Calibration Nation - Part 2

In the second part of this series, industry experts give their insights and opinions on the importance of proper system building and calibration to give customers a truly cutting-edge experience.

Modern calibration systems contained within products can go a long way towards improving performance, but is there still room for installers to ‘express themselves’?

David Meyerowitz, Technical Sales Manager, International Trinnov Audio, comments, “Absolutely. There are many factors here, from Target Curve considerations to Bass Management decisions that can be very individual to taste. However, any calibration system is only as good as the data it gathers. Once measurements are taken and computation is done, double-checking that the algorithms have delivered the expected results is where the difference is made.

“This is particularly the case for systems using impulse response for time alignment. If a calibration system gets a weak or poor impulse response from a speaker or subwoofer, then the compensated delay will be incorrect.”

David continues, “By checking this afterwards, you can correct any error if needed. This isn’t the fault of the calibration system, as there are numerous factors that may result in poor measurement data, such as background noise, poor acoustics, etc. Performing verifications and further manual tuning, beyond the predicted results, is where extra performance can be gained.”

Richard Litofsky, Co-founder & CEO at madVR Labs, also contributes, “Audio calibration perhaps provides a little more flexibility in terms of an integrator’s interpretation of the ‘standards’. For instance, if the client particularly likes bass, then an ideal setting might be tweaked to suit the person, the project, or just the way an integrator likes to work.

“However, with imaging, things are different. There is an expected standard: if you want that ‘school bus yellow’ to look right, the image produced must be accurate and avoid introducing distracting colours that don’t ‘look right’. You could oversaturate some colours, but then you’ll lose some of the realism today’s systems, particularly after calibration, can deliver. This is actually the best thing about calibration – there are standards to meet, and working with an expert and a platform like madVR (an ideal companion for a calibrator) will help deliver those standards and impress your customers!”

Joel Silver, President and founder of the Imaging Science Foundation, Inc., underlines, “On the video side, viewing angles and screen size ranges will be part of performance level recommendations in RP23 – and, of course, these are highly budget-dependent. The prices of direct-view TVs and projectors have dropped dramatically, so large screens in even modestly-sized rooms are now affordable – and are a great topic of discussion with clients, where an integrator’s insight is critical for success.

“With the power of current projectors, the screen brightness at home can exceed almost all commercial theatres. The somewhat controversial 300-nit specification for future commercial theatre HDR was shown at CEDIA Expo and can now be achieved at home for high-end clients – I am actually watching it at home right now – that’s my ‘spin’, and I find 300 nits 100% entertaining!”

So, what are some of the best examples of improvements via calibration that can be achieved? David says, “The best examples I have are from my recent calibrations using Trinnov Audio’s WaveForming technology. Whether with four subs or more, the difference in detail and control in the bass is revolutionary. Anyone will tell you that bass is the hardest part to get right. Technology like WaveForming unlocks performance not only in bass but also in mid- and high-frequency details.”

Joel adds, “How about tripling the light output and radically improving system accuracy in ten minutes of your time? The best TVs now have factory modes that are reasonably accurate and will meet Level 1 performance – but those modes are NEVER the default out-of-the-box settings. It drives me crazy when I see installs where the TVs are in default modes.”

What improvements have been made to make calibration more accessible? Joel explains, “The ISF Online Level 1 course is now our most popular and easiest product – it has 11 modules covering all the basics every integrator should know. It’s self-taught, and we provide the correct answers for any errors on test questions, so the pass rate is, as intended, 100% – registration is here.

“Meters and generators are much less expensive now – I even have a prototype on my desk for a pocket-sized entry-level generator that will be very affordable – soon everyone will be able to own one and get their clients to Level 1 video performance every time!”

So, how can the industry support installers to be more proactive here and promote the service to more end users?
David says, “Get the industry designing and engineering better systems from the outset. You can't fix poor system design with calibration. You can make it better, but you can't replace good design and engineering with calibration. Any calibration method can only make the best of what it has to work with. This is where CEDIA Recommended Practices come in.

“Calibration is a service and should be treated as such. Whether you treat it as a separate line item on the BOM or consider it as labour, you are applying your expertise to deliver the finished system to the customer. It takes time and skill beyond just purchasing the equipment and plugging it in.”

Joel concludes, “Trade show demonstrations are always calibrated and are a good start for raising awareness – but we need more regional training sessions and many more online tutorials on using product features during installations! Level 1 video calibration only takes a few minutes, so it should be included with every install. Higher-end systems need more time, so this should always be a line item on every installation. We also find clients need long-term care, so regular check-ups and recurring maintenance fees should be a core part of your standard of care.

“At the last CEDIA Expo, our keynote speaker, renowned movie producer Barry Sonnenfeld, got a laugh when he said he would gladly pay a monthly fee so his wife would call someone else to turn on the theatre and play a movie!”

To learn more about calibration within products or as an in-person service, get in touch!