Lugnut1 Loc: Amish Country

Ok gang
My HP 22" monitor took a dump after 5 years. So instead of getting a " " monitor I opted for a 24" Vizio smart tv as they say it can be used as a PC monitor.I have a Spyder 3 Elite with updates to calibrate the monitor and the setup to cal a printer also.{ big bucks spent} However when it's all done the text is a little fuzzy and it seems to be contrasty,The Blues in Office outlook,Facebook seem harsh.Does anyone know of where online you can get a grey card/calibration set. to download so I can see it on the monitor/ TV to be able to make the adjustments. I do have tons of photo's but they might be soft here and there or contrasty, etc.
Any help greatly appreciated.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi Lugnut, TV screens aren't really ideal to use as a monitor.
A PC monitor is normally viewed from a distance of 15" to 20" whereas a TV is meant to be watched from 20' and more away.
I have sometimes viewed my photos on my 37" TV and they look great from the usual viewing distance but when you get too close they appear "fuzzy". Also I don't think you can calibrate a TV.
Cheers,
John

Lugnut1 Loc: Amish Country

Thanks John. However viewing it @ 24" it's really pretty good.99% of the text is ok, but my issue was with the contrastiness of it.If I had a good known image to view I could get it all dialed in. This tv has tons of settings to adjust. I just needs a little tweaking here and there. But I get your point. I had my choice of a 1080P or a 720P the 720 was horrible and opted for the 1080.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Just search Google Images for 'color chart'.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi Lugnut, I would have thought that a 24" TV would have been OK for you, perhaps you are being too critical, especially with text. I suppose that if you wanted a dual purpose TV/Monitor you may have to be prepared to compromise.
John.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Actually, you can, but part of what you have to do is turn OFF all the automatic enhancement stuff.
And that can be a real pain in the ......

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

That is why I have never bothered to really try.

rfazzi Loc: San Jose, California

Short of an being ISF trained technician, you can calibrate TV's to an extent. An ISF tech can access modes and menus that most people can't. In addition, you need expensive calibration equipment to do it properly. As already mentioned, turn off all auto settings such as black level and skin tones, etc. There are several ways you can adjust the contrast, brightness, color, tint and sharpness. On some DVD's, there is what is called THX Optimizer. This will give you some test patterns to make the adjustments I mentioned. The drawback is that in order to adjust the color and tint correctly, you need a blue filter to look through while making adjustments. This is where a dedicated calibration DVD comes in. Two that come to mind are Avia by a company called Ovation Software and another called Video Essentials. I personally have not used V.E. but I have used Avia. It comes with red, green and blue filters. Avia not only has video test patterns but many audio test tones for setting up your surround sound system such as wideband pink noise, speaker identification, phase and subwoofer set up. You will need a decibel level meter to calibrate audio level accurately. On some sets I have calibrated, it has made a subtle difference and on others the improvement has been dramatic. Sometimes you can do an internet search for your particular make and model to see if there is a professional review. Sometimes the reviewer is an ISF tech and lists the settings he or she used in the testing of that set. I hope that helps.

Rich

Lugnut1 Loc: Amish Country

Hey all thanks for all your input. However I had a gut feeling this wasn't gonna fly. So back it went and I ordered a " Monitor "

rebride

Datacolor (Spyder) has software for tv calibration. Syder 3 Elite is discontinued, now Spyder 4, so not sure where you would find it but still might be available.