SPECTRACAL RELEASES VERSION 4.0 OF CALMAN VIDEO CALIBRATION SOFTWARE DIRECTLY CONTROLS DISPLAYS AND VIDEO PROCESSORS
July 21, 2010 - Seattle, WA – SpectraCal announced today the release of the Version 4.0 of its award-winning CalMAN video calibration software.
“CalMAN v4 software controls the video hardware directly, allowing calibrators to achieve superior calibrations more quickly,” says Joel Silver, President of the Imaging Science Foundation, the industry’s largest training and consulting organization.
Previously, calibrating a home theater display with a video processor was a complicated process involving multiple on-screen menus and use of a remote control. In CalMAN v4, the calibration process becomes as easy as adjusting the relative height of bars on a chart by using a mouse.
CalMAN Version 4’s unique Interactive Charts allow automated adaptive control of video processors and displays. A CalMAN V4 user can now just adjust the levels of the measurement bars in an RGB graph and CalMAN does the rest, automatically writing the adjustment into the device. For CMS adjustments the revolutionary CalMAN V4 lets calibrators simply reach into a CIE chart and drag each color right to where you want it to be, without ever touching a remote.
“CalMAN v4 breaks entirely new ground in ease of use,” says Silver.
CalMAN V4 is a complete re-architecture of CalMAN, with a new user interface, built on Microsoft’s latest technology, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
Version 4 also features a new multithreaded I/O engine that enables great speed improvements and much easier switching between multiple meters.
Derek Smith, CEO of the SpectraCal group says “The list of supported direct control devices announced today will rapidly grow larger throughout the year.”
For more information:
Joshua Quain
SpectraCal, LLC
+1 425 471 3003
joshua@spectracal.com
Sales Office:
2329 N. Career Ave. Suite 205
Sioux Falls, SD
+1 605 274 6055
877 886 5112
jeff@spectracal.com
Anchor Bay and SpectraCal Collaborate to Reduce Cost and Complexity of Color Management in Home Theater Displays
- Companies have formed a strategic partnership to market DVDO video processor and SpectraCal video calibration software
- New CalMAN 4.0 software directly controls DVDO iScan Duo’s Color Management System
- Joint promotion provides software at no extra cost to purchasers of the iScan Duo in the month of June
(Campbell, CA) -- June 1, 2010 -- Anchor Bay, the industry leader in video processing systems and semiconductors, and SpectraCal, LLC, premier supplier of video calibration software, announced a strategic partnership today with the release of SpectraCal’s latest software, CalMAN Version 4.0. At the heart of the collaboration are Anchor Bay’s game-changing video processor, the DVDO iScan Duo, and SpectraCal’s CalMAN Version 4.0 software. The software can be used to directly control the iScan Duo’s functions, including its color management system (CMS).
“The DVDO iScan Duo’s color management system is more powerful and carries a lower price point than this industry has ever seen,” explains SpectraCal’s CEO Derek Smith. “We are extremely excited about joining resources to efficiently bring this level of performance to more home theaters.”
“The CalMAN v4 software controls the iScan Duo’s CMS hardware directly, making accurate calibration easier not only for integrators but also for a wide range of DIY home theater enthusiasts,” says Douglas Fealtman, Anchor Bay’s CEO.
Previously, calibrating a home theater display with a video processor was a complicated process involving multiple on-screen menus and use of a remote control. In CalMAN v4, the calibration process becomes as easy as adjusting the relative height of bars on a chart by using a mouse.
“CalMAN v4 breaks entirely new ground in ease of use,” says Fealtman. “We’re very pleased to partner with SpectraCal to feature the iScan Duo as the launch vehicle for this impressive new software.”
To celebrate the release of both products and underscore their power when used in tandem, Anchor Bay and SpectraCal are offering a remarkable bundle for a limited time: Every purchaser of a DVDO iScan Duo in the month of June will receive the software and a free CalMAN Enthusiast license (The CalMAN Enthusiast license by itself sells for $500).
The introductory special CalMAN / iScan Duo bundle can be purchased from either Anchor Bay or SpectraCal: visit www.anchorbaytech.com or www.spectracal.com.
