Using someone else's settings isn't a good idea.
One of the key foundation settings upon which other settings then depend is Brightness. It sets the lower end of the TVs dynamic range (Contrast does the top end), and Brightness is very dependent on the ambient lighting in the room. If the person whose settings you're using has set up their TV in a room brighter or darker than yours then the rest of their settings will be out of whack for your TV too.
In fact, there's more to it than that. There's the simple differences through batch variation.
All the components in your TV have tolerances. These range anything from +/- 1% ~10% depending on the type and quality of the component and how critical it is in the circuit. So even if you take two identical TVs and set them up accurately in the same room with the same source and lighting then the final numbers could end up different. I have seen this myself when calibrating the same model of TV or projector at dealer's premises. It's the same room and conditions but the 'before' measurements show a clear batch variation and the 'after' settings are different for each product despite all being the same model.
If you want to set up the TV for best picture then a small investment in a test disc will pay dividends now and in the future. One of the least expensive is the Disney WOW disc on Blu-ray. At under £15 delivered it will give you all the patterns you need for setting up the main picture controls, and importantly it will include a colour filter which is what you need for setting up the Colour control.
For more advanced users then the Spears & Munsil disc is excellent. It also includes a bonus DVD set-up disc which might be useful for those family members who haven't yet made the switch to BD. Once again, colour filters are included.
Digital Video Essentials HD Basics hits the middle ground between the two above. All of the above include audio test tones too, so if you have a surround system then you'll be able to get the best from that as well.
Here's a
link to a page that includes all the options above. You'll also find a
Picture Perfect disc listed for around the same price as Disney WOW. I'd leave that one alone if I were you. It comes from the big out of town retail chain, and while it has picture set up patterns there's nothing on it for audio. It's not a good purchase IMO.
You might also want to check out the
picture set-up page on the AVForums site. It is also called Picture Perfect, but it's nothing to do with the retail disc.
