No doubt about it, nothing beats an HDTV for delivering high-def images full of depth, detail, and stunning color. Your screen can show the action the way the director intended for you to see it. But is the picture quality always the very best it can be?

Monster's calibration disc helps you optimize your TV's picture for your room.

I recently read Steve Kindig's article about "optimizing your HDTV's picture." Turns out you can get more realistic images by calibrating your TV's picture settings. You can even use a calibration how-to guide, like the Monster HDTV Calibration Wizard DVD, to lead you through the steps. I was curious to find out what I might be missing, so I gave it a go.

Why calibrate?

TV manufacturers set initial video options (like brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness) at high levels. This makes a TV's picture "pop" under the fluorescent lighting of a retail store. But at home, where the lighting is softer, those jacked-up settings might make images look like they're behind a tinted filter.

Just as you'd calibrate your sound system to fit the layout of your room, it's a good idea to tailor your TV to your room, taking into account what the lighting is usually like when you watch TV. You might even consider switching between "daytime" and "nighttime" modes, to get the best effect each time you're in front of the set.

And did you know that if you change your TV's presets, you could even help preserve the planet? Lowering settings like brightness and contrast can reduce the amount of energy your TV uses — and reduce your electricity bill. Check out Jim Richardson's article for more information on "TV Power Consumption" and our power consumption testing.

My setup

One cool thing about working at Crutchfield is getting to borrow great gear. To prepare for my review of the Monster DVD, I snagged an HDTV and a high-def disc player from our photography studio — both were fresh out of their boxes to be photographed for our website. I used a high-quality HDMI connector to link the Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray Disc™ player to the Panasonic TH-42PZ77U 42" 1080p plasma HDTV.

This Panasonic HDTV had a gorgeous picture, but I wondered if I could make it look even better.

I set it all up in our testing room, but I wanted to simulate a living room atmosphere. So I turned off our harsh overhead lights, dimmed a floor lamp, and moved a chair back to create a comfortable distance from the screen — about as far away as my couch is from my TV at home. All I lacked was a bowl of popcorn.

I thought it would be good to get a baseline impression before I tried the calibration disc. We have plenty of DVDs on hand, so I grabbed a stack and started with my favorite, Planet Earth in high-definition. My first response was appreciation for the crisp, detailed picture that this Blu-ray Disc provided. Was there any room for improvement?

I switched discs and watched a few scenes from King Kong. Though this was just a standard DVD, the images were pretty sharp, thanks to the player's upconversion and the HDTV's 1080p panel. But now I was viewing people instead of nature. I noticed that the actors' skin tones seemed unnatural, almost Oompa-Loompa orange. It was time to calibrate.