I'm new to video calibration. Will I find the HD Benchmark 2nd Edition confusing?
We added much more help and background information to this edition to help people who have never done any calibration or adjustment before. We’re confident that if you can operate a remote control and follow step-by-step instructions, you can use the patterns on this disc to, at minimum, adjust all the basic settings on a modern television. There is a complete guide to a basic calibration in the booklet that comes with the disc, or you can print a more comprehensive guide from our web site here.
Why are the stereoscopic patterns not displaying in 3D?
Because of limitations when mastering a hybrid 2D/3D Blu-ray Disc, the disc will not display any pattern in 3D unless the disc is put into 3D mode by using the setting in the Setup menu, at the bottom of the main menu. Once the disc is in 3D mode, selecting any pattern will put the player and display into 3D mode, assuming your player and display are 3D capable. Note that only the patterns in the Stereoscopic menu section and the demo material that is marked “3D” will actually have any visible depth, with objects appearing in front of the screen and/or behind the screen. The other patterns will look “flat,” and are encoded on the disc in 3D in order to do normal calibration settings like Brightness and Contrast while the display is in 3D mode.
Does this disc include audio test tones?
Yes. We have provided audio test tones for setting the level and phase of the speakers. These are available for 5.1 and 7.1 audio systems. The audio is available in Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. We have also included A/V sync tests in Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. Note that by default, the disc is in 5.1 speaker mode. If you have a 7.1 speaker system, you will need to visit the Setup menu at the bottom of the main menu to change the disc to 7.1 mode. You can also switch between Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA using that menu.
Is the disc encoded with a region code?
No. The disc can be played on a Blu-ray player in any region.
Does this disc include a blue filter?
Yes. For more information on the blue filter please read our article on using the calibration filter.
Can I use this disc with a display that isn't 1920x1080 resolution?
Yes. While almost all of the patterns and sequences on the disc are created at full 1920×1080 resolution, you can do all of the calibration steps with any display, including 720p. Most of the patterns will be effectively unchanged. Some of the patterns may look slightly different than they would on a native 1080p display. For example, the highest-frequency bursts in the luma bursts pattern will turn gray, which is normal. You can still use the bursts pattern to compare different modes of your player or display and see which is producing the highest available resolution with the least distortion.
Is there PAL version of your disc?
No. The interlaced content is 60 Hz only. The progressive content is 1080p24, which is the world wide standard for Blu-ray.