Sharpness

The sharpness control is very difficult to properly adjust on normal video material. The Sharpness pattern makes is a lot easier to set sharpness in the right place. The sharpness pattern has a lot different parts. At the top of the screen there is a frequency sweep. The bottom contains frequency patches, and the center has a large circle with some lines coming off of it. You will need to keep an eye on all parts of the screen when adjusting sharpness.

Increase sharpness to its maximum value. Examine the frequency sweep at the top of the screen. The right side of the sweep should be dramatically brighter than the rest of it, which would correspond to the patches below. If you examine the circle and lines in the center, you'll see that there is a false outline (like a white glow) surrounding these lines. Lower the sharpness setting until the frequency sweep is uniform in brightness all the way across, and the false outlines in the center have disappeared. On some displays, the proper setting for sharpness will be the lowest value.

Blue bars

You will use the blue-bars setting to properly adjust the color and tint settings of the TV. Take out the two blue filters from the package and stack them together. When you look at the screen through them, you'll only be able to see the blue elements of the image.

The AVIA pattern contains four flashing squares, which makes it easier to know when color and tint are in the correct positions. Two squares are on the far left and right side of the screen, which are labeled saturation. The other two are in middle, which are labeled hue. To adjust, you'll need to alternately adjust the color and tint controls on your TV until the correct results are achieved.

When you have achieved the correct results, the blue bars should all have close to the same intensity of blue, and you should not be able to notice the squares flashing as much.

For

other color patterns that do not use the flashing square, adjust color and tint until the blue bars have about the same intensity of blue.

Color decoder check

Many consumer displays do not have accurate color decoders, which often push one or more colors. If your decoder pushes blue or green, it is usually not objectionable. However, if your decoder pushes red, flesh tones will look over saturated and you will be unhappy with the picture. You can check your display for red push with the color decoder check pattern.

Look through the red color filter on the screen. The left column indicates the amount of red push. The block that has the same intensity of the background tells you the percentage push of that color. So, if the block that is labeled 20% is the correct intensity, then the TV pushes that color by 20%. If it is in the negatives, then the color decoder is underemphasizing that color.

The color decoder in most TVs is rarely adjustable. If red is being pushed by more than 10% you will need to lower overall color saturation until it is in the proper range. If your TV does have an adjustable color saturation, decrease red until the 0 block is the same intensity as the background. Any major adjustments of the color decoder may require you to readjust the color and tint settings using the blue bars pattern.

Finishing up

Once all of these steps are complete, your television is properly adjusted. If you have gotten used to showroom settings, you'll immediately notice the image is darker and softer. Often, many want to reset the TV back to the way it was. Before you do, give yourself 2 weeks of viewing at the proper settings. You'll find that you see more detail and better colors. You'll also notice that nighttime viewing is significantly more comfortable than it used to be. Once you have adjusted to the new settings, you'll not want to return to the way it was.

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