What is TV calibration and how does it change the picture?
TV calibration means precisely adjusting the picture, based on measurements, in line with the standards used in film studios. The aim is a picture as close as possible to what the film-makers saw while working on the film.
A real comparison, not a simulation
The same film on a studio monitor and on an ordinary TV
We placed a Sony BVM-HX3110 reference monitor (worth around £31,500), the kind post-production studios work on, next to a typical TV. Both are showing the same footage. Switch between the TV’s picture modes to see how far the factory settings are from the reference - and what calibration changes.
Sony BVM-HX3110 studio monitorworth around £31,500 - the reference we compare the TV against
The Philips OLED TV we calibrated · mode: ECOboth screens show the same footage at the same moment
ECOdefault setting
The mode a TV usually starts in when first switched on. It is meant to save power, so it lowers brightness - and changes the colours along the way.
Compare with the reference on the left
- picture noticeably darker than on the monitor
- whites and bright areas turn bluish
- paler skin, washed-out warm colours
The images are frames from our own recording. The camera and the screen you are viewing them on also alter colours, so the most reliable comparison is the TV against the monitor next to it, not against itself. The menu banner on the TV screen is the TV’s own label showing the mode name (in Polish).
The same film can look completely different on different TVs - even on two units of the same model. Faithful picture reproduction helps preserve the atmosphere the film-makers intended.
Does every film need its own calibration?
— You don’t need to calibrate your TV separately for every film or TV programme - picture standards are the same all over the world. Every film-maker has their own distinctive style, which a calibrated TV or projector will reproduce faithfully. A classic example is ‘The Matrix’, which has a greenish tint in its original form - and that is exactly how it looks on a calibrated TV.
Whatever the style of the film, what matters is accurate skin tones, detail in dark scenes, and motion smoothness and sharpness true to the source material.
Notice how much the picture differs between TVs on their factory settings:
Take a look at the TVs in the photos above - each one shows the picture differently. How can we tell whether we are judging how the film really looks, or merely the screen settings? There is no reason to assume that our own TV shows the picture without distortion. Professional calibration helps to eliminate oversaturated colours, unnatural skin tones, lost detail in dark scenes and artificial-looking motion. How big can the differences be? Simply switch the ‘Picture Mode’ to see how much the settings affect the way the same film comes across.
Should all picture modes be calibrated?
— No. Modes other than the calibrated one take you further away from faithful reproduction - from what the director saw. They let you change how a film looks, but they do not show it as it was made. The corrected settings are entered into one chosen mode, unless we carry out several separate calibrations (e.g. an additional one for UHD HDR content). You can read more about the calibration options in our price list.
Do manufacturers calibrate TVs at the factory?
Why don’t factory settings always deliver an accurate picture? And why calibrate a TV individually when the manufacturer already provides ready-made picture modes?
– The answer to these questions is simpler than it seems.
To begin with, individual units of the same display can differ considerably. On online forums it is easy to find photos of the same TV model in which one unit shows more clouding or brighter patches than another. So it is hard to claim that screens are consistent from one unit to the next. With projectors, the case is clear-cut, because the projection screen and the room also affect the picture. Of course, this does not mean that manufacturers make TVs that cannot reproduce a picture accurately - every TV has picture modes, at least one of which aims to follow the standards as closely as mass production allows. For manufacturers, calibrating each unit individually does not pay: in mass production too few buyers care about accurate colour, and measurements take a lot of time.
– Another issue is that the vast majority of buyers choose the model that catches their eye first.
In brightly lit shops, garish and completely unnatural settings help a TV stand out from other, seemingly similar products. This applies to all TVs, whatever the price bracket. Just look at any shop’s TV display wall.
Does my TV need calibration?
Will the effect of calibration be visible in everyday viewing?
— Almost always, yes. That is why we offer our ‘No visible difference? No cost to you’ guarantee (details in the Terms of Service). How much changes depends on your current settings and how far they are from studio standards. Fine-tuning them precisely requires measurements - adjusting ‘by eye’ is no substitute for calibration.
Below is an illustrative before-and-after comparison on a Sony XE9405 that we tested. Results can differ even between units of the same model.
Choose a frame from the film
How does calibration work?
We calibrate every TV, monitor and projector individually, taking the viewing conditions into account. Copying settings, even from an identical model, is no substitute for measurements. During the visit we use professional instruments, a test pattern generator and specialist software. You can read more about our equipment on our ‘What sets us apart?’ page. Thanks to our in-house solutions, calibration usually takes 50 to 90 minutes.
Can I calibrate my TV myself, or get the settings from a shop?
— Adjusting the picture by eye, or with test patterns alone, without measuring instruments, is not professional calibration, even if it is called that. Calibration requires specialist knowledge and expensive equipment. So it is worth checking the provider’s experience, reviews, portfolio and instruments, and whether they issue a certificate with the measurement results.
You can read more about professional calibration in an article on HDTVPolska (in Polish).
