Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics [Blu-ray] | ![Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FMBadQJeL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Joe Kane
Actor: Joe Kane
Studio: DVD International
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $16.95
You Save: $13.00 (43%)
New (29) Used (8) from $16.95
Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 277
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 60042
UPC: 647715600424
EAN: 0647715600424
ASIN: B000V6LST0
Theatrical Release Date: March 25, 2008
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Product Description
DVD International Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (Blu-ray) Created by home theater industry legend Joe Kane, HD Basics is thedefinitive High Definition home theater calibration tool. It promises toimprove your picture and give you an understanding of the concepts thatare vital to getting the most out of your HDTV.Easy to use menu system25 minute 'quick set-up" option including an in depth description and explanation of how to use specific test patterns to calibrate your displayAudio calibration test signalsDescriptive text in the menu to help navigate each optionA 90 minute overview of the basics of HDTVIntroduction to the world of creating HDTV programsAudio commentary by Cinematographer Allen Daviauand Joe Kane. Features: * Easy to use menusystem * A quick set-up option including an indepth description and explanation of how to use specific test patterns to calibrate your display * Audio calibration test signals * Descriptivetext in the menu to help navigate each option * A 97 minute overview of the basics of HDTV * Introduction to the world of creating HDTV programs * Audio commentary by Cinematographer Allen Daviau * Audio commentary by Joe Kane for the demonstration materials * Joe Kane's Tri-Color Optical Filter
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 Not as easy to use as it says. March 27, 2008
V. Antunes (NJ, USA)
103 out of 113 found this review helpful
I've never owned a DVE calibration disc. Before this disc, I used to use AVIA to calibrate my TV. My TV is a Sony 32S3000, and it is connected via HDMI to a PS3, which I used as my BD player.
Opening the HD Basics case reveals three color filters all in one single item. This is great compared to AVIA. Lift the paper holder up and move you head up or down depending on the filter you want. And the paper holder itself is a tool to check the grayscale. AWSOME INCLUSION!
The HD Basics BD starts by giving you a crippled menu, but with a question: Where would you like to start? The question was a good start, but the execution reveals that they didn't even put thought into the menu:
COMPLETE PROGRAM MENU - Self explanatory.
HD IN DETAIL - Video shows how to setup Environment, Audio, and Video (more descriptions of Video things like scan-lines, color quality, etc).
SETTING UP MY HDTV - Video shows how to use Basic Test Patterns.
JUST THE TEST PATTERNS - Basic Test Patterns.
The three lower items act like short-cuts to items in the Complete Program Menu. I don't like this menu because it's so annoying to get back into it and because the title of each item is very vague. "HD In Detail" - How vague is that? "Setting Up My HDTV" - Do you mean how to connect the wires to it? Also, having the Complete Program Menu at the top sort of contradicts their efforts to make it simple. Instead it should have been last, and called Advanced Menu or some crap similar crap that would've kept the average Joe from venturing in there.
Once you enter an item you cannot return to this menu unless you press the Top Menu button on your controller, which shows a loading screen. When you enter an item, you can press Back to go to the Complete Program menu:
INTRO TO HD - Video shows why we need to calibrate, new technologies and CRT matching, how wide color gamut sucks (possible shot at Sony?), and video compression.
HD IN DETAIL - Video shows how to setup Environment, Audio, and Video (more descriptions of Video things like scan-lines, color quality, etc).
HD VIDEO CALIBRATION - Known as Setting Up My HDTV in the top menu, this video shows how to use Basic Test Patterns.
BASIC VIDEO SETUP PATTERNS - Known as Just The Test Patterns in the top menu, this item shows the Basic Test Patterns.
AUDIO TEST SIGNALS - Self explanatory.
ADVANCED VIDEO TEST PATTERNS - More test patterns. Allows the option of 1080p or 720p. Doesn't seem useful to me.
DEMONSTRATION MATERIALS - Some videos to look at for viewing HD picture. Allows the option of 1080p or 720p. Narration by Joe Kane is also an option, but only in 1080p.
CREDITS - Shows who you should complain about if you dislike the BD.
Alot of the information on the 90 minutes worth of videos can get very technical and is not important to calibration or to the average Joe. The narrator sounds monotonous and throws in a few, really stupid jokes. It can also seem repetitive sometimes because every time he refers back to something he repeats that something almost entirely. It also sounds like a rant sometimes as the Narrator tends to sound disgusted with certain practices of HDTV manufacturers and goes on to say the beliefs of JKP.
There are also no titles to each chapter of video and very little emphasis is place on calibration information that is mixed in with all the other technical information. So I watched everything and picked out the information that I thought was important, but it doesn't mean I couldn't have missed something.
None of the of the Video Test Patterns allow you to calibrate Tint. How did they miss that and why? They went in so much detail on everything else.
The Navigation Menu is similar to the HD DVD menu, if you're familiar with it, but isn't as easy to navigate through. When you enter a menu item, a chapter selection thing shows up. What sucks about this is that to select the next chapter, which is below the current one, you need to press Up instead of Down. Then if you want to get back to the Complete Program Menu, there is no item to do so. You have to figure out to press Back. In only three menu items is there the selection to go Back. This is inconsistent and isn't intuitive.
Every Menu item has a description of it on the right of it that tries to describe in more detail what the item does, or how to use the test pattern if the item is for one. However, it fails. It's too verbose and not simple enough for the average Joe to understand what to do with it properly. It is also shown in too small font.
I also found a bug. While look at a test pattern, if I press the Menu button, the image becomes cropped. I fixed this by going back to the Top Menu. It's happened to me twice so far. This is obviously something that can get very annoying and is the true testament of how much work JKP put into this BD.
