CalMAN 2017 Makes Calibration Faster While Offering Tech Advances
(Portrait Displays)(July 14, 2017) Portrait Displays, new owner of SpectraCal, recently launched the latest iteration of its popular CalMAN calibration suite. CalMAN 2017 is locked and loaded with several industry firsts that functionally advance and streamline the calibration process.
The most interesting new technology is called AutoCal, which further advances CalMAN’s auto calibration abilities. Currently compatible with Samsung 2017 QLED and Panasonic 2017 EZxxx OLED televisions (which are rumored to hit US shores this coming fall), AutoCal offers a plug-and-play experience that reduces calibration procedures from hours to minutes. That means ditching the remote control and avoiding the need to navigate clunky (not to mention highly variable) system menus in favor of a few clicks of a mouse.
“CalMAN’s AutoCal makes it possible for viewers to see everything their impressive new televisions are capable of delivering,” said Martin Fishman, co-CEO of Portrait Displays.
AutoCal offers auto calibration for High Dynamic Range (HDR) on supported televisions. To harness this feature, users must purchase the AutoCal Calibration Kit, which allows a television to share its menu settings information directly with a computer. At this time, Samsung and Panasonic are the only manufacturers with partnerships allowing for this feature. That could change, however, as Portrait Displays is interested in expanding its industry reach.
Speaking of HDR, CalMAN 2017 adds support for Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) which is rapidly gaining favor among broadcasters. In addition, the software also offers a new workflow that eliminates the dependence on Dolby Vision “golden reference” files for new televisions and firmware updates. Instead, CalMAN 2017 measures the capabilities of the individual display.
CalMAN 2017 also delivers an entirely new workflow that opens the door to measuring color volume. This is important in relation to modern displays capable of astounding levels of luminance. Previously, standard dynamic range televisions (which had a capacity for 100 nits peak luminance) were measured in a two-dimensional color space; colors were generally considered to be accurate at one luminance level. HDR, however, has introduced displays capable of 5- to 15-times peak luminance (as compared to standard dynamic range) which has a huge effect on color. As brightness increases, overall colors can be expressed differently, especially across different display technologies. CalMAN 2017’s Color Volume Visualizer is the industry’s first commercially available tool for seeing a display’s color volume.
In addition to these valuable improvements, CalMAN 2017 also offers support for the following peripherals:
- SpectraCal VideoForge Pro 4K HDR pattern generator
- SpectraCal C6 HDR2000 Colorimeter
- Photo Research PR653 spectroradiometer
- UPRtek MK550T spectroradiometer
- AccuPel DGA-6000 pattern generator
- Datacolor Sypder 5 colorimeter
