Calibration Nation - Part 1

The Invision and Pulse Cinemas team asked some of the industry’s key experts to comment on the importance of maximising the calibration capabilities provided by today’s products and systems. Delivering the ultimate performance for customers and accessing in-product and expert help is a key differentiator in a competitive market. Part 1 of these insights is below; Part 2 will follow soon.

So, why does the industry sometimes not fully leverage the capabilities of today’s advanced systems? David Meyerowitz, Technical Sales Manager, International Trinnov Audio, says, “I think this is always going to be the case as installers/integrators have a very difficult job in understanding many different systems and technologies. Expecting them to have an in-depth knowledge of all these systems is unrealistic. Many are small businesses where having specialists is just not cost-effective. That doesn’t mean they are any less capable."

Joel Silver, President and founder of the Imaging Science Foundation, Inc., adds, “Yes, we find this to be a serious issue. When clients retain installation services, they are essentially trusting a provider with their home. Even budget AV gear now provides extensive adjustments to make entertainment look and sound good in various room lighting and acoustic environments. Not deploying these features, which clients paid for, delivers mediocre performance – and violates the trust clients put in our industry’s installers. Viewed objectively, this omission is both malpractice and bad business."

So why does this happen? David says, “You may have an automation programmer on staff as well as a network specialist, but there might not be a calibration specialist familiar with all the systems they work with. The best example is where you employ a calibrator to help. The worst is when you press the auto-calibrate button and expect perfection. That’s not calibration."

Joel also comments, “Too many installers remember that in the not-too-distant past even basic TV setup required expensive gear and three days of training. For very high-end system calibration, that remains true – but the majority of top-model TVs can now be set up nicely in under 10 minutes with a disc or a pocket generator costing a few hundred dollars!"

So, what should installers adhere to? Is there a ‘gold standard’ for every type of AV performance parameter, or does personal preference play a role in calibration?

David says, “For video, yes – or at least grades of standards – but for audio, there is not. In commercial cinema, there is the X-Curve, an EQ curve designed to provide consistency from mastering studios through to playback in commercial cinemas. This does not exist in home audio, so it does come down to personal preference. However, calibration is one thing; the fundamental design of the system has to be engineered to achieve the target performance."

Joel adds, “Our industry’s gold standards are the free CEDIA/CTA Immersive Audio and Immersive Video Recommended Practices. The audio document is an amazing milestone and has already been released; its number is CEDIA/CTA RP23. Jason Dustal (ISF Specialist) and I chair the video committee, which is still a work in progress; it will be named CEDIA/CTA RP23 when released. Both Recommended Practices cover four levels of performance – from entry-level to state-of-the-art – so every install we do now will have well-defined technical guidelines that establish a ‘Standard of Care’ for our clients."

Beyond expectations

So, what exactly are we aiming to achieve with calibration? Joel says, “Calibration simply ensures that, at any budget, our clients get all the performance their equipment can deliver in their homes. An entry-level flat panel Level 1 calibration will only take ten to fifteen minutes, while a high-end system may take two or three hours to calibrate multiple aspect ratios plus SDR and each HDR mode."

David adds, “From an audio perspective, I’m aiming to achieve a balanced sound that offers deep, tight bass, vocal clarity, great immersivity, and air. Another thing that is not standardised is the terminology we use to describe sound. But as I mentioned earlier, this result is largely dictated by the system design before you even get to calibration. Calibration allows you to fine-tune many aspects, but the acoustics, loudspeaker, and amplification design also dictate to what degree you can refine it.”

To learn more about calibration within products or as an in-person service, get in touch! Return soon and keep an eye out for Part 2.