I searched everywhere for a guide that I can trust on this, but I haven't found any at all. I'm working with a PAL project 25p and I'm outputting a videofeed through my DVX100 using firewire and from the camera videofeed to an old TV (I know, it's old, it's not an expensive HD calibration monitor and that's why i'm writing this).

There seems to be a tint of a little more green then usual on this TV, but all I really need is to get the contrast and brightness levels right, which is the most important thing about the footage at this moment. I've downloaded some calibration charts and bars that I imported into Avid and played out to the monitor but I don't know if any of these are the right ones for PAL or if they get changed in the import process.

What charts and bars do I need for a PAL calibration of the monitor? I also have a Sony 720p 32v2500 TV that I can output to, but it always seems to wash out the colors wrong. Would be good to calibrate that too so that I get the best result on both a CTR and a LCD TV.

Where do I find PAL charts and bars that I can trust, so I'll know my footage gets the right levels in brightness and contrast? A summary of the process is also helpful (since I heard there are different ways between NTSC and PAL)

For brightness and contrast I'd suggest using PLUGE.  Import using RGB colour levels if the source file has RGB colour levels (0 - 255).  Double check using the wavefrom monitor in Avid.

regards

Brian

 So, what's the procedur? Do I turn contrast down all the way and make the black and superblack be inseparable and then turn brightness up? That doesn't turn out right I think.

What I used to do (with the old untrusted charts) was that I turned chroma down all the way and then brightness, contrast and then chroma...  I read somewhere that I should turn the contrast down first and then brightness - contrast - chroma?

I seem to also need a way to know the right chromalevels. I know about the green tint on my monitor, but I need to know how high the chroma should be set or else the colors will bleed or be too washed out. Do you have a PAL chart for chroma levels too? Would be really helpful, thanks!

 Start with everything in preset - mid position.  PLUGE has no colour content so there's no need to turn colour down.  Adjust brightness so that you can just discern the black from the superblack.  Make sure this is done under the controlled lighting that you're going to be working under. Without a meter it's hard to define where contrast should lie, just set it by eye on the white patch, making sure that it's not too high - eventually the two highest squares would merge - you want to be well below this point.

Use the grey scale in the PLUGE boxes, or a separate grey scale to ensure what looks like a smooth grey from black to white.   If your green tint is in the light areas turn down the green drive.  If it's in the dark areas turn down the green offset.

Then switch your monitor to blue only and feed it 100% bars. Adjust the chroma for equal brightness of the bars.

regards

Brian

 Do not use the pluge for calibration in PAL. Use a PAL-chart, the lines over the pluge and do this.

1. Black & white mode. set the black level almost equal to the black frame in the underscan mode.

2. Set the white level as ligth You can, You will not recognize any changing in ligthness then You add ligth.

3. Blue only mode. Adjust chroma until all ligth bars is equal ligth and all black bar is equal ligth.

There is pal-bars in Avid.