ISF Calibration for HDTV

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arcteryx

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Has anyone done this before? Is anyone a ISF tech? How expensive is it? Has anyone used SpyderTV or any of the do-it-yourself calibration tools?
 
It's usually around $300 per input(most "good" HDTVs have about 6:cable in, HD Antenna In, 2/3 Composite(Red, White, Yellow), 2/3 Component, 1 HDMI/DVI). And you probably don't need them all ISF-calibrated. Only your cable and DVD. I've never used an ISF tech, but have heard fantastic things.
For my 2 yr. old rear projection LCD Sony, I got the service menu tweaks from Umr at www.avsforum.com. He posted the ISF tweaks and I went into the service menu and did it myself.
Be careful in the service menu; you can really screw things up if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing.
If you don't want to do the ISF thing, I recommend a couple of the home theater calibration DVDs such as AVIA....as I see Nate has already mentioned.:D

BTW-Nate, Berns was off-the-hook and easily one of my favorite meals of my life.:flipoff2:
 
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It's usually around $300 per input(most "good" HDTVs have about 6:cable in, HD Antenna In, 2/3 Composite(Red, White, Yellow), 2/3 Component, 1 HDMI/DVI). And you probably don't need them all ISF-calibrated. Only your cable and DVD. I've never used an ISF tech, but have heard fantastic things.
For my 2 yr. old rear projection LCD Sony, I got the service menu tweaks from Umr at www.avsforum.com. He posted the ISF tweaks and I went into the service menu and did it myself.
Be careful in the service menu; you can really screw things up if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing.
If you don't want to do the ISF thing, I recommend a couple of the home theater calibration DVDs such as AVIA....as I see Nate has already mentioned.:D

BTW-Nate, Berns was off-the-hook and easily one of my favorite meals of my life.:flipoff2:


What does all this "ISF" mean? I have a Sony LCD projection that is also 2 years old. I am on DirecTv programming using the HDMI/DVI input. Is it possible to make the picture clearer???? It is like looking out a window as it is. (in 1080)

Dave
 
What does all this "ISF" mean? I have a Sony LCD projection that is also 2 years old. I am on DirecTv programming using the HDMI/DVI input. Is it possible to make the picture clearer???? It is like looking out a window as it is. (in 1080)

Dave

Holy crap.:eek: Yes, dude! I'll rummage around the old threads over at AVS and try to find Umr's tweaks for the GWIV. It's a beautiful picture.:D And not that much work either. If I can't find them, I have a hard copy of the tweaks I could scan and send your way.

And just to let you know, you may be receiving 1080i, but your TV can't "really" display true 1080i. Our TVs can't do that since most truly 1080i-capable TVs only came out within the last year. But the new Sony SXRDs can.:D I saw one this past weekend and I'm contemplating an upgrade.:D

Nate, Side Berns will be my next stop whilst staying at the new hotel they're building across the street.:flipoff2:
 
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Haha I love thread hijacks.... Side Berns is good but not as mouth watering as Berns... in fact I think I prefer Roy's cuisine to Side Berns. Also, tell me you hit up the dessert room!


For some on-topic goodness... once I settled on some calibration settings for the XBR it really becomes crystal clear that there is a "good" HDTV picture and then there is the HDTV picture that will take your breath away.
 
Haha I love thread hijacks.... Side Berns is good but not as mouth watering as Berns... in fact I think I prefer Roy's cuisine to Side Berns. Also, tell me you hit up the dessert room!
My wife, my inlaws, and myself got one order of crab cakes for an app and split a 30oz. Chataubriand(medium rare w/ a crust). Had a fantastic Pinot from 1976 that I hope they still have the next time I go. They weren't doing the Ceaser salads made at the table since it was New Year's Eve and they needed to flip tables quickly(1200 + walk-ins on the books) so we had to settle for house salads. No tours of the kitchen that night either which I hear is an experience.

Desert room: My wife and her father split some banana pie that spilt the world open and my MIL and I split the Vintage Chocolate Lush. We were very private in our cove so I actually licked the plate clean.:flipoff2:
I'm tellin' ya'. One of the best meals of my life.:cheers:


For some on-topic goodness... once I settled on some calibration settings for the XBR it really becomes crystal clear that there is a "good" HDTV picture and then there is the HDTV picture that will take your breath away.
And to add to some of the "HD content" we are actually talkin' about:D , here's a great article on how we are not actually getting "true" High Definition TV....

Well, hell. I can't find it. But, in a nutshell, it discussed how the cable providers are compressing the HD feed soo much that it's not "TRUE" HD. Compressing it so that it is just a few MBPS above Standard Def. Shameful I know, but they are running out of bandwidth. DirectTV is about to launch 2 more Sats to cover, but it also depends on the contracts the providers have with the the specific channel. Such channels as ESPN and HDNET put in their contracts that the providers are only allowed to compress so much which means a better picture, but many channels jsut don't care and sign whatever to get their channel on the air allowing the providers to compress the signal as much as need be. Sucks, but it's the way it is until more bandwidth can be produced.
I'll keep looking for the article.
 
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Steaming Rat > ISF

I have done all kinds of calibration on my XBR plasma and time and time again I turn to my Steaming Rat settings.... I did Avia -> ISF -> Steaming Rat

although, a good ISF calibrator can do some wicked service menu tweaks.

http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=261309

I've been considering getting an ISF calibrator to do my CRT RPTV (1080i Samsung from a few years back), but mostly for geometry correction.

I've messed with the service menus the best I can and I just can't get it exactly where I want the picture. I also can't figure out how to adjust the electronic focus on my set even though I know its there.
 
I could not find anything from UMR on AVS specifying settings. I have a CRT and would like to tweak it. My blacks on my DVDs are really dark and do not show well. If you have them, I would be grateful if you could post the link or scan it in and email me.
 
I could not find anything from UMR on AVS specifying settings. I have a CRT and would like to tweak it. My blacks on my DVDs are really dark and do not show well. If you have them, I would be grateful if you could post the link or scan it in and email me.

To be more specific, different TVs need different tweaks. Umr's tweaks for my Sony GWIV rear projection will not work for your CRT TV. Sorry. I was telling MoGas about the Umr's tweaks since he and I have the exact same TV and Umr's tweaks are for our TVs.
If I were you, I'd maybe search AVS for your TV. Maybe someone has posted tweaks for your specific TV. Or get one of the DVDs. Or just go with and ISF tech.
 
To be more specific, different TVs need different tweaks. Umr's tweaks for my Sony GWIV rear projection will not work for your CRT TV. Sorry. I was telling MoGas about the Umr's tweaks since he and I have the exact same TV and Umr's tweaks are for our TVs.
If I were you, I'd maybe search AVS for your TV. Maybe someone has posted tweaks for your specific TV. Or get one of the DVDs. Or just go with and ISF tech.


I have an '04 Sony KF-50WE620 50" Grand Wega LCD projection TV. Can you help me?

Dave
 
I have an '04 Sony KF-50WE620 50" Grand Wega LCD projection TV. Can you help me?

Dave

I have a KDF-55WF655 55" Grand Wega Rear Projection LCD that I bought early '05. AVS is down right now, but I'll look around later and see if my tweaks will work for your TV.
...
Alright, I looked at my hard copy and also did some rummaging around the 'net. Looks like Umr's tweaks don't work well for your telly, MoGas. The tweaks mess up the color very badly apparently. Sorry. You may wanna check to see if someone else has posted any service tweaks for your TV.
 
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