Modern smart TVs offer a decent picture immediately after installation, but the factory settings are not ideal for every room or for every pair of eyes. For the most faithful reproduction of colors, correct lighting and contrast, manual image adjustment is required. Calibration means adjusting the TV to professional standards, while fitting the image to your viewing conditions: distance, lighting and ambience.
Professional calibration gives the most accurate results, but requires measurements, equipment and considerable investment. It is intended for those who want a home cinema experience and own top models of televisions.
Why calibration is important and how you can do it yourself at home
For most users, free do-it-yourself calibration brings huge improvements without complications. Start by avoiding mods like Vivid or Dynamicwhich excessively raise colors and lighting. Use instead Cinema, Movie ili Nature modes shown as a starting point, and then manually adjust the brightness, contrast, sharpness and other parameters. Check the changes while viewing the image in real conditions: a darkened room and sitting directly in front of the screen give the most accurate result.
For a more accurate assessment, look for free test patterns and videos on YouTube or AVSForum. Playing well-known movies in 4K HDR format is also useful, ideally scenes with natural skin colors, landscapes or animations that reveal possible irregularities.
If you’re lucky, your TV might offer automatic calibration via an app. Samsung, for example, allows calibration through the SmartThings application in quick or detailed mode, which makes the whole process easier.
Adjusting the picture doesn’t have to cost anything because with a little time and the right approach, your TV can look much better than in factory mode, advises Pocekt-lint.