SpectraCal is also taking CalMAN and the iScan Duo on a 25-city tour. Nicknamed the “Major League Baseball Tour,” because the chosen cities are all hosts to Major League Baseball teams, the tour’s mission is to educate both professional video calibrators and home theater enthusiasts on proper video calibration techniques. Separate classes for each group will be conducted by certified instructors, where attendees will learn how effective the CalMAN and iScan Duo combination can be in improving video quality and color accuracy.
See www.spectracal.com/training.html for a map of cities and dates.
About DVDO and Anchor Bay
The DVDO® award-winning line of video-processing system products for end users is developed and manufactured by Anchor Bay.
Anchor Bay designs and manufactures advanced digital semiconductor and system-level solutions for next-generation digital television and high-definition digital video products. The company's proprietary Video Reference Series™ (VRS™) technologies allow Anchor Bay to offer a wide range of advanced video processing solutions that greatly improve image quality on large-screen HDTV home theater systems and other video displays. The company's Precision Video Scaling™, Precision Deinterlacing™, Progressive Reprocessing™ (PReP®), Mosquito Noise Reduction, Detail and Edge enhancement, RightRate™, AutoCUE-C™, and Precision AV LipSync™ technologies are used in both Anchor Bay's semiconductor products and in its award-winning DVDO® line of video-processing systems. The company is dedicated to providing leading-edge video technologies that will enable current and next-generation ICs and systems to deliver reference-quality images across a wide range of displays and sources. Privately held, Anchor Bay maintains its headquarters in Campbell, California.
About SpectraCal
SpectraCal provides everything needed for calibrating video displays: the award-winning software CalMAN, a wide range of colorimeters and spectrophotometers for accurate color measurement, the best available test pattern sources, and a comprehensive education program. CalMAN Professional is the color calibration software used by nearly all professional video calibrators. CalMAN Home allows home theater enthusiasts to take control of their own systems.
SpectraCal Press Contact:
Joshua Quain
877-866-5112
Anchor Bay Press Contact:
Jim Noyd
Noyd Communications Inc.
T: 310-951-3768
E: jim.noyd@noydcom.com
AVForums sources new reference meters for TV and projector reviews
May 25 - As we continue to expand our TV and projector review sections we have identified a need for even more accurate measurements and tests to make sure our readers get every detail from our reviews. With this in mind we have today added two new reference meters to our already impressive line-up of test equipment as well as the latest version of the CalMAN calibration software.
Working with SpectraCal and Klein Instruments in a continuation of our long standing partnership, we have sourced and invested in two Klein K-10 reference-class non-contact optical colorimeters with superb accuracy. These will be added to our existing test equipment which includes two Eyeone Pro spectroradiometers, a Sencore OTC-1000 colorimeter and two Sencore reference pattern generators. And of course these are all used with Reference CalMAN Professional software.
AVForums and Spectracal (who develop the CalMAN software) have had a long standing relationship which goes back a number of years. Speaking about the addition of the new reference meters and working with the AVForums Editorial team, Joshua Quain of Spectracal said, “It was easy for us to forge and maintain our relationship with AVForums. They share our same passion for providing top quality education, innovative product information, and world-class customer service. The addition of the Klein K-10 colorimeters for the display reviewers at AVForums will help the review content reach new levels of accuracy and detail.”
The addition of the Klein K-10 meters will mean more accurate data and the chance to add in further testing to the reviews. “We like to think that our readers already get great satisfaction from our reviews of display equipment because of the testing we employ with every product. Adding in the new Klein K-10 meters to our testing portfolio will mean that we can finally get accurate results for low light measurements, as well as adding in tests that we have held back in the past because of the limitation of the kit we have previously used,” stated AVForums head reviewer and content manager Phil Hinton. “We are fortunate to have such a great relationship with Josh and the Guys at Spectracal who have supported our review efforts from day one, and continue to do so with great enthusiasm”.
 The K-10 meters are now part of the AVForums review testing portfolio and you can look out for additional data and more accurate readings in the future.
