Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
Thanks, Q. This is exactly along the lines of what I was thinking. I have no idea what the pictuer is "suppose to look like". Whenever I walk into a store there's always some picture issues etc. I've read several articles in magazines that all seem to suggest turning the brightness and contrast down, using the "movie" pre-set mode if available, selecting the "hot" or "warm" setting for color detail etc, but it'd be nice to understand why I should doing all this.
$40 isn't so bad, the brochure I have has prices in the $200 area though, which might just be more than I care for at this point in time.
I've used the S&V disc for audio, shame on me for not paying more attention.
S&V and Avia seem to be the two I hear about most...guess I'll have to do pull the trigger on one.
That $200 price is likely for the professional versions of Avia and DVE. Avia Pro is an 8-DVD set that's aimed towards professional installers who know their way around the service menus (which are normally inaccessible to consumers). It's probably overkill for the mortals among us.

Believe me, the video calibration makes a huge improvement because it allows you to see your picture set to reference standards (or at least as close as possible using the accessible controls). As with audio tests, it allows you to establish a reference point from which you adjust to your preferences. On my TV, it entailed cranking the brightness and sharpness way down, bumping up the color level, and tweaking with the hue. Other TVs allow you to set the color levels individually, which is where the more advanced discs like DVE and Avia prove their worth.