Monitor Calibration - Seems too dark?

[Pulseammo]

Maybe someone can help answer this but:-

I own a Samsung T220 which I've just been trying to calibrate using the inbuilt Windows 7 tool.

While the colours of my monitor are far closer to what I believe they should be for the most part (middle tones are great now - I know doing this by eye is subjective) I seem to have lost a heck of a lot of detail in the darker end of things.

What I'm wondering is this: is there a way to keep the great colours in the mid range but retail some more of the detail in the darks? Watching movies or tv on the screen can cause darker scenes to fade to black (perhaps that's even how the producer intended it but I'd say it seems a little TOO dark).

Would getting a hold of a real colourometer help solve this problem or is this a limitation of my monitor? Should I calibrate to a different gamma for instance 1.8 instead of 2.2 and wouldn't that mean that colours were no longer what they should be?

I'll attach an (aweful) set of pictures to try and show what I mean, sadly my camera and the lighting conditions don't really show just how good the screen actually is, but it does show the loss of detail.

Calibrated:

Non Calibrated:

 

[mothermachine]

I own a Samsung T220 which I've just been trying to calibrate using the inbuilt Windows 7 tool.

^ there's your problem

Would getting a hold of a real colourometer help solve this problem

^ yes. it would definitely help.

 

[datalol-jack]

Would getting a hold of a real colourometer help solve this problem

Certainly! Even a basic model would help you achieve better colour accuracy than most calibrations by eye alone. Most cheaper models (£65-£125) will have little or nothing in terms of luminance(often referred to as simply brightness) adjustment or reporting facilities within their software packages, however. So you will still have to do this step by eye, unfortunately.

There is a limit to what you can do with a TN panel and colour accuracy, but you should not be getting crushed blacks on that Samsung.

 

[Pulseammo]

I own a Samsung T220 which I've just been trying to calibrate using the inbuilt Windows 7 tool.

^ there's your problem

Would getting a hold of a real colourometer help solve this problem

^ yes. it would definitely help.

Certainly! Even a basic model would help you achieve better colour accuracy than most calibrations by eye alone. Most cheaper models (£65-£125) will have little or nothing in terms of luminance(often referred to as simply brightness) adjustment or reporting facilities within their software packages, however. So you will still have to do this step by eye, unfortunately.

There is a limit to what you can do with a TN panel and colour accuracy, but you should not be getting crushed blacks on that Samsung.

Thank you both. I'm going to see if I can pick one up second hand if I can then. I'm not expecting the world from a TN panel - like you say extreme colour accuracy isn't their area. I must say I'm extremely impressed with what it is doing asides from the black crushing problem (is that the technical term for it then? ). I just wanted to make sure that it was possible for the screen to manage better dark tones rather than this just being a TN limitation.

You say that low end tools don't report luminance in their software - is that a software issue or is that down to the hardware that comes with these packages? I think I'm prolly looking at some model of Spyder or maybe a Huey because the real stuff like Eye One Display etc is out of my price range. (And since I bought the monitor new a year ago for £130, buying a colourometer for the same would feel odd... although I'm sure I'll run about the house with it doing all the screens ).

 

[datalol-jack]

You say that low end tools don't report luminance in their software - is that a software issue or is that down to the hardware that comes with these packages?

The sensor tool itself is rarely at fault, advanced features like luminance control are locked away in software most of the time to differentiate the products in a range. For example, Spyder3Pro and Spyder3Elite feature identical sensors, but you get charged extra 70 pounds for additional software features. So that's how it goes. There are free software packages, too. But you may need to look around for something that works with your sensor.

I would recommend: HCFR Colorimeter; as a starting point.

Also have a look at Argyll: Argyll Colour Management System; It is cross platform, and I think it works with more sensors, including the Huey.

 

[Pulseammo]

The sensor tool itself is rarely at fault, advanced features like luminance control are locked away in software most of the time to differentiate the products in a range. For example, Spyder3Pro and Spyder3Elite feature identical sensors, but you get charged extra 70 pounds for additional software features. So that's how it goes. There are free software packages, too. But you may need to look around for something that works with your sensor.

I would recommend: HCFR Colorimeter; as a starting point.

Also have a look at Argyll: Argyll Colour Management System; It is cross platform, and I think it works with more sensors, including the Huey.

Thanks that's helpful, I'll check that out then. I was hoping that there'd be something free like that which might unlock features of the hardware.

Edit: Ooo, interesting the Argyll one even has a section on crushed blacks, why it happens and how to fix it. Hopefully this doesn't all go completely over my head!

 

[datalol-jack]

Thanks that's helpful, I'll check that out then. I was hoping that there'd be something free like that which might unlock features of the hardware.

There is always a number of free solutions around, but hunting and pecking for features you may want is not everyone's cup of tea. Additionally, some manufacturers often update their software libraries faster than the free colour management software can integrate them, which is also something to think about (although there is nothing stopping you from using an older library version to get things to work ).

Still, a colorimeter is a worthwhile long term investment, all things considered. Glad I could help.