TV Auto-calibration

In his review of LG’S 65G1PUA OLED TV, Thomas J. Norton mentioned that LG G1 sets “support an auto-calibration feature developed by Calman from Portrait Displays.” Sadly, he never mentions this feature again in the review. Features such as Audyssey Multeq, Dirac Live, and Yamaha YPAO are used to calibrate the audio part of an A/V system, so it makes sense to offer consumers an automated solution for the video side as well.

I can only recall previously reading about such a feature in review of a TV from TCL, and that procedure relied on a smartphone/camera app. Given Calman’s reputation among professional calibrators, I doubt I’m alone in wondering what it offers consumers. Is Calman auto-calibration mostly hands-off (think Audyssey and YPAO) or more hands-on (Dirac Live)? Does it require additional hardware (such as a color meter) or are the required accessories included? Does it result in one global setting, or does it calibrate each picture mode and take into account HDR and SDR sources separately? Hopefully you can publish a deep dive article on TV auto-calibration solutions in the future.

Julian Parrilla / via email

The auto- calibration feature of the Calman software that we employ for display testing and measurement can be used with specific Calman auto- cal- compatible TVS from LG, Sony, and Panasonic. And yes, the process is similar to working with Dirac Live auto- EQ on the audio side in that it’s a hands- on process involving software running on a PC (Calman) plus additional hardware (in this case, a video test pattern generator and Calman- compatible meter). While the capabilities are different for specific TV models, auto- cal on the LG 65G1PUA can be implemented for SDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision modes. It may be an “automated” process, but auto- calibration on TVS is typically performed by a professional tech, although Calman does make lower- cost “Home” versions of its software available for certain TV models. In that case, the TV can generate test patterns, but you’ll still need to obtain a Calman- compatible meter to get accurate video measurements and perform an auto- calibration.