Customer Reviews

Avia II

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

I own the original DVD and thought I would update to this 2nd version. A mistake. The quality of the DVD is poor in both video quality, menu quality, and it comes free of charge with some bugs. The explaination of the test paterns was better in the original, in fact, after attempting to use this DVD, I went back to the original to make sure I had not screwed things up too much.

Bottom line - if you have access to the original buy it, borrow it... But if you do not, this one is better then nothing.

The biggest flaw in this DVD is that its instructions do not necessarily match the setup options available on your TV. Terms like color and white level and sharpness and red push are used but not fully explained, so if your TV uses slightly different terms, like tint, you may be left having to guess how to produce the desired changes. Real pros will go right to the service menu, but the rest of us are left fumbling.

I realize that nobody is expecting Oscar-winning thespians in a setup DVD, but these two guys couldn't deliver a line in a UPS truck. Still, the guy with his shirt un-tucked clearly looks the couch potato part and I get warm feelings of trust when I hear him speak, based on the many hours he obviously spends in front of a wide screen.

On the plus side, even their somewhat hurried cue-card presentations of color and TV technology are nonetheless good enough that you can probably skip the test patterns and follow advice such as turning down the sharpness (which most people adjust way too high) and get a decent picture using your own eyeballs.

But that brings into question the price. I don't feel ripped off, but neither would I quickly recommend spending this amount of money when you can find much of the same info (absent the useful test patterns) online for free.

The explanations are pretty basic/simplistic. As others have said, I could have used way more explanation on the contrast/brightness. I also have the DVE blu-ray, which has its own problems, but the explanations are much more detailed.

What brought it up to a 4 was the patterns at the end. There is a PDF which explains how to use the patterns, and they are useful. If they had a PDF that better explained the details of contrast etc., that would have brought it up even more. They say on the video that various things like links etc. are on the DVD, but I only found a PDF explanation of the extra patterns, and a glossary.

It seems obvious once you hear about it but you spend hundreds even thousands of dollars on a new TV, who's to say when it comes out of the box the settings are the best for your environment or up to movie color standards? This DVD uses a video tutorial to walk you through your TV's color, shading, and sharpness settings and even addresses your sound system. In the advanced menu the DVD offers a large variety of advanced test patterns which are explained in the PDF found on the DVD.

Personally, when I bought my new 42" LCD TV, I thought everything looked pretty good. My friend had the old Avia disc without the color filters. I decided to buy the new one to get the color filters. After making the corrections, I didn't notice a large change until I switched back and forth. Everyone on my TV looked like they had a slight sunburn and I hadn't even noticed.

If you have bought or are considering buying a HDTV, spending $40 on this DVD is a must have as it will optimize your new TV.

The DVD was beneficial and my Panasonic Plasma is setup perfectly. Color, tint and temperature. There are a lot of video test screens that really aren't beneficial to the average user....great if you have all the test equipment.
The audio portion was excellent for setting up and balancing my 5.1 surround system. Easy to follow and nice to have if you are serious about your home theater.

First of all I received the DVD 3 days earlier than the expected receive date. This was nice. The DVD case is cheaply made. The DVD was sliding around inside the case to the point that it scratched the disc. The colour filters are just tossed into the DVD case separated by tissue paper. The two guys narrating on the disc do a fairly good job explaining surround sound and HDTV settings. Using the HDTV calibration menu it was easy to calibrate my Plasma TV. I could tell the difference between my original settings and the calibrated settings. Calibrating my surround was just as easy. Navigating through the disc is a bit difficult. Some of the HDTV calibration test you need to repeat a couple of times. I could FF through some of the test but other test I could not FF. Between the overly casual nature of the narrators, the very plain set/stage and the script reading it appeared to me that this disk was kind of thrown together. Like I said. The disk did the job, but I expected more.

