Isn't my HDTV already making a great picture?
You've spent your hard-earned money on a high-definition home video display (HDTV). So, why don't your HD satellite, cable or telco/fiber-optic programs and HD DVR or DVD movies look as good as they do at the local cinema? Why does the grass look a bit blueish, or faces appear a tad sunburned or, worse, like they're made up for a vampire movie? Why don't team uniforms or well-known logos look the right color? Why is it that when you're watching fast-paced sports or action movies, you often see images that appear somewhat blurred or jagged around the edges? What's happening?

Remember how different those rows of TVs looked in the store, even though they were all receiving the same program? The difference wasn't so much due to the quality or technology of the various models as it was in the non-standard adjustment of each display.

Manufacturers adjust their sets at the factory to look as appealing as possible (brightest) next to competing models on a showroom floor. They usually set the user controls and technician service controls for the highest apparent light output, often called "torch mode". It's all about making them stand out from the crowd in an environment that is very, very different from your home (unless, of course, you have dozens of TVs in a cavernous room with lots of bright fluorescent lighting!).

Couldn't manufacturers calibrate them at the factory? Yes, but if every adjustment was set precisely to industry standards at the factory it would significantly increase the cost of your display and its performance would still be less than optimum after it was installed in your home, due to the effects of shipping, internal component aging and your unique lighting environment.

The good news is that a growing number of manufacturers (including Pioneer, Runco, NEC, Optoma, Epson, Vidikron & LG) are now building HDTV displays that feature special ISFccc controls and enable ISF-certified calibrators to provide you with individually calibrated isfDAY and isfNIGHT viewing modes, per input, that are non-volatile and permit continued use of all other modes and user controls.

Can't I adjust my television myself (after all, I've been doing it for years)? The simple answer is "Yes" and you can almost certainly make it look better than the overly bright, maladjusted way it came from the factory. This is particularly true if you use one of the better "calibration" DVDs available today, the most user-friendly of which is the Monster/isf/Microsoft HDTV Calibration Wizard, available directly from Imaging Science Foundation (⇐ click on their name to order online).

Most others should probably be categorized as "Prosumer" as they are generally much more time-consuming and difficult to navigate or use - and often create more problems than they solve. Even the best of these can only approximate the results of a full-scale, 10-point professional calibration. While useful as auxiliary tools (most professional calibrators carry one or more), they rely on the human eye rather than calibrated instruments and cannot accurately adjust displays to industry standards.

Why Professional Calibration Gives You Such Great Benefits . . .
When TV programs are produced, transferred from film, broadcast or cut to DVD, the process is closely monitored on professional video displays (costing as much as $1,000 per inch!), calibrated to precise industry standards (usually daily, often hourly). Your video display can accurately reproduce the full, original quality of those programs ONLY if it is also calibrated to those same industry standards.

You can enjoy the full capabilities of your HDTV display when you have it calibrated by a professional. Properly adjusted, your display can do full justice to the HD signals now available on satellite, cable, telco/fiber, Blu-ray DVD - even downloaded with some of the newer HD DVRs. It can deliver picture quality approaching, often exceeding, that of the local cineplex with a richness of detail and color, depth of images, realism and sheer viewing pleasure that must be seen to be appreciated.

"Calibration is one of the most effective and least expensive upgrades you can make to your video system!" It will almost always have greater impact on your viewing pleasure than the brand, model or particular technology used and you will see a significant difference immediately - even more so as you become acclimated to a properly adjusted picture.