Digital Video Essentials: Optimize Your Home Entertainment System (NTSC Component)

I'm not very keen on any of the video patterns. The "gray color" card....What the heck do I do with it ??? What the heck do I do with ANY of the video test patterns ? Do I adjust my dvd player ? TV ? It really aggravates me that they leave you hanging out there with no explanation or instruction. I'm sure this disc is pure gold to a technician or professional set-up folks. However, while I would venture to say that I know about ten times more about A/V systems that most of my friends, watching this disc left me feeling like an idiot. In my e-mail to the company I even said "Just tell me I'm an idiot and completely missed a section/chapter...I can deal with that". I decided to come to this site to see what others had to say. I now see that I'm certainly not alone. I would even venture to guess that some of the "pro" review folks might be a little less than forthright when claiming how great this disc is. Either trying to stroke their own egos or they're certainly waaaay ahead of this humble soul. Maybe I'm just getting old :-). For the guy who said his Yamaha A/V system wouldn't read the supposed DTS....you need to get it checked. It is in DTS.

Well, I've always been VERY pleased with my current systems, but I'm always open to any possibilities to make them better. I did learn one thing ! I never really thought about the color of the wall behind the screen. However, my main system doesn't need/want any ambient light around or behind it so it's a moot point ! :-) I guess I'll go back and watch it a few more times. Maybe something will click.

However, that said, it's easy enough to follow, if a little dull, did manage to improve the image on my Philips 8833 TV using the color filter, etc. learned that my DVD, (or TV) is clipping the darker than black TV, etc. V educational. As well has having test cards on it, which wsa the real reason I bought it, so I can bounce into the service menu and tweak the geometry of the TV which is just a bit off.

However, while it claims to have a DTS sountrack, (and the free aqaurium DVD that I got with it does have) the DVD itself doesn't. I've got a Yamaha DSP-AZ2, all digital AV amp, and it just doesn't pick it up, even when I force the DVD input, (coming out of the DVD via a premium Fibre Optic cable) to DTS, I get nothing. This is having set the DVD to 6.1. Dolby 5.1 works fine however, and comes in Spanish too, (the PAL version)

Video Essentials takes you through various vital tests with great explanations for newbies and nerds alike. It was amazing to me how much better films and programs looked and sounded after running this disk. Natural detail, natural colors and an exquisite movie theater look and feel now accompany our shows.

I can not believe that someone recommended using an animation, Monsters Inc., to calibrate ones set. It is a cartoon with green and blue cartoon monsters and digitally created light and sound sources - how can that help anyone! Calibration and sample disks like this and the THX optimizer that comes with several DVD's helps you to recreate in your home theater what the director intended. If anything I would use Monsters Inc to set up a custom set of screen values just for animations since it makes sense to make this type of movie more vivid. Yet for live-action movies this disk is a must!