Digital Video Essentials High Definition (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)This ran fine on my Toshiba XA2.. both the HD and the standard DVD sides. I am somewhat familiar with the configuration and setup of HD sets.. I tinker with mine a lot. The DVD side... good instructions on how to do anything you need to do, and will get fairly in depth. The HD side is a rip... they just give you the test patterns and configuration screens.. no how to's, no instructions. I guess they just wanted to sell the DVD version all over again, with the addition of the HD material. Since I already had the DVD version... I feel like I wasted my money. I can download most of the HD stuff on the dvd from the web.
IF you dont have a disc like this already.. this would be a good disk for you.
If you already have a something (Non HD).. then dont bother.. just use what you have. Hopefully someone will bring out a decent disc with ALL HD content including the instructional videos and info, so we can have the HD config screens with the instructions... for those of us who dont do it for a living.

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Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have both Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up and the Avia Guide To Home Theater. If you're a serious video/audiophile, you will want to get the Avia Guide To Home Theater which has far more comprehensive video/audio calibration tests and procedures.
Then again, I suspect the S&V disc is more aimed at the 'mass market' and as such, it does an excellent job. The explanations are very well (and occasionally humorously) explained by two highly appealing presenters. The audio/video tune-ups are a subset of what's available on the Avia Guide disc, though the S&V disc also includes some test patterns from Avia Pro which I hadn't seen before.
I very much like the 'Extras' section of the disc which has some great demo clips from Dolby, DTS, and THX. These are not available on Avia Guide to Home Theater. Also, the DTS tune-up is not available on the Avia Guide, and is most welcome though it didn't result in any changes to my audio settings.
I experienced a strange glitch with the video on the speaker balance tune-up - the wrong speaker was highlighted or the previous menu would be displayed. Weird. I have had no problems with the Avia Guide.
Overall, at the MSRP ...I highly recommend the Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up. It's informative and entertaining, and I think it will help novice users better understand and make the most of their home theaters.

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Sound & Vision, the world's largest audio/video magazine, has teamed with Ovation Software, the leading authority on A/V equipment calibration, to bring you this comprehensive, entertaining, and simple-to-use guide to hooking up, operating, and adjusting your home theater for the absolute best performance! Whether you're a novice or enthusiast, you'll find step-by-step instructions, exclusive video patterns and audio tests, and helpful tips for hooking up, adjusting, and operating your system! Exclusive, user-friendly video test patterns, Audio Tune-up with exclusive test signals designed by Sound & Vision Technical Editor David Ranada, including speaker ID/balance for 5.1-channel and 6.1-channel systems, speaker phase, and subwoofer level S-Video/ composite video test, DVD aspect-ratios explained, Jack-by-jack set-up & installation advice. 90 minutes.

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Avia II (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)My sharp aquos looked good as soon as i got it out of the box. About a month later, i decided to take the plunge and purchase this calibration dvd. After viewing the test patterns and using the color filters, i noticed a significant difference in how much better the color is. i didn't notice so much of a difference in the other settings as far as sharpness and contrast go. Even after setting the brightness with the dvd, i ended up bumping it up just a bit for daytime viewing.
I didn't get much out of the audio adjustments on my surround sound system. i got more out of the adjustments from simply using my receiver manual and remote.
In the end, after seeing other folks LCD tvs, i can tell mine has been adjusted properly with the test patterns. This was something i didn't notice until i saw someone elses tv and it was obvious the saturation needed to be adjusted.
All in all, it was a good investment. Not quite sure it was worth the $35 or so i paid for it, but my tv looks even that much better now that i have used it.

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From the makers of Avia and Avia Pro comes the definitive and easy-to-use tutorial for optimizing your home theater. This all-inclusive guide to home theater calibration for NTSC, HD-DVD, Blu-ray or PAL formats comes with more than 200 test patterns to achieve superior video quality and nearly 100 audio tones for 5.1 and 6.1 channels, plus Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Basic and advanced signals allow you to select the test pattern or sound tone needed for a specific calibration, and tutorials cover various home theater components, speaker types and placement, making connection and wiring, and using a sound meter and home theater environments.

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