At a press event in Los Angeles hosted by Panasonic last week, software company SpectraCal showed off new extensions to its CalMAN display calibration software that allow it to perform automated calibration of select 2011 model year VIERA HDTVs. The CalMAN software can now be used to adjust brightness, color and tint controls from within its own menus, instead of requiring the calibrator to use the TV remote and menus to make these adjustments. The software also now allows for fully automated grey scale adjustment on compatible 2011 VIERA LED and plasma HDTVs.
On Panasonic's "D" series LED HDTVs the software supports 2-point calibration. On the company's GT30 and VT30 series plasma HDTVs, the software supports 10-point grey scale calibration so you can get accurate white balance throughout the entire grey scale range. Calibration results are stored in the ISFccc (Imaging Science Foundation Certified Calibration Configuration) day and night memories on the TV. The enhancements allow custom installers and advanced A/V hobbyists to get consistent, accurate calibrations in less time and with less effort.
As to why these THX-certified televisions need calibration at all, company reps reminded us that TV makers cannot test and calibrate a set for the specific lighting of the customer's viewing environment. By calibrating the set in the specific lighting of the home, it's possible to get more accurate colors and better black levels in the specific lighting environment of the customer's home, and to store different, optimized settings for daytime and nighttime viewing.
We saw the new software in action at the event, and it seemed to be working exactly as advertised. An inexpensive ($200) surface mount "puck-type" colorimeter was placed in front of the screen, and connected to a laptop running the new version of the CalMAN software. Test patterns were displayed on the television screen, measured by the colorimeter, and fed back to the CalMAN software to make the necessary adjustments to the white balance. A company rep said that the CalMAN software starts at $199 for the home video enthusiast and goes up for there depending on how much control the user needs over the various picture attributes. Professional versions of the CalMAN product cost significantly more.
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