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Calibration Discs Help You Get the Most From Your TV

Wednesday November 11, 2009

Many of today's high definition televisions boast remarkable picture quality, but you still need to calibrate your TV properly to get the most out of it. Sadly, most folks don't have the money to pay a professional to come into their homes and set a television up. Fortunately, you can do a quick-and-dirty calibration yourself with nothing more than your television, a Blu-ray player and calibration disc.

Many people - even professionals - swear by Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics, a calibration disc created by home theater guru Joe Kane. The disc goes for $29.95 at VideoEssentials.com but other online retailers and some brick-and-mortar stores sell it cheaper. While Video Essentials is beloved by those who use it, there is a learning curve and it can be intimidating, especially for folks who dread the thought of messing with the tint and color settings on their TV. Also, the $29.95 price tag is a little steep for a disc that the average television viewer won't turn to often.

The good news is you may already have a basic calibration disc in your home-video collection. I was reminded of this by the latest Pixar release, "Up." The Blu-ray disc comes with a basic calibration tutorial and several test patterns that allow you to quickly and easily maximize your picture quality by adjusting the contrast, brightness, etc. "Up" isn't the only disc to include a feature like this, but I haven't been able to find an exhaustive list of those with calibration tools. So, I would check your library before running out to buy either Video Essentials or "Up."

It's important to note that self-calibrating with one of these basic discs isn't likely to give you the same result as if you hired a professional, but it is an inexpensive way to quickly improve your television's picture.

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Do You Like Netflix's PS3 Streaming?

Tuesday November 10, 2009

In late October, I reported that Netflix was going to make its streaming service available to customers who own a PlayStation 3. If you have a PS3, all you need to stream content from Netflix is a subscription to the company's service and a disc that it is sending out free of charge.

Most people who initially ordered the discs should have them by now, and I'm curious what you think of the service. If you have streamed Netflix content on your PS3, post a comment to this post and let us know what you think.

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Sony Streaming ‘Meatballs’ to TV and Blu-ray Buyers Before the DVD Release

Tuesday November 10, 2009

Sony Electronics announced this week that it is making an early, high-definition stream of the animated movie "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" available to all customers who own networked Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray players. Twenty-four hour rentals of the movie will be available a full four weeks before it hits video stores, and Sony clearly thinks people will be willing to pay a premium for early viewing, as the rental charge is $24.95.

Given the state of the economy and the fact that video streaming services like Netflix offer unlimited movie rentals for a fraction of that cost, I find it difficult to believe that this offer will attract consumers. I am, however, curious to see what happens because as internet-enabled TVs and video devices get more popular, offers like this could become a trend.

"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" will be available to Sony customers from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4, and the company will probably get a lot of eyeballs on it despite the exorbitant rental fee. That's because it's offering free rentals to anyone who buys and registers a networked Bravia HDTV or Blu-ray player between now and Jan. 4. The television or Blu-ray player will have to be connected to the Internet in order to stream the film.

While a free, early look at the movie might entice already interested buyers to make the leap and get a Sony product, I don't see many people actually paying $24.95 for the rental. That's the price of two and a half movie tickets in many markets. And, in my hometown, the film played several weeks at a second-run movie house where tickets are just $3. What's more, anyone with the patience to wait four weeks will be able to purchase the DVD for $24.95 or less.

What do you think? Would you pay $24.95 for an early stream of a feature film? Do you think this sort of offer will become a trend? Post your thoughts below.

Photo © Columbia Pictures