DVE HD Basics isn't as easy as they say it is to navigate and understand the full use of video patterns. However, JKP do provide the nice color filter item and there are true HD color patterns here unlike SD calibration discs. If you're an enthusiast, you may also find some of the technical information fun to know. My main complaint is that they could've made it so much easier to use by using common sense. It's just plain ridiculous the mistakes that they made in this edition.
UPDATE: I just remembered, from AVIA, how to adjust the TINT control. Use the blue filter on the pattern used to adjust color. Make sure all the blue boxes are an equal shade of blue.
UPDATE 2: If you already have a calibration disc, you won't benefit much from buying this disc. It only made a slight difference in my color and sharpness settings.
 Still great, but mostly the same March 29, 2008
T. J. Green (Hendersonville, TN USA)
103 out of 105 found this review helpful
I've been using the Digital Video Essentials DVD to calibrate my TVs for quite a few years and I've always loved the results, so when I heard that a Blu-Ray edition was coming, I was ecstatic.
Well, now that I've got it, it still does an excellent job, but for owners of the DVD edition, you're really not getting anything new. Almost everything on here is directly from the original DVD, only remastered in 1080p. There are a few things that have been added that pertain to LCD technology and explanation of the HD color standards, but the vast majority of content is exactly the same as the DVD.
The one thing that is a definite improvement over the DVD edition is the menu system. Instead of being forced to fast-forward through explanations to get to the test patterns, now you can bring up the pop-up menu and select a test pattern directly. So, once you've learned how to use the test patterns, you don't have to watch the explanations again in order to get to them.
So, if you're Blu-Ray budget is a little short and you already own the DVD edition, then I'd say just stick with what you've got. After calibrating my TV again with the new Blu-Ray edition, I ended up with the exact same settings that I achieved with the DVD, so in that respect, you're not going to get a more enhanced calibration with the Blu-Ray edition. Apart from that, I'd say its worth it just for the improved menu system, if you don't mind re-purchasing basically the same thing over again.
If you don't own the DVD, I'd say buy this immediately, but don't let the "HD Basics" tagline fool you. This can be pretty technical if you've never used a disc like this before. Just take your time, watch all the intro videos (and there's a lot to the intros), and you should be fine.
 If you want to know what is wrong with your HDTV... June 28, 2008
Anonymous Shopper (USA)
25 out of 35 found this review helpful
...then this disc might be for you! Much of the narration on this disc deals with what is wrong with current HDTVs. Frankly, I didn't buy this to educate myself about how current technology is lacking; I bought this so I could optimize my TV to it's fullest potential.
If you are interested in optimizing the following settings on your HDTV, you might be interested in knowing this disc either NEVER mentions them at all, or never explains HOW to adjust them: HDMI black level, Gamma, Tint, White Balance, Color Space, Saturation, Temperature, xvYCC, Black Adjust, Backlight (no, not even backlight!) and more.
Also, after struggling to be patient throughout the vague, repetitive narration, waiting for it to prompt me to perform an adjustment for the current calibration topic, the disc would more often than not move right on to the next topic, never specifying which of the quick screens that flashed by throughout the narrative was the one to use, much less when.
As another reviewer mentioned, there might be something wrong with the Contrast test screens. Even at a setting value of 100, I could still see a very definitive lineation between the highest two white bars.
The publishers of this disc clearly have an agenda, speaking long and often about how current HDTV's are lacking. I just wish that agenda included a complete optimization of my HDTV.
If you have LCD or Plasma made in the last 2 years, dont bother. April 23, 2008
Harry Donald Gray
12 out of 20 found this review helpful
Waste of time, money and effort. Even the Basic set up section leaves much to be desired. No where on this disk is there any information about newer TVs settings, like HDMI black level or white balance sliders. I have a new Samsung 50 Plasma that is filled with more then one set of contrast sliders, white balance sliders, color sliders and other settings like edge enhancement and DNie. Sure, this disk in not for a certain manufacture, but it is very limited in even explaining the basic contrast, color and brightness. At times your are not even sure what you are supposed to be changing. Even the little color look through viewer they give you to adjust your color is only marginal in helping because you cant really get all the color boxes to be the same shade. In the case of my TV, say I'm trying to set brightness and contrast using this DVD, how could I possibly know how the other settings for HDMI black or dynamic contrast will affect the main sliders for brightness and contrast. This disk spends way too much time explaining the history of HD and where it came from in regards to CRT technology, instead of just getting to the idea behind why we bought this disk in the first place, to make our new high tech TV look better. The plain truth is, my new Samsung already looks good, and pretty much did not need further adjustments that this DVD suggested, and I got my picture to look good just with tweaks I made to suit my viewing tastes. Dont bother with this, spend your $18 on a DVD movie, and tweak your set your self to suit your liking, or pay a professional to calibrate it.
Total Waste of Money April 1, 2008
Turner Media Sales (New York, NY USA)
9 out of 24 found this review helpful
This product is a 95% waste of money.
The disk talks about how to setup your CRT during the entire disk. CRT who is buying a tube TV today? At first we thought it was a joke.
The steps to setup color and contrast are for a 1970's or 1980's TV
They do not go into ANY of the HDTV settings that are like, gamma, hue, backlighting or many other areas needed to really setup your HD TV.
The 5% this disk is good for is something I've always wondered about. Ever see cars where people have the DVD hung from the rear view mirror. We'll that's what this disk is good for. Or perhaps a coaster for a drink so you don't mess up your nice wood table.
I got suckered into buying this junk... BE SMART DON'T but this thing! What a waste of my time and money. Amazon should be selling such snake oil to their customers.
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