What Is Plasma Television Calibration?

Plasma television calibration is the set of measurements and adjustments for best picture quality. Televisions from various manufacturers have different optimum settings depending on ambient lighting in the viewing area and the viewer’s personal preferences. Plasma television calibration is done when the plasma television has already been positioned in the viewing area. Whether done by a television user or by a technician, plasma television calibration is a way to make the best use of a plasma television. When a plasma television is used in a dim area, the television brightness may be set lower, resulting in longer television life and savings on the electric power bill.

Television calibration covers a wide range of television performance criteria. The goal of both visual performance- and audio performance-related calibration is to make an audiovisual experience that is as real as possible. Various types of digital circuitry, digital signal processing (DSP), and breakthroughs in analog and digital technology have taken the television experience to a very high level.

Plasma television screens are made up of thousands of small fluorescent tubes that are spaced less than 0.04 inches (1 mm) apart and filled with a gaseous substance. Brightness setting needs to be managed during plasma television calibration. If the plasma television is used in a bright area, the brightness setting should be increased. A plasma television, like all other types of televisions, is best located where there is no direct sunshine or lighting that illuminates the plasma screen from the outside.

Color setting includes the red, green, and blue contents of the picture. For a more serious calibration, test equipment can verify the quality of white light produced by a plasma television. For home use, the viewer may adjust the color content by comparing skin tones on the screen with real-world skin tones.

The resolution in dots per inch (DPI) for a cathode ray tube (CRT) television is still better than that of the plasma television. In a CRT television, the miniaturization challenge is not as much as in the plasma television. The principle of a single gun in a CRT television may be compared to being implemented as hundreds of thousands of small similar guns in a plasma television. While the plasma television screen may be several feet yet has a depth of only a few inches, the CRT television screen has a depth that is usually about ¾ of the screen diagonal length, which is why a plasma television is a more popular choice.