I have a HDTV with a high-end Denon DVD player. I sent off for the blue-lens THX filter glasses to utilize the Optimizer found on discs offering THX. I'm not color-blind, and though I do wear glasses, my vision is plenty good enough to see that I get much better results by just adjusting the picture settings on the TV myself from judging with my own eye.

Does anyone else rely on the Optimizer for their picture settings, religiously or otherwise? Just looking for opinions.

The THX Optimizer is garbage. The optimizer varies from disc to disc and isn't really set to any standard. You are much better off using Avia or Video Essentials. (I find Avia more user friendly.)

Using just your ry isn't really correct either as objective standards do exist and are used during the DVD making process. Avia has a good demo program which explains this in detail.

So, your poll should contain another option:

No, I use another calibrator besides THX.

Avia is much better and comes with all the filters you need. Unless you are a professional calibrator it is highly unlikely that your eye is objective enough (and even most professionals won't trust their eye for anything but the most general of settings).

THX optimizer works well for general settings and is very easy to use. Before I got my Digital Video Essentials disc I had it calibrated with THX optimizer with blue tint glasses. Needless to say, there wasn't that much more tweaking necessary when I compared it with DVE disc, albiet the sharpness. Then again, I have a 32" WEGA flat screen, it's not an HDTV. As mentioned, THX Op only deals with general settings. If you want something more comprehensive I would go with Digital Video Essentials disc. I would not say THX optimizer is garbage, by any means, it gets the job done for basic settings. The depth of DVE disc will blow you away though.

Well, I mainly wanted people's opinions specifically on the THX Optimizer, so another poll option wasn't really necessary, but I do appreciate learning about the other calibrator tools. I think I will try the DVE disc.

I use the Sound & Vision calibration disc. HAs some good tests from the AVIA disc, and it's only $15-20.

The THX optimizer covers the very basics and is a must if you have no other calibration discs. If you have nice equipment, a calibration disc like DVE or Avia is well worth it.

Ideally you should have your set/projector calibrated by an ISF professional to get your greyscale and color right.

I can't vote in this poll because I don't use the THX optimizer or my own eye but I do use a combination of Avia and DVE. I haven't had an ISF calibration yet but I may somtime in the future.

I apologize if I seem uninformed, or even perhaps a little naive where these technical matters come into play, but where might I find one of these "ISF professionals", and how much does a service such as you described usually run? This isn't something I've heard of before.

Thanks in advance.

i use joe kanes video essentials ....set all to the "correct" settings .... then i tweak by site from there. i find the correct theater settings way to dark for reg tv watching. i still keep mine on the dark side , but it is well out of spec from the "correct" settings

No need to apologize. We were all learning at one time. ISF stands for Imaging Science Foundation and is only a certifactation process for people who want to learn how to calibrate video displays. It's important to understad this because a store can send one of their techs to the class and get certified just as easily as you or I can get certified. It's more important to find somebody that is familiar with your display and can give references.

You don't say what kind of an HDTV you have but another thing to mention is that all of these calibration discs that tell you to use their filters do so to make it simple. The more accurate way is to not use the filter but instead open the cabinet of the RPTV and cover the unwanted CRTs to filter the color.

If you want to see a list of well respected and established pro calibrators head on over to www.hometheaterspot.com and check out the Spot calibrator forum. They list what services they provide and cost can range from $400 to $1000 depending on what you want done and who does it.

Is it necessary to have a HDTV ISF calibrated? Didn't know if that applied to HDTV's as well.

IMO it's even more necessary for HDTV because the signal is even clearer and you'll want it to look it's best but it really depends on how critical you want to be and how far off your TV is OOB.

My display has had two ISF calibrations. I definitely recommend it. Also, a good ISF tech will be able to fix things other than just greyscale - namely overscan and geometry. He too will tell you to not use THX optimizers.

ISF calibrations are recommended once a year for RPTVs.

Once a year, aren't they like $400-$500?

Yes they are, but if you have the money for the ISF, it is completely worth it. And just for the record, THX Optimizer is junk IMO since it is a calibration tool for each disc it comes on. I'll take Digital Video Essentials anyday over the THX Optimizer.

Depends.

My ISF guy charged me $250.00 the first time. The second time on the same display is considered a "tune-up," so he only charged me $150.00 (or $175.00?? -- exact number slips me).

I'll have him do another tune-up at the end of the year if I decide to keep my TV for another year (I'm thinking of buying something new).

Do many discs come with the THX Optimiser anymore? I haven't seen it in a while.

I think it appears on most recent DVD with THX certification. Indiana Jones Trilogy comes to mind.

Star Wars EP 2, Indiana Jones, Cape Fear, Tombstone, Willow, Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition.

Okay, so Indiana Jones is fairly recent - but those other discs are a year to several years old.

I never use it.

Your poll is a little screwy... Like the others here... No, I don't use the THX thingie but I do use Avia... Your "No. I rely on my own eye" option could use some tweaking to better reflect the use of Avia or VE...

FWIW on the ISF topic... If you spend some time learning how to tweak your set and do some research, one can do a good bit of this work by yourself... Not as good as a complete ISF-ing, but a hell of a lot better than the factory out of the box settings... Geometry, grayscale, color focus, overscan, etc can all be corrected in your service menu - once you learn how. You'll also need a good software disc like Avia. That is... If the idea of getting in to your service menu isn't cause for alarm... I personally tweak my Panny every 6 to 8 months or so...

Well, as I mentioned before, the purpose of the poll was to find out about people's use of and opinons about the THX Optimizer specifically, so it wasn't necessary to ask about other products...no "tweaking" required.

I second this vote. The S&V disc is available for under $20 at Best Buy (usually in the Special Interest section next to the Imax movies and Girls Gone Wild videos). Definitely worth picking up.