avia will be a good choice for me, since I'm looking for a good interface and I'm not a beginner in this hobby (just a first time calibrator). I'll have my calibration disc sometime next week, I look forward to seeing the results of my calibration on my new Tv.

 

[Max Leung]

Personally, I would get both - AVIA is great for the user interface and for calibrating CRT-based displays, while Digital Video Essentials is superior for calibrating digital displays like DLP or LCD. DVE has blacker-than-black and brighter than reference white information in some of its patterns, which is very important for tuning brightness and contrast on a digital display. Avia cannot do this, and you may inadvertently crush your blacks or crush your whites without knowing!

 

[Charlie O.]

I use the THX thing that's on the Indiana Jones box set.

 

[Keith_R]

I've calibrated using this tool before. Unfortunately, this only calibrates your television to display that particular movie properly, it is a start though.

 

[Max Leung]

Ah, so you are all set Keith.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I've been using AVIA for years and use it to calibrate my Infocus X-1 projector with great results, no crushing of the blacks or whites at all, and i've looked.

You can't go wrong with AVIA.

 

[Brett_M]

I bought the DVE disc and was very dissatisfied. As reported above -- hard to use.

I may check out the Avia disc, though.

 

[Harold Wazzu]

Another vote for Avia, the explaination of the different calibration screens really helps.

 

[Paul D G]

I'm in the same boat. Can those supporting a particular disc include what type of display they have? I have a new LCD display and while Avia seems to be the most highly recommended, I also see posts that it's not good for calibrating LCD. So it's useless info to me if half the people recommending it are using plasma, etc.

-paul

 

[Mark Zimmer]

One really needs more than one since they all have faults: Avia has the blacker-than-black issue noted above, the original VE's overscan pattern is off-center, and DVE's subwoofer tones are screwed up. I guess I'd use DVE for picture and Avia for audio.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

I use AVIA for most of my calibrations, but I use the black levels off of DVE and sometimes prefere to use the gray window patterns off of VE or a external generator...

My system's audio is checked using AVIA...as there are far more audio tones and can be used to check levels of subwoofers per channel like I use.

I'm not happy with the audio on DVE. Something doesn't seem right.

Mike

 

[Matt Butler]

I love VE and DVE but the menus are a bitch!!

I use THX optimode for the sub crossover test.