How to Calibrate an LCD TV

Manufacturers set new LCD televisions to display their brightest and sharpest images. However, this may not be a good setting for everyday viewing. To make your television viewing more comfortable and to help preserve the life of the TV's projection bulb, here are a few tips to help you calibrate your LCD TV. Let the TV warm up for at least 30 minutes before you begin this process.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Home calibration DVD

1. Create the proper room lighting. Generally, you should watch movies on your LCD TV with a light behind the screen and the rest of the room darkened. Also seat yourself the proper distance from the screen.

2. Insert the calibration DVD into the DVD player. Locate the chapter test patterns to calibrate your TV.

3. Adjust the contrast. Select "White Level." Use the contrast control to set the contrast as high as possible without bending the square on the DVD's pattern or without bending the vertical lines on either side. Be sure the pattern remains white.

4. Find a brightness level you are comfortable watching. Click "Black Level." Adjust the set's deep black. You want the DVD's pattern for the dark bar to blend into the background.

5. Ease the sharpness by choosing "Sharpness." To set this, turn the sharpness down so halos around lines and letters in the center of the LCD screen disappear.

6. Use the DVD's "Saturation" and "Hue" screens to adjust the TV's color. You'll want the inner squares on the test pattern to blend as much as possible with the bars on the test pattern.

7. Watch the TV for a while. You may decide it's just the way you want to watch it or you may need to calibrate it again to suit your tastes.