I have the original version and the test patterns on this version did help slightly. For example I had my settings,in cinema mode,as picture +13 brightness +9 color -2 tint -2 and sharpness 0 temp - warm. After using Avia II my settings are picture +13 brightness +10 color -3 tint -3 sharpness 0 temp - warm. The sharpness settings had no effect in the old or new version on my set. I am using a Panasonic TH-42PZ77U with a Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player. It does speak more on HD technology than the original Avia. If you are new to HD and other setups this disc is the way to go. I had no trouble with any calibration directions. As for as them showing name brand cables and TV's, maybe these guys help promote the video and does not mean it should be the one to buy. Always research before you purchase any type of cables, A/V's or TV's. I will probably purchase this version and will be checking out the Blu-ray version when it releases late January.

UPDATED: In addition to the flaws listed below, the DVD case literally just fell to pieces in my hands. I opened the case to put the DVD in and the hinge on the back of the case split in two, making the case absolutely useless. Prior to the case falling apart, I noticed that the DVD doesn't seem to want to stay securely fastened once inserted in the case. This has all occurred within 48 hours of my receiving this item. All in all, I've decided to return this product as it's not worth the money.

Here's my original review:

I have to say I am disappointed in the quality of the DVD, it's case, and the materials on the disc. I rented the first Avia DVD years ago and it was useful, even without the color filters. The menus in this version are definitely better, in that they are more user friendly and easily accessible. Honestly though, if you own or have access to the original Avia DVD, don't bother purchasing this one.

The tests seem the same as in the first version. The audio tests are exactly the same (the background video used in this version's audio tests is different, though). The video tests seem the same, but the explanations aren't as detailed; you have to listen to one of two actors explaining briefly what the test does, if you don't already know. As another reviewer pointed out, the information for the tests isn't as thorough as it was on the first Avia DVD. The info seems streamlined and edited down.

There is a "bonus" materials section, but the features are really weak: some raw footage of a NASA launch (which doesn't use any surround sound, but it looks nice), three Dolby Digital ads -- thankfully in surround sound, and a list of credits.

The legendary Avia color filters are single thin strips of plastic, sandwiched between pieces of tissue paper, all of which is hidden inside the folded 2 page chapter guide located in the front of the case. Avia didn't bother to spend the money to put the filters in a plastic holder or even a cheap cardboard frame, so that all 3 filters(red, green, and blue) could be handled more easily and would be less likely to be lost or damaged. That is not really on par with paying $40 for this kind of product, in my opinion.

Similar to the experience of another reviewer, my DVD case is damaged and not because of shipping. The clear plastic cover slip is coming unglued from both the front and back panels of the case. This was with normal handling of the case and was present as I carefully unwrapped the protective plastic wrapping from the DVD. What's the point of protecting something that's falling apart? Again, I expect a little bit more from a DVD that I paid $40 for.

Finally, the info presented by the two actors feels rushed; it sounds like it was thrown together to simply fill time and cover all the current buzzwords and, at points, it feels a little condescending. Anyone spending money on a calibration DVD probably understands the basic concept of surround sound, which is exactly the information you're provided -- the sound surrounds you. The dialogue and instructions tend to be monotonous and very "talking point"-esque, in that they don't sound natural. It's not the way I would try to explain some of the concepts and techniques to a non-technical friend.

Overall, as I said, I'm disappointed with this purchase since it doesn't seem to be an improvement over the original at all.

We found this product easy to navigate and the content very helpful in setting up our 73" DLP display. Not only were we able to perform audio and video calibrations, but we also learned about connecting our surround system properly as well as all our components. We liked the fact we could go directly to a chapter for viewing as well as select a test pattern or tone with or without the example. This made it easy to go back and check a particular calibration we had already done. My husband enjoyed the advanced section where he could perform detailed calibrations, or do a bit more "tweaking" beyond the standard set up. We would recommend this product to anyone who is setting up a home theater for the first time as well as someone who knows their way around a home theater system.