Plus, as well as new accuracy from the addition of the K-10 meters, AVForums will also be featuring the new CalMAN version 4 software. The new layouts and workflow from the software will assist the review team to give readers a detailed overview of the display products being reviewed. The new software offers easier to follow graphs and makes the job of measuring and calibrating faster, cutting down on valuable editorial time. Both CalMAN Version 4 and the new meters will be used in every review as we continue to build the TV review database.
View Full Article on AVForums
SPECTRACAL ANNOUNCES VERSION 4.0 OF CALMAN VIDEO CALIBRATION SOFTWARE
Sioux Falls, SD – May 24 – SpectraCal announces the availability of the new Version 4.0 of the award winning CalMAN Video Calibration Software.
At InfoComm next month (June 9-11), SpectraCal will be demonstrating the latest version of its flagship software product, CalMAN Version 4. CalMAN V4 is a complete re-architecture of CalMAN, with a beautiful new user interface, built on Microsoft’s latest technology, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), that is much easier to understand and use, a new multithreaded I/O engine that enables great speed improvements and much easier switching between multiple meters.
In its short time in the market, CalMAN Version 3 has thoroughly redefined the potential of video calibration software. CalMAN Version 4 from SpectraCal shatters the limits of the possible, with unprecedented power and ease of use, including Interactive Charts™ direct interactive control of video processors and displays. Users of previous versions of CalMAN will be amazed by the transformation.
No other video calibration product has ever accomplished what CalMAN Version 4 does, with its unique Interactive Charts™ that allow automated adaptive control of video processors and displays. A CalMAN V4 user can now just adjust the levels of the measurement bars in an RGB graph and CalMAN does the rest, automatically writing the adjustment into the device. For CMS adjustments the revolutionary CalMAN V4 lets you simply reach into a CIE chart and drag each color right to where you want it to be, without touching a remote!
Derek Smith, CEO of the SpectraCal group,says that “CalMAN Version 4 will allow the professional video calibrator to achieve better calibrations, simplify color management system calibration, and calibrate more efficiently and more accurately.”
“CalMAN V4 will allow calibrators to achieve much better results than are possible today,” Smith says. Up until now, he explains, calibration software could only tell calibrators what settings on a display to adjust. CalMAN V4 can now talks directly to the display to make the adjustments directly.
For more information:
Joshua Quain | SpectraCal, LLC | +1 425 471 3003 | joshua@spectracal.com
Sales Office:
2329 N. Career Ave. Suite 205, Sioux Falls, SD | +1 605 274 6055 | 877 886 5112 | jeff@spectracal.com
Quantum Data Announces Release of 3D Testing on 780 Handheld Test Instrument for HDMI
New 3D capabilities include both the generation of 3D formats and the analysis of incoming 3D video
Elgin IL - May 17, 2010 - Quantum Data™, a worldwide provider of video test equipment, today announced support for 3D testing on the 780 Handheld Test Instrument for HDMI. The 780 is a battery powered, portable multimedia A/V signal generator and analyzer that can quickly check the HDMI digital ports on HDMI devices such as HDTVs, projectors, repeaters, A/V receivers, players, set-top-boxes, etc.
The 780 instrument's 3D capabilities include features for testing both source devices and sink devices equipped with 3D. In the initial release, two 3D format structures are supported-Side-by-Side half and Top-and-Bottom-additional 3D formats will be available in the near future. Users can select any of the HDMI 1.3 3D resolutions (timings) through the 780's touch screen display.
For testing HDMI sink devices, the 780 can render a variety of standard 2D patterns and can now render 3D bitmap patterns as well. Users can create their own 3D bitmaps from existing stereoscopic image pairs using Quantum Data's free 3D Bitmap Conversion Tool. When 3D video is transmitted from the 780, it also transmits the necessary 3D infoframe metadata in the HDMI Vendor Specific Infoframe. In this way, an HDTV's response to 3D metadata can be verified.
For testing HDMI 3D-capable source devices, the 780 parses the incoming 3D video and displays the left and right eye images on the 780's built-in display. With the 780's Network Analyzer option, the 3D infoframe metadata and timing data, transmitted from the source device, can be examined as well.
Additional 3D-related enhancements are planned. More 3D format structures will be supported as well as the parsing and display of 3D related EDID data from a 3D-equipped HDMI sink. Also planned is support for emulating the EDID of a 3D-equipped sink.
