Should I calibrate my HDTV?

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Sm00thSm0k3

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So over the weekend I went and splashed out the cash on a new Sammy LED.
Generally I'm quite happy with the set so far however I did notice a bit of backlight bleed in the top left and right corners (torchlight effect) while watching TRON on Sunday night which was rather distracting to my eye considering that most of the scenes in the film are dark.

Now I'm aware that bleeding on LCD's/LED's is quite normal however I'm unsure whether I should try to exchange the unit (perhaps the bleeding on mine is too excessive) or whether I just need to calibrate it. Okes on some of the AV forums reckon that generally the "out of the box" backlight/contrast/brightness settings are way out and should be adjusted for optimum picture quality.

I've read on some AV forums that the THX optimizer tool (which comes with THX certified titles) is rather useful however I wanted to find out from some of the HDTV guru's around if there is another tool I should rather be using.

Does Samsung perhaps have some kind calibration tool for their TV's?
 
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If you're not happy, exchange it. In the long run it will save you lots of time.
 
Sure, but perhaps I'm just being finicky and perhaps the bleeding is well within "acceptable" levels?
I mean what can be considered acceptable when it comes to backlight bleeding?

If I do decide to return it I just hope that Makro would be willing to exchange it and not spin me some "it has to be sent in for repairs" story. The thing is only 4 days old. The reality however is if they do agree to exchange it there is always a 50/50 chance that the new unit could be much better or even be worse.

I'm a bit stumped really.

My brother in law purchased the same unit so perhaps I should just pop around and compare apples with apples.
 
compare apples, if your apple sucks, return in the next 3 days, you have 7 days to return it even if your cat does not like the colour thanks to the CPA
 
madmax2010 said:
if you fiddle, you make break it as well and lose warrantee.
Click to expand...

Erm how exactly would adjusting backlight/contrast/brightness/saturation in the TV's picture setup menu's void the warranty? It's not like I'm planning to open the thing.
 
HiToKiRi said:
Erm how exactly would adjusting backlight/contrast/brightness/saturation in the TV's picture setup menu's void the warranty? It's not like I'm planning to open the thing.
Click to expand...

madmax2010 seems to have a very apt nick. :D

Fiddle with settings to your heart's content. Only changing firmware voids warranty.

Uneven lighting/white spots/bleed/etc is a common problem with LCD/LED-LCD (one reason why I like plasma), and it's going to be difficult to determine whether yours is bad enough to warrant swap out. You might even get it swapped for a worse unit.

Post some pics for us taken in the dark, we can determine severity.
 
PostmanPot said:
Uneven lighting/white spots/bleed/etc is a common problem with LCD/LED-LCD (one reason why I like plasma), and it's going to be difficult to determine whether yours is bad enough to warrant swap out. You might even get it swapped for a worse unit.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of.

PostmanPot said:
Post some pics for us taken in the dark, we can determine severity.
Click to expand...

Will do. Thanks.

I suppose the best thing to do is to display a completely black image on the TV with the lights off?
 
I would return it. If you are OCD like I am, it will drive you crazy and you will never be happy!

PostmanPot said:
Uneven lighting/white spots/bleed/etc is a common problem with LCD/LED-LCD (one reason why I like plasma), and it's going to be difficult to determine whether yours is bad enough to warrant swap out. You might even get it swapped for a worse unit.

Post some pics for us taken in the dark, we can determine severity.
Click to expand...

Not all LCD'd have this problem, mine has zero clouding. (thank God, because it would drive me crazy! :D )
 
Ono'rach said:
I would return it. If you are OCD like I am, it will drive you crazy and you will never be happy!
Click to expand...

Well it has definitely been bothering me quite a bit since I noticed it on Sunday. My unit is displaying similar corner bleeding symptoms (like gremlins shining a torch from the corners of the screen) to those in the second picture posted by Postman. Haven't noticed any clouding patches in the center though but will check.

Thanks for the input all.

Will try to get some pictures up tomorrow.
 
Ono'rach said:
I would return it. If you are OCD like I am, it will drive you crazy and you will never be happy!



Not all LCD'd have this problem, mine has zero clouding. (thank God, because it would drive me crazy! :D )
Click to expand...

I dare you to post a picture in the dark of your LCD displaying a black screen... ;)
 
HiToKiRi said:
Well it has definitely been bothering me quite a bit since I noticed it on Sunday. My unit is displaying similar corner bleeding symptoms (like gremlins shining a torch from the corners of the screen) to those in the second picture posted by Postman. Haven't noticed any clouding patches in the center though but will check.

Thanks for the input all.

Will try to get some pictures up tomorrow.
Click to expand...

IMO the only unacceptable bleeding in the second pic is in the bottom right corner. Rest seems normal.
 
Mine has some around the sides when I up the brightness to much.
Not noticeable at all during a movie.

Otherwise, no issues
 
You should DEFINITELY calibrate your display.
Those THX optimizers are not great, but it will be infinitely better than nothing at all.
 
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