![Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Sp2oQu4FL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![Midway [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81hXa3dwBDL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
This DVD probably has to be one of the most confusing things I've ever seen in my life. And I've seen Battlefield Earth.
If your'e an average guy who wants to learn how to do a basic calibration, run away from this disc very quickly. You will likely suffer an anurism trying to figure out what Joe Kane is trying to do here. Further, at the time of this writing this disc is really old (close to 10 years), so large portions of the explanations have really outdated pictures/CGI. You'd probably learn far more about calibration by running the THX Optimizer on Star Wars or the Monster calibration disc. NB: The BluRay version of DVE might be better, so maybe check that out. I hear he explains more stuff, and if he does, this disc might be useful for average folks).
Much of the material toward the beginning of the disc seems to be that way. There are videos that explain DVD technology, how to setup your room to watch DVDs optimally, how to setup your sound system in very broad, basic terms. However, later when they explain (some) of the test patterns on the disc, tons of terms, diagrams, and pictures are thrown at the user in short order with very little explanation as to what they mean. The basic test patterns are explained well enough that someone who sorta followed the directions and re-watched most of the disc *might* get it after the the third time through.
This disc, in many ways, feels like a highly abbreviated version of a professional training seminar in home theater calibration with the lecture torn into pieces and scattered about on this disc. Since I'm a bit of an AV geek, and read AV forums quite a bit and peruse many av websites, some of his explanations are helpful (his explanation of color temperature finally helped the concept click in my head), but a lot of the test patterns simply aren't explained in the reference section. Also, some of his explanations throw out terms that he never explains (like Average Picture Level).
I wanted to recommend this disc to people, but I just can't. I can't figure out who this disc is for:
-Calibrators will not use this disc because its too cluttered to find reference patterns.
-Normal people won't be able to decipher what he's trying to say and will get frustrated.
-AV Geeks will be disappointed at the uneven quality of the disc's explanations and patterns.
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