Best calibration dvd - AVIA or DVE?

["The Dude"]

Howdy guys, a quick question. I pulled the trigger today and ordered the Toshiba 62MX195 and matching stand today for about $3500 out the door.

It'll be little bit longer though before I get it though. I started doing some demolition on the old tv room over the weekend to free up some dead space. I don't know what the previous owners were thinking, but I swear to god they put the room together in day. Come to find out, they dead a HORRID JOB framing the room, so in order to get the new sheetrock to match up with the old, I have to rip out more sheetrock than I wanted to.

Anyway, I'll be ordering a calibration disc pretty quick and was wondering which is the best one to use. What I 've read seems to be mixed - some prefer AVIA and others prefer DVE. I would just like to get your guys' opinions on this.

[littlebib]

I haven't tried AVIA, but I found DVE to be a waste of time. Very little instruction or details as to what you're trying to accomplish. Extremely difficult to navigate.

[Sycho]

Originally Posted by littlebib

Extremely difficult to navigate.

very true

[SidcupMartin]

Originally Posted by Sycho

very true

This is what I've heard but from what I've read Avia is a little bit behind the times. I do have Avia and it seemed to work fine on my old CRT based HDTV but I don't like the results I'm getting on my new SXRD.

["The Dude"]

Well it looks like I'm going with AVIA. I ordered the Toshiba HD-A1 from OneCall last night and cancelled my order with Crutchfield. The player from OneCall comes with AVIA free, so I went that route.

[sub780lime]

Where is the cheapest place you guys know of to get either calibration disc?

Ive wanted one but havent wanted to spend the money

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by The Dude

The player from OneCall comes with AVIA free, so I went that route.

Sweet!

Peace...

[Taxi]

The new Digital VE disc is a nightmare to navigate. I don't know what the hell they were smoking when they made that disc.

The original one is a breeze.

I do think Avia is the winner.

[Vonner]

Originally Posted by The Dude

The player from OneCall comes with AVIA free, so I went that route.

Sweet, "The Dude". Once you buy from OneCall you won't want to buy from anywhere else. Congrats on the purchase and let us know what you think of the HD-A1 in the HD forum.

[Shadowman82]

Originally Posted by SidcupMartin

This is what I've heard but from what I've read Avia is a little bit behind the times. I do have Avia and it seemed to work fine on my old CRT based HDTV but I don't like the results I'm getting on my new SXRD.

That maybe true in a way as Avia is pretty much only set up with CRT based and LCD based displays in mind so if you have a DLP or L-Cos I wouldn't be quite sure which test patterns to go with . That being said Avia is easy to navigate and it provides very good explanation on what you should be doing .

However if I myself ever invested a considerable amount into a TV I would maybe look at proffesional calibration if it was available .

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by Shadowman82

However if I myself ever invested a considerable amount into a TV I would maybe look at proffesional calibration if it was available .

Me too. Unfortunately at the time when I bought my LCoS TV, it wasn't calibratable (yes, I made that word up).

I'd go with AVIA myself over DVDE, but I wouldn't rule out Digital DVE since navigation being a pain may result in a worthwhile picture.

[umainebearman]

Now as far as HD stuff is concerned I am mostly uneducated because I just can't afford ANY of it. But from what I have read shouldn't you not have to calibrate it. Especially if you are using an hdtv too? Isn't all the colors and settings at a predetermined level so it looks like it's at it's optimum level? So the question is why would you need a calibration tool such as AVIA (which I've always has been regaurded as the best)?

[littlebib]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Me too. Unfortunately at the time when I bought my LCoS TV, it wasn't calibratable (yes, I made that word up).

I'd go with AVIA myself over DVDE, but I wouldn't rule out Digital DVE since navigation being a pain may result in a worthwhile picture.

I WOULD rule out DVE because if you can't get past the navigation, you certainly can't calibrate your TV. I have used it precisely once since I bought it 3 years ago because I just think its too much of a hassle.

[chipmac]

Originally Posted by umainebearman

Now as far as HD stuff is concerned I am mostly uneducated because I just can't afford ANY of it. But from what I have read shouldn't you not have to calibrate it. Especially if you are using an hdtv too? Isn't all the colors and settings at a predetermined level so it looks like it's at it's optimum level? So the question is why would you need a calibration tool such as AVIA (which I've always has been regaurded as the best)?

This is incorrect. Any and all displays can use a professional calibration. Of course some are in need more than others but no manufacturer is going to take the time to dial in a display to the best of it's ability. It's just too time consuming for them and isn't worth the cost on their end. Add in the fact that everyone's viewing environment and components are different which all determines how it all interacts to provide the ideal image and you'll see that a calibration needs to be done individually for each set up.

As far as using a disc like Avia or DVE, keep in mind that both of these are NTSC and HDTV signals are ATSC which has a different color space. They are still good to use in order to get you closer then judging by eye but without professional level measuring tools for greyscale and color output you'll never be exact. When it comes to newer display technology like plasma, LCD or DLP they don't have the geometry and convergence issues of CRT technology but color and greyscale will still be off and needs correcting.