Calibrating and HD LCD monitor with AJA color bars?

[Bob Zelin]

Hi –
quick calibration of monitors is as follows. The correct test pattern is SMPTE Color Bars (sometimes refered to as CBS color bars, for the CBS Network reference, that was instrumental in this development, unlike full field bars).

You go to blue only, and adjust your hue or phase adjustment so that all blue (or black and white) areas match in intensity. You adjust your chroma level, so that the thin stripe that seperates the top color bars from the YIQ stuff on the bottom – the colors in the stripe match in intensity – so they look the same.

Get out of blue only, and look at the bars in color. If you turn up the brightness, you will see in the blacks on the lower right, two different levels of black. This is called PLUGE. You adjust your brightness by eye, so you can just barely see the “brighter” black signal, but not enough so that is disappears. This is called “blacker than black” – which you don’t want – you dont’ want to crush your details in the black.

The Contrast adjustment (which are the white levels) are purely subjective – the old rule was to increase the contrast while looking at the 100% white bar, until the “old CRT” would “smear” – of course, modern CRT’s, and of course LCD’s don’t smear, so you turn it to whatever looks correct to you – this will be the brightest your monitor will get (where you set the contrast).

As far as your “black and white” stuff – FORGET THIS – this was for the old BIAS adjustments in CRT montiors, where you would adjust the RGB in the blacks and whites to make a B+W image look B+W, without any pink or blue hue. You don’t do this on a LCD or Plasma, as there are no RGB Bias and GAIN adjustments.

As for your consumer Sony XBR – you are kidding, right ?

bob Zelin

[Pierre]

No I’m not kidding about the consumer XBR stuff. I think the picture beats the pants off of my 26″ “professional” HD LCD.

I know it’s not a professional monitor but the picture is INCREDIBLE.
there is also, hue, chroma, brightness and contrast controls that would enable me to adjust the picture to a cbs color bars.

Why couldn’t I use a Wratten 47B dark blue photographic filter (for blue only) since the XBR doesn’t have that function.

I’m sending the color bars from AJA Kona 3 SDI out to a AJA Hi5 (SDI to HDMI) convertor.

I know this isn’t the perfect solution (a Sony BVM would be… but I can’t afford that). I’m just trying to get it as calibrated as possible and based on my tests so far it’s closer than it was in color reproduction.

[George Strother]

The Wratten 47B will work with your XBR. The FCP bars have the targets you want.

Here are the instructions again, with illustrations.

https://www.jkor.com/peter/monitor.html

Can you get your XBR to look great? Probably.

Can you get an XBR to be absolutely, certifiably correct? Probably not.

Sony and others make some really expensive specialialized monitors for that. Consumer stuff probably won’t reach that last 5% of perfect.

George
Light Images

[Bob Zelin]

Michael –
I don’t give a CRAP if the picture is “incredible” – we do not look at “incredible” pictures in an edit suite, nor do we listen to “incredible” audio. We look for ACCURATE pictures, and ACCURATE audio. This is why we use near field audio monitors that have a flat response, instead of some “super duper audiophile speakers”, whose bass resonse kicks you in the chest. We don’t want the colors to jump off the screen, becuase we need to observe ACCURATE COLOR, that will not get rejected, or that will be CONSISTANT at other professional facilities. A Sony consumer TV whose chroma is cranked way up, and whose colors are jumping off the screen (wow, look at the colors, I can get a suntan from that screen), do not reflect an accurate image – no matter how nice the picture looks. We want to see noise, we want to hear hum and hiss issues. We don’t want to mask these problems.

The whole point of all this techno mumble jumble is to have STANDARDS, and maintain these standards. When I see some huge subwoffer in an edit room, or mastering suite for audio – well, it’s just funny. We actually have to do this for a living, and need to see what other people will see, when the tape leaves your place – and I’m not talking about Grandma, on her Magnavox 42″ Plasma.

Bob Zelin

[Pierre]

Bob you’re a crazy guy.

When I need accurate color I rent a BVM series Sony just like I did last week when I Dp’d an HD short. I had to explain/justify the cost of the BVM to the producer who asked why we couldn’t use the cheaper 26 inch Panasonic native HD monitor that I own for my edit suite.
My reasons were the same as yours. Accurate Color.

I use the 26″ Panasonic in unison with a waveform/vectroscope to get ME close enough (After I’ve shot the material) before I send the material on to a post house that will bump it up to HD-CAM SR and do the final online edit and color correct.

I do however use my Sony XBR-970 and believe that it’s a good enough monitor for a “wow” CLIENT MONITOR. I know “good enough” is subjective.
My question is what’s the best way to get my XBR-970 AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE.
What about this guy or someone like this?
https://mysite.verizon.net/res8nubd/6500kcalibrations2222222/index.html

[Walter Biscardi]

[Michael Pierre] “My question is what’s the best way to get my XBR-970 AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE.”

You set it up when you have the BVM in the room. That’s what we do here. We have two Sony PVML5 series monitors and once those are calibrated, we match as closely as possible our Panasonic Pro HD Plasma screens. We first set up the bars and then look at the same image on both until they match as closely as possible.

The Plasmas are always slightly more red then the broadcast monitor no matter what we do so we live with that. That’s a great monitor for the client to watch but whenever there is a question of accurate color, we always refer back to the Sonys.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.

All Things Apple Podcast! https://cowcast.creativecow.net/all_things_apple/index.html

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Pierre]

oh yeah, Peter Gray.
ofcourse.
He’s good.
thanks.

[Walter Biscardi]

[George] “The Wratten 47B will work with your XBR. The FCP bars have the targets you want.

Here are the instructions again, with illustrations.”

actually, all of this is also covered very nicely in the Color manual.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.

All Things Apple Podcast! https://cowcast.creativecow.net/all_things_apple/index.html

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Bob Zelin]

Michael writes –
Bob you’re a crazy guy

REPLY –
Michael – I sure try to be !

Bob Zelin

[Pierre]

Love it!