The 780 combines versatility, portability with ease of use and at an attractive price. Whether in the development lab or out in the field, the 780 is an ideal tool for investigating interoperability problems or conducting routine testing of sources and sinks. Existing 780 owners can download the 3D update for free. Contact your Quantum Data distributor or representative for ordering, upgrading and pricing information.
For a complete list of features and functions of the 780 Handheld Test Instrument, go to: http://www.spectracal.com/QuantumData780.html.
About Quantum Data
Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, Quantum Data, Inc. invents test instruments that help manufacturers bring next-generation video, audio, and control products to market – faster and without interoperability problems. These instruments simultaneously improve a manufacturer's time-to-market and interoperability with other manufacturer's products. Features include signal emulation, signal analysis, troubleshooting and compliance testing. Quantum Data's instruments are used in product development, certification, manufacturing, installation, and service environments. Quantum Data sells and services OEMs and resellers, as well as selling private label test instruments to other OEMs.
SpectraCal Opens Sales Office in South Dakota
Industry Veteran Jeff Murray Heads Sales Group
Sioux Falls, SD, March 2 – SpectraCal, the award winning inventors of CalMAN Video Calibration Software, opened a Professional Sales group in Sioux Falls, SD today.
The sales organization is headed by Jeff Murray, a leading figure in the professional video calibration industry for more than a decade. “Jeff has been one of the key people in the creation of this industry,” said Joel Silver, President of the Imaging Science Foundation. “He has been working side by side with us since the beginning, has supported the industry with generous volunteer work, and we’re proud to continue working with him now.”
Silver also praised the team of professionals Murray brings with him. The new group includes software engineering facilities in Seattle (SpectraCal), hardware engineering in Sioux Falls (AV Foundry), and eight Sales, Marketing, Training and Support (SpectraCal Sales) in Sioux Falls. This group brings talented personnel with over 100 years of combined experience to address the ever changing needs of these dynamic video markets.
“SpectraCal Sales’ team of sales, applications, and support professionals have proved themselves through years of superb service. I believe 2010 will be the most critical year ever for calibrator support, since our research on LEDs shows the majority of current meters can simply be upgraded, not replaced,” Silver said.
“We will support everyone in this industry,” Murray promised. “Whoever you bought your meter or your software from, you can call SpectraCal when you need support,” he said.
Derek Smith, CEO of the SpectraCal group, pointed to the group’s strong relationship with world class manufacturers. “We are uniquely positioned to offer instrumentation from several world class manufacturers including X-Rite, Klein Instruments, Konica Minolta, and many others.” CalMAN today supports over 40 color analyzers and even more pattern generators.
The close relationship with AV Foundry helps drive industry innovation. “AV Foundry is creating the most exciting tools in the industry,” Smith said. “And they’ll be working very closely with SpectraCal Sales to ensure that we can bring best in class hardware and software tools for any application and any budget – whether you’re a calibrator just starting out or an engineer in a laboratory or an executive responsible for manufacturing.”
Murray emphasized that education is central to SpectraCal’s mission. “The best instruments in the world, which we have, and the best software, which we also have, are meaningless if we don’t educate people about how and when and why to use them,” he said. In addition to SpectraCal’s close relationships with the Imaging Science Foundation, THX, Digital Signage Experts Group, and others, SpectraCal has created a SpectraCal Academy to provide hands-on training at facilities in Seattle and Sioux Falls.
“We want to support the video professional every way we can,” Murray explained. “And not just with technical training. We will work to provide professional development assistance, business education, and everything a calibrator needs to be successful.”
Although the group will initially concentrate on home theater and commercial AV, it has designs on every industry where video displays and projectors are used, including Medical Display Calibration (DICOM & OR) and Broadcast and Post Production Display Calibration. Later this year, the company plans to announce training in new areas to include Medical and ISF-Post training courses, Murray said.
The entire SpectraCal group will be present in full force at Electronic Home Expo (EHX) in Orlando, Florida later this month (March 25-27).
At EHX, SpectraCal will be demonstrating the latest version of its flagship software product, CalMAN Version 4. CalMAN