Hi All,

From all the reviews i've read about this calibration dvd, it looks pretty good. However i'm totally confused as to what to get and where. I'm in Sydney by the way.

I have a Sony Bravia X series LCD that I want to tweak. The problem i'm finding though is the few online places that stock the DVD have no indication as to whether it's the latest version eg. EZYDVD. I'm also confused as to whether to get the HD Basics one or not. I have an HD TV but only a dvd player, not a blu-ray or HD dvd.

So the question is.. What should I get and how can I be sure it's the latest version and not the one made in 2001 etc. If anyone knows of a walk in retailer in the sydney area that has it stocked i'd love to walk in and get it. I'm reluctant to buy online since I could get an old version.

I have the PAL DVD version, the HD DVD combo version(NTSC on back) and the BluRay Basics version. I end up with the same brightness and contrast settings no matter which version I use. (BD and PAL DVD on Bluray player, HDDVD and PAL DVD and NTSC combo on HDplayer)

You would probably be better off with the PAL component version, it says "PAL Component" on the front cover just to the right of the centre speaker.

I think the NTSC component had some issues with audio tests so avoid that one.
PAL component has a more complete audio section than either of the HD releases.

You might get a HDDVD combo cheap if you shop around, the DVD side has no region coding.

Hakka.

As you use a DVD player I would grab the PAL version of the DVE disc. The colour, brightness and contrast settings won't change with resolution so if it's right for 576p it will be right for 720p and 1080i. The only thing I've noticed is the display can move vertically and horizontally a few pixels, but once this is set the display remembers the correct position for every resolution.

Thanks guys.. Now all I have to do is find someone in Sydney that has it in stock for me to pick up.

I got mine from EzyDVD by mail - less than $30 including mailing -
It is the combined PAL/NTSC component version.
It has separate parts where the NTSC varies. Seems to be fine.
However, I'm still struggling with the Contrast, Brightness and Colour settings - can anyone help me?
I have a 1080p Samsung LCD TV via HDMI - but I'm not sure if I was using the CRT section.

I just bought mine from DVDownunder for $35.80 Incl Express Ppstage,

Matthew is a very nice bloke to deal with, so if your after one, give him a call, they are getting increasingly hard to find...

almost everywhere is sold out.

I found the DVE DVD a little hard to use... like the menus weren't exactly user friendly and the whole think jumps about quite a bit without any flow.

Anyone else found this?

Maybe its becuase I'm a newbie

I've found the menu system totally confusing as well - but then I might just be easily confused!

I have also heard that the LFE test tone is out - does anyone know if this is so and what level of correction can you use to account for this problem?

I'm confused too. After 3 months I've given up - I just cannot use this disk.
I have not even been able to adjust the basic brightness/contrast/hue-saturation!
I don't believe it is designed to be used with LCD TV's.
It seems set up for the CRT's and for Projectors.
In addition, there is a lot of NTSC stuff on it - the colour adjustment for instance, is not relevant to PAL.
Although there are many test patterns, there is little or no advice as to how to use them, or what to adjust on your TV to fix it.
Emails to the vendors have been ignored.
I think it is out of date, and needs a full redesign to accommodate PAL and LCD and Plasma screens.

I have tried setting up a few older LCD displays and my PC monitor (27") with the DVE disc and the GetGray disc and have had problems. I've also calibrated three DLP RPTVs and many plasmas without any problems.

I couldn't get the black level or contrast right on any of the LCDs I tried. Also the test patterns look very different when viewed directly head on compared to when viewed a little to one side. It could be that the LCDs are all around 12 months old, but my PC monitor is only a few months old and although it appears to be better than the bigger TVs, it still far from a great picture. I think the test patterns are actually showing up shortcomings in LCD display technology. Due to my experiences with LCD calibration, when someone asks me whether should they get an LCD or plasma display, I can only be honest and advise them to buy plasma. Hopefully the latest LCD technology is much better.

i got mine from evydvd online too,it seems ok apart from the contrast,cant see much change,ive also got a disc from allsop called home theatre essentials,its alright as well but the sound setup section is very basic,i got that from domayne,maybe you can try some of the electrical retailers

Len Wallis in Lane Cove should have it in stock. ( I got mine last year). Just ring them to make sure. Their phone number is 94276755