Next up, the wire service tested the $229 SpyderTV colorimeter from Datacolor. The product includes a light sensor, which you attach to your screen, and a cable that's connected to your computer. Then, you insert the included DVD, which shows test patterns that are measured by the sensor and recorded by the computer's software.
Despite the high-tech approach, the AP reports that SpyderTV did not get high marks.
"My results were mixed. It improved the image on one LCD set, but didn't take away an unpleasant greenish tinge to dark areas," the AP reporter notes.
The reporter adds that he may have incorrectly interpreted the SpyderTV's tuning instructions.
"I can't rule out an error on my part here - the calibration is quite complicated," he wrote.
Finally, the AP writer summoned a professional calibration artist -- Lee Richman of Nu Sounds Concepts in New York. The technician charges $275 (or more) for calibrating a high-def picture.
Richman, AP says, improved the high-def picture, although "it wasn't a dramatic improvement over the default settings."
Still, the AP writer would recommend the professional calibrator over the store-bought products.
"The professional calibrator has a number of advantages over amateurs. One is access to hidden menu settings for fine-tuning on some sets. Another is a signal generator that allows calibration for inputs other than a DVD, like a broadcast signal," he wrote.
Click to see a Video explaining how to improve your HDTV Picture.
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Phillip Swann is
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