Properly calibrating your TV and sound system is essential for
getting the best picture and sound out of your gear — but few do it.
Short of hiring a professional to take the work off of your plate, DIY
solutions are grim: buying special discs and wading through various complex menus to get the job done. The THX Tune-Up App (Free, for now, $2 later)
is a welcomed update to the process in a smartphone-dominated world.
The app walks users through six different video calibration techniques
including aspect ratio, brightness, contrast, color and tint via a
series of easy tutorials. There’s also two separate tweaks for
optimizing speaker assignments and phase.
In order to work, though, the app must connect to the display using
either an HDMI/VGA/Component adaptor, or in the case of Apple users,
wirelessly through Airplay via the Apple TV’s mirroring capabilities —
so make sure to have either on hand if you expect to accomplish
anything. After connecting and selecting the brand and type of equipment
in your setup, the app displays a variety of test patterns and
real-world photos that can then be used to tweak your display’s various
picture controls for optimal results. It even leverages your
smartphone’s camera to tackle color and tint settings, which older
solutions handled through special Elton John-style tinted specs.
