THX Video Calibration Overview

Calibration of displays is something that not many consumers know much about. Their expectation is that they buy a display, take it home, and plug it in. At this point they are done - or so they think. The next thing you know, they are telling their friends that HD isn't all that great and they never should have spent all that money. Is it true? Not by a long shot. Instead, what they have is a display set in "torch" mode giving them all sorts of artifacts, edge enhancement, and oversaturation of colors. Can this be fixed? Sure, but many don't have the expertise or confidence/motivation to figure it out for themselves. The only thing to do is to hire a calibrator. But which one?

Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) has long been certifying calibrators but the fact is that, outside of the industry, those three letters mean next to nothing. That doesn't mean that people can't be informed about ISF. On the other hand, what they do understand is THX. They see it at the theater, in funny clips before movies, and on some of their home theater equipment. They may not know exactly what it is but they do recognize that THX stands for some form of quality. It very well may be that a calibrator with THX behind their name might have the edge with some consumers.

Training Overview

The real question that should be asked before you consider a training class like the THX Video Calibration training is if you really need it. If you are looking for an additional source of income and you live in an area that has a large enough population that might have need of your services, then this training course might be what you need. The fact is that there were people in the class that were just enthusiasts. Guys that are really into this sort of stuff and want to know everything they can about it. There were professionals looking for extra credentials, and, of course, a couple of reviewers (Clint DeBoer and myself, plus Mike Osadciw from Home Theater Forum) who were there to hone our skills and perhaps learn a few new tricks. At nearly $3k not including expenses, the THX training isn't exactly pocket change (at least not for anyone I know) but it may be worth it depending on your situation and desires. And remember, it isn't unusual for someone to spend that amount on a couple of days of vacation. If your idea of a "vacation" is playing around with video equipment and learning a marketable skill… well, you've probably already signed up for the next training in your area.

Let's get past the "if" you're there; let's talk about whether or not you should be. As I mentioned, ISF has a similar course. While I haven't taken it, Clint has and will weigh in on the differences at the end of this article. But don't kid yourself and think that this sort of class is just for industry professionals. At the beginning, they asked everyone to introduce themselves and it seemed that about 1/3 to 1/2 of the people were just enthusiasts or non-professionals. These were guys that were just really into video and thought that maybe they might be able to make a little money on the side with it. Clint and I were pretty surprised as we thought we'd be surrounded by professional calibrators.

The breakdown of the class looks like this:

• Day One
• History of Television (brief)
• Why We Calibrate
• What Makes a "Good" Image, Just Noticeable Differences (JND), and Video Performance
• Signal Path and Optimization Strategies
• Calibration Process
• Contrast Ratios and Screen Uniformity (Lab #1)
• Geometry & Convergence
• Contrast and Brightness (Lab #2)
• Color, Tint and Color Decoding (Lab #3)
• Sharpness and Enhancement Controls (Lab #4)
• Day Two
• Calibration Process and Integration of Signal Generators
• Grayscale and Gamma
• Software and Hardware Choices (Lab #5)
• Competing Display Technologies
• Hands-On Grayscale Calibration with Different Technologies (Lab #6)
• Overview of Front Projector Setup, Hands-on Training, Keystone and Other Geometry Corrections & Screen Technologies
• Scaling Technologies
• Day Three
• Processing Issues; Progressive/Interlace
• De-interlacing with Examples from HD and DVD Benchmark Discs
• Environmental Issues
• Color Science and Color Standards Including Color Gamut (CCA and CMS) Management
• Approach to Calibrating CCA and CMA … Examples of Different Systems (Lab #7)
• Day & Night Modes (Lab #8)
• Calibrating to Black & White Films
• CRT Calibration Items
• Online Exam & In-Field Calibration
• Summary & Putting it All Together

Day one is actually pretty free of hands on while days 2 and 3 have lots of hands-on time. Each day they provide a lunch (and there was a continental "breakfast" at the hotel it was held at though I don't know that you can expect that at every location). A word about the hotel - it was a hole. Obviously chosen based on price/facilities/convenience, if it is any indication of the types of hotels that THX uses, I'd serious recommend staying nearby. While Clint's room wasn't as bad, you literally had to kick the door open to mine. The cost of the class includes only the lunch (which was Italian every day for some reason) and not the room and board (pretty typical for this sort of class). You'll need to factor in the cost of travel, lodging and food when you are budgeting for the THX Certification class.

As I mentioned, day one was mostly background and theory. Even if you've been in the industry a while, you'll probably hear a few stories or facts that you'd either forgotten or that are new to you. The two instructors, Gregg Loewen and Michael Chen, were informative and interesting and mostly held my attention. There is definitely a drinking game to be made from the number of Star Trek/Star Wars comments that Michael will make. Just make sure you don't enforce the "I don’t' remember that one so I have to drink double" rule or you'll probably end up in the hospital. The duo have done thousands of calibrations between them and have come across just about every display there is. They are familiar with most of the calibration equipment on the market and can speak off the cuff of technology and techniques most would need a stack of books or notes to reference. They are certainly experienced and knowledgeable. In fact, they are not just instructors, but working calibrators so you are getting up to date information on the latest displays on the market.

The room we were in was fairly small but it was packed to the gills with displays. There were six flat panels, one rear projection DLP, and four front projectors. There was a wide array of calibration equipment available - more if you consider that everyone was asked to bring in their own kit. While it was neat to see all the calibration equipment, it really wasn't practical to use it. In order to do so, you needed your own laptop (which we had) but also to install and configure the software. While plugging in a USB printer might be a simple (-ish task, depending on whether you're using a PC or not), calibration equipment often takes hours to install and get running correctly. OK, I may be exaggerating a little but it isn't unusual for there to be conflicts. What would have been nice is if they had provided dedicated stations with a laptop and a calibration device paired so that you could get practice not only with the device but the software that was driving it. This would also help the attendees understand the differences between all the meters and software packages so that they could make a more informed decision if they decided to purchase something new. As it was, you had to try and pair up with someone that had brought a piece of gear/software package that you were interested in or risk wasting all of your lab time trying to get something new installed on your computer.

The flip side was that Derek Smith of SpectraCal was on hand with his calibration package and software. Before entering the room, I'd never heard of SpectraCal though Clint had. It's a new company that has developed a new calibration software that seems to be the most flexible and comprehensive on the market. Derek did a small presentation and was there for the entire last day of class to demo his software and answer questions. We spent a lot of time that last day looking over his software package instead of doing our calibrations.

Wasting lab time is definitely not recommended - though learning the SpectraCal software wasn't a waste for us. Part of the requirements to be THX certified is to complete 10 calibrations and to have them verified by THX. With the number of displays at the training, you're not going to want to waste time with hardware/software installations. While Clint and I pretty much handle all the display reviews for Audioholics, 10 is a lot and you only have a year to do them in. If you're not a full time (or at least part time) calibrator, that's a tall order. We thought it best to make sure we took advantage of the displays on hand. Hustling as much as we could, we were able to get 8 done though I'm sure it is possible to get all 10.