Blog: Reference or Preference – Why should we calibrate?

AVForums Editorial Manager and reviewer Phil Hinton asks some questions of the  industry, journalists and consumers when it comes to display calibration.

Why should we calibrate?

This is a valid question and one we would like people to consider fully. There are a number of reasons why we need to calibrate and these range from inaccurate displays to the environment they are used in. We should calibrate so the TV or Projector we are using as a source is transparent to the material we watch on it. So this brings us to the most important reason for calibration and that is to adhere to the industry standards for Film and TV production. So why is that, why don’t we calibrate to an image we like?

The whole point of display calibration is not to show an image that Joe Bloggs thinks looks nice, but to produce an image that displays content as close as possible to the actual material we watch on it. This allows us to see exactly what the Film or TV material was supposed to look like. The colours and colour of white are then correct to how the material was mastered and as such we see the full picture. This is the simple premise of calibration and the main reason people like myself push for industry wide calibration when it comes to consumer displays.

Of course I have also heard many reasons why we shouldn’t calibrate or that it is some fault of the industry that we find ourselves in the position we do.

I have heard comments from end users that suggest they know how to set up their TV or projector to how they like to see things.  Magazine journalists have told me it’s a waste of time because the public doesn’t care, so why should those who review these products bother with industry standards. And of course there are dealers out there telling the public that their display is calibrated out of the box so they are getting the full picture already.

So let me cover those points first.

One of the reasons why I turned my hand to professional calibration and reviewing display products was because of the lack of any objective testing in any reviews published either online or in print in the UK.  I have been involved in the AV industry in one way or another for the last 20 years and have always classed myself as an enthusiast.  Speaking to these journalists who still review TVs completely in the subjective way they do,  I am always amazed by the ignorant and somewhat stand offish attitude when you try to cover the whole subject of correct testing and calibration.  There seems to be this view point that what we do at AVForums reviews is only for the die-hard enthusiast and therefore not of any use to them  or the public at large.

That’s all well and good but exactly who are they trying to please here? And how do they know that the display they are reviewing is showing exactly what it is capable of in terms of picture quality?  And of course who is to say that the picture they like once they have finished playing with settings is anywhere close to what it should look like?  Or even close to what Joe Bloggs thinks is a good picture?  Is this where we get that age old excuse in return?  You know the one about the public being unaware of what its supposed to look like,  so why should they bother…

Displays are not calibrated by manufacturers to any industry standards (apart from THX displays). So the out of the box settings most people use their TVs in, even after some messing around with the front panel controls, are standard or vivid modes to attain the brightest and most vivid images. This usually includes the colour temperature set to natural or cool modes.

And as for those who say they know what kind of image they like and that’s what they are going to have on their TV, well fine I am not going to argue with them. What I will suggest though is that they at least try and get the best possible performance from their display. One that shows the material as it is supposed to be seen.

Standards exist for a reason

Unlike sound design and recording – which have no real industry standards to say how things should be recorded, mixed and played back – video has every aspect of its production nailed in stone.

The standards are clear and concise and laid down so what was filmed for the cinema or TV is produced using a set of picture standards that are upheld all the way through the chain.  This chain includes every step of the process including the production of the 8 bit video signal to be mastered to DVD/Blu-ray or broadcast.  This 8 bit video standard is set in stone and of course contains the co-ordinates of what colours should be set at and what the reference white point is.  It is a simple system that is let down in one area.

The consumer display

Since the introduction of consumer grade TVs there has been no acceptance or adherence to the standards by manufacturers. The simple reason for this is that these manufacturers are constantly trying to out do their competitor and produce TVs that have a picture quality that grabs attention on the showroom floor.  Ask a TV manufacturers engineers what they think makes a good picture and I doubt they will talk about the standards laid down.  In fact I have had some very interesting conversations with such engineers and the lack of knowledge about what standards exist is stunning and shocking at the same time.

Is it their fault?  Well no, not really.

They work for manufacturers who want to listen to focus groups and public surveys about what Joe Bloggs thinks is a nice looking image.  And of course the majority of manufacturers also come from countries that have culturally gone for extremely bright and glaring images.

So, is it any surprise that we have an industry where overly saturated colours and blue whites are the pinnacle of picture quality?   Or,  that those so called TV experts follow this trend by reviewing such TVs in all their vivid glory?  You start to see the problem that exists,  or maybe you don’t and you agree with the types of images these manufacturers are feeding us.

So,  let me ask you a question.   If you were to visit the Musée du Louvre in Paris to see the ‘Mona Lisa’ would you grab some crayons to colour it in with more vivid colours and whiter whites?  Or would you stand there and admire the art and craft of the masterpiece?

Let’s ask that question another way. You are watching a documentary on the ‘Mona Lisa’ and the camera lingers on the painting for you to see. Now, do you honestly think you are seeing it correctly? If your TV hasn’t been professionally calibrated the answer to that is no, you are using those crayons to colour it in.

[Now that is maybe an example that some will say is not really accurate, and in real life we are depending on the camera being correctly calibrated as well. And this is where my point about the production chain becomes valid. If it’s a broadcast quality camera and suitably trained cameraman that has filmed it, then the image will be in 10 bit form as close as possible to showing that image as it should be. So when the documentary is broadcast in 8 bit video we can safely assume that it looks correct and on a professionally calibrated display is will look as it should. No crayons added.]

So how should that Movie or TV show look?

Well that’s simple;  it has been mastered to the industry standards so as long as our TV follows and shows the same standards when replaying that movie, we see exactly what the director and DOP wanted us to see.   The whites are correct and colours look as they were intended.

So,  to put it in simple terms,  you are not getting the full picture as it was intended to be viewed if your TV is not calibrated to the industry standards.  It is that simple and even though that £3000 Plasma TV you have bought looks nice,  it will still be set up wrong,  never mind a £500 LCD left in vivid mode.

Do those TV owners care that they are not seeing things as intended or at the best settings available on their TV?

Well that’s an interesting question.  Quite frankly do they even know that what they are watching is wrong?  For all they know it looks fine to them and they are happy.

But, just supposing we were to show them a correct image,  one that was set to the industry standards,  what would the reaction be?   The most likely reply would be that the image looks slightly dull to what they were watching and the colours are not as vivid and bright.   And they would be right.   Because they have been watching their TV with settings to enhance the colours and image brightness,  they don’t see what is wrong with that image,  after all what do they have to compare to it?  But leave someone with a calibrated image to watch movies on for a day and then switch back to what they were watching and the gasps of disapproval will be pretty loud.  They suddenly see that white is actually blue in their chosen set up and they were missing so much of the fine details in shadow and black areas of the image. I have run such demonstrations myself at last years Bristol Show.  The gasps after watching calibrated images all the way through, to switching to standard picture presets were loud!

It’s a complicated subject and one that usually puts people off as soon as you mention that it is science – but show them the results and most will be hooked.

Being Objective

Before I end this first blog in what I imagine will be a large series of rants about calibration and getting the best from our equipment – I just want to turn back to the review side of things. Now that we know there are standards and displays can be measured to show their performance against those standards – AND those standards say what an image should look like and the producers make their content to that.  Why are the majority of TV and Projector reviews in the UK nothing more than a journalists personal opinions on what he or she thinks is a correct image in under 6 paragraphs of text?

Are they suggesting that we should change the content materials look and feel to suit their own tastes?     So ask yourself why this may be the case,  is it in the too hard box?   What is so difficult about doing the job correctly, repeatedly and objectively?

I’m sure at this point the old excuse about the public not caring will raise its head.

In my next blog we will look at exactly what calibration is and how we can possibly improve the displays we own or buy in the future.

Blog by Phil Hinton.

Phil is a fully trained and certified ISF Calibrator and THX Level 1 Professional.  He is the content manager for AVForums.com and lead reviewer for the site.  His opinions here are not those of AV Enthusiast or AVForums.