Basic TV Tune-Up

We often wonder how the TV sets in the showroom were configured to make the impact in the showroom only and not in our living rooms. If we spend so much money on the wide screen and high definition TV sets, we must make the best use of our money by learning some basic TV tune up tips so that we do not have to settle for the manufacturers’ default settings.

Steps To Tune up

Sometimes the picture quality of our TV set is marred by excessive brightness which creates two dimensional washed out look with low color saturation. The images lose their detail in shadows and the distinctions between the dark and the light just disappear. Insert a DVD with letterbox bars above the image and below it.

Find a scene that has approximately the same amount of light and dark shades in it. Tune up the control all along and then decrease until the letterbox bars begin to look black as can be against the dark gray.

There may be problems in contrast. High contrast makes the images look brighter, obscures the details, distorts the lines, strains the eyes in the dim rooms and also reduces the longevity of the tubes and the plasma elements. Low contrast diminishes the impact of the picture.

To set the contrast, show a still image of a white object from a DVD with some visible details. Adjust the control up all along and continue reducing it until all the details appear in the white. Usually the contrast between 30 to 50% brings out the best picture quality.

Another important aspect of the picture is its color component. Too much of color makes the picture garish and unrealistic. Too less of the color makes the picture dull. Setting the color at zero makes the picture black and white.
The way to set the color is to find out an image with light delicate skin tones. Bring the picture to a close up at the face on the DVD. Move the control so that it looks as if the person has sunburn. Finally reduce it till the skin appears natural without excess of red.