Calibrating your HDTV (oodah lolly!)

Reading various tech and HD related websites, one thing I constantly see mentioned is the importance of calibrating your HDTV. The TVs on display at Best Buy/Circuit City/etc always have their brightness, contrast, and other settings skewed to make the picture "pop" in the bright, fluorescent environment, and the stock factory settings usually cater to this. Needless to say, this does not necessarily make for the best picture in a normal viewing environment like a living room.

I've read some people make claims like "Buying an HDTV and watching it with factory settings is like buying a Ferrari and only driving it in first gear." This is a downright stupid comparison, and given the subjectivity of picture quality, there's a chance that the improvements made by calibration might not be that noticeable to the average joe (i.e. us). I've seen special calibration discs on sale at Best Buy that walk you through the process, but I have never bothered with it because I've always been happy with how my TV looks and I don't want to go messing around with settings I don't understand. Also, it's 25 bucks. Screw that. Anyway, I came across an article on Gizmodo (a good site btw), about an easy way to do a basic calibration on your TV. To avoid repeating what he says, I'll let you read it straight from the source:

How to calibrate your new HDTV (and not lose your mind)

I looked through my DVDs to try to find one with the THX Optimizer tool. I tried Aliens, but I couldn't find the option in the menu. I did, however, have luck with Toy Story. I went to the audio/video setup and clicked on the THX logo and it launched. It was pretty straightforward and easy to use. I only ended up changing a couple of settings by one or two, so the difference is not really drastic in any way, but I do feel better knowing I'm not missing out on a better picture.

So, I figured I'd post this since I *think* you guys are probably in the same boat. You might not get a huge change either, and it might not be as thorough as using the special disc or getting a professional to do it (yeah people can actually be hired to do it) , but I'd say it's at least worth Netflixing a movie with the Optimizer tool and doing it for yourself. At least if you ever come across some electronics nerd (even more so than me) you can say you're cruising in like third or fourth gear.


**EDIT**: Scratch what I said about my settings not being changed much. I just checked it again, and there were a couple settings enabled to auto-adjust color/brightness. Make sure you pay attention to that part of the walkthrough. My contrast was actually way higher than it needed to be.





I hope you enjoyed my first post. I feel that random technology-related posts are something I can bring to the table.

The 2010 Shall End!

First off, I didn't write this. I don't even know who did, but I thought it was odd enough and amusing enough to share with you all. I added a quick picture to give you some insight into what we're looking at here. I'm so....startled.
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Dear replacement inventory,
With much hesatation comes this heavy time to see the finally expedient removal of the Bush. Unfortunately for you who are to be damned by the coming snowman destructors of the damned and their close compartiet of the robot overlord force comes the Omaba. Even now the snowmen appear on the television devises to announce they bragged about celluloid telephonic devise.
Did you know the Omaba plans to remove the television devises in his first week number 4? Of couarse you didn't because you are stupid. The Omaba will next sell you the controler box to watch the television devises and that's how they get you! I have the proof. Don't be fooled! I am currently working on a devises to counterremand the affects of the Omaba devises. Every human who wants to live to fight and die against the aplocolaptic snowmen destructors take my advises and buy today an fan and an hot air dryier. I will soon in time provide the instructions my researches have determined to use thse devises to create the necessesery controlled tornadoe in which many will fail and die.
My friends, do not be fooled by the Omaba. Do not be fooled by those who destractionate against the Omaba. 2010 has been a unusual year but I assure you that if you follow my directives 2011 will be better except for the many who will die. My researches have shown that neither the snowman and nor the robot can distinguish between the human races. Black, white, woman, catholic, it makes no difference. The snowman destructor and the robot overlord sees all of these races and does not see. My researches says that is their advantage and that is their unadvantage. When the raccoons join us we will not fail. The few of us who live will be grateful for your sacrifise. The dandies of rank in silk and velvet and the dandies of no rank in rags and tatters will soon perish on a spiked wall twenty into the sky as the robots and snowmen mingle in indiscriminint merriment and laughter which will cede only to as a warning to all those who follw sir walter hayden into the abyss.
Soon the Jefferson will dispatch to me the orders to enjoin the Drouillard and the Clark and the dog Merriwether on the spy mission to the great western expanse. I will face meny journeys on this long hardship but do not distress! There is a string of wooden light bulbes but one is missing. We will discover the reason. We will convince the raccoon to revolt the pagan oppossom. If any of you are must to live to buy your grizzled rice to cook in your hovels at night then that will happen. I will not let you down again as i will before.