Bronkster

I had hit up Best Buy a few times about this disk, and they have no clue what it is, so I doubt they're going to be getting it since they haven't already. Same with Circuit City. I guess because of the nature of the disk, a lot of B&Ms won't be carrying it.

It's a cool tool! I've spent a few hours over the last few nights messing around with my system. Based on its recommendation, I went out and got a few little clip-on lights to mount behind the TV for ambient light. Neat stuff!!

zeek

Which doesn't make sense to me at all- seems like it would be a good upsell for those purchasing televisions or other home theatre components; especially if they overprice it (not that I condone that sort of thing.)


zeek

Bronkster

I agree, but since when to retail stores make sense?

jonw9

I got mine from Amazon yesterday. I will hopefully get a chance to use it this weekend.

NaturalMystic79

I can't find it at any stores. I may just go to Amazon.com and order it. Question for you guys... do you think this calibration disc would make a difference on my Sony WEGA 32" flat screen TV? Alot of the reviews of the DVE disc say it works great with Plasma and HDTV, but would it make any difference on an analog WEGA set? Also, I'm using THX optimizer w/ the blue tint glasses, but want to make obsolutely sure I'm getting the best picture possible. Also it would be nice to have the audio calibration ability, when I get a HT setup with 6.1 DTS sound.

Thanks!

steebo777

Definetly. TV's are never calibrated correctly from the factory. As you said though, it will help for audio calibration in the future as well.

axolotls return

what da diff between this and the ol standby "Avia"?

Grimm1

Did you check out the review?

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=7502

"Many people interested in DVE already own, or have some experience using Avia. And since comparisons between the two are inevitable, I did a direct head-to-head evaluation of both. While Avia is still an excellent and easy-to-use tool for home theater calibration, I feel DVE is a superior product. Avia may have more overall content, but the summarization done by DVE is concise and to the point, and does not skimp the viewer in any way. However, I still prefer the face-to-face instruction in Avia for demonstrating hardware configuration scenarios. I would have liked to see some of this in DVE, but there was none.

In terms of visual and audio teaching supplements, DVE is the unanimous winner. DVE looks and sounds fantastic. The diagrams are much more detailed, and the graphics are light-years ahead of those found in Avia. The audio tests coupled with the 3-D animations makes understanding and adjusting audio levels a breeze, going way beyond Avia's content.

But the area where DVE completely blows Avia out of the water is with its video calibration test patterns. New test patterns were designed specifically for DVE, making video calibration simpler and more efficient. Avia has an enormous arsenal of video test patterns but offers absolutely no instruction on how to use them. So if you're new to home theater, you will need advice from a calibration veteran to help you utilize the patterns. DVE not only narrates the user on what to look for, but it pauses to let you configure each setting during the middle of the segment.

If you're serious about home theater you absolutely need a calibration software DVD. If you don't own a calibration disc yet, DVE is your best option. If you're completely new to home theater and prefer face-to-face instruction by a fellow human, then Avia may be more to your liking, but be warned that Avia does not instruct much on the newer digital video formats, so Avia is already somewhat obsolete. But it's still a great tool for learning the ins and outs of home theater, and is good for calibrating if you know what you're doing. But for the modern videophile, DVE is the only way to go. If further persuasion is still needed, just remember that DVE sells for roughly half the money that Avia does. "