DVE or Avia for calibration?

packetjones

I saw a recent Karma post about DVE and made me curious so i thought i would ask about these calibration disks. I am looking to get one of them for Christmas and was curious as to the opinions on them. I was debating renting or netflixing them but have heard that the come with a film to go over the screen as well, and it probable would not have it from netflix.

What is the difference between these and is one better than that other? I also saw another one but not recall exactly what it was called. Something about spears maybe?? I do not have a BR player at the moment and not really sure when i would get one as i do not watch a lot of movies really. Just want these disks to have something to tweak and play with.

Thanks

dorokusai

I always found AVIA to be easier to use.

steveinaz

I have always used DVE, but Mark is right; DVE menus are kinda hard to navigate thru the first couple times you use it.

kuntasensei

DVE is better for digital displays (LCD, DLP, etc.), Avia is better for CRT but has some red leakage in its grayscale patterns so is useless for metered grayscale calibration. Additionally, DVE is absolutely useless for audio calibration since its test tones are all at incorrect levels (verified digitally by me and with ground plane subwoofer testing by Ed Mullen of SVS), whereas Avia has spot-on tones for audio calibration using a C-weighted SPL meter.

If you're just using it for video, go with DVE. But if you ever think you'll get serious about grayscale calibration, snag GetGray from http://www.calibrate.tv/ instead and buy your own color filters.

packetjones

Thanks for the feedback....

Another question about these. Do i need a SPL meter for the audio part? I have a HK254 and it uses EZset EQ. i have read that it is not as good as all of the other built in calibration features in other AVR's. I know that SPL meter is the best way but did not know if i needed it for these disks. Couldn't i just use the built in tones with the SPL meter, what makes the disks better.

I guess i would really only want it for the video part. I dont really understand what the gray scale is but i am not really that picky about it to be honest. i have a DLP i guesss DVE is the better choice.

thanks again.

dorokusai

kuntasensei wrote: »

(verified digitally by me and with ground plane subwoofer testing by Ed Mullen of SVS)

I'd lay my money on Ed Mullen since he used to be a Polkie(Dr. Spec) before being hired by SVS.

beardog03

Agreed...Dr. Speck knows his sheet

kuntasensei

packetjones wrote: »

Another question about these. Do i need a SPL meter for the audio part? I have a HK254 and it uses EZset EQ. i have read that it is not as good as all of the other built in calibration features in other AVR's. I know that SPL meter is the best way but did not know if i needed it for these disks. Couldn't i just use the built in tones with the SPL meter, what makes the disks better.

You don't "need" a SPL meter... but it's a good tool to have to ensure that all your levels are spot on. As far as the difference between your AVR's internal tones and a test disc, it's mostly that it takes into account the entire signal chain. If things are working correctly in your system, the internal tones should match up to tones on a disc. Well, unless you use DVE, of course.

kuntasensei

dorokusai wrote: »

I'd lay my money on Ed Mullen since he used to be a Polkie(Dr. Spec) before being hired by SVS.

Yeah, Ed and I did a lot of work analyzing DVE. He dragged his gear out into the yard and tested with a pro SPL meter and RTA. I broke down the DD bitstreams on Avia and DVE into their individual channels and did source-direct frequency charts on them. Avia's tones came out perfect, even with the known correction you have to do on the subwoofer tones for the SPL meter's C-weighting. DVE's tones were not only encoded at the wrong levels, they were not properly band-limited. Once I knew what the actual digital encode was done at, Ed did a fantastic job of confirming it with ground-plane testing. Joe Kane still refuses to acknowledge that he overlooked the +10dBFS boost that the LFE channel gets, thus making his disc read 7dBC wrong for the subwoofer tones.

Was glad to see Ed got the gig at SVS, considering how much effort he put into testing their products for various sites before that.

vc69

SPL meter is highly recommended.

I use DVE and the Spears and Munsil disc that came with my Oppo. DVE is a pain, but using it I was able to get my panel so close that the S&M looked awesome without any adjustment.

I didn't use either for audio. I let Audyssey do the calibration and tweek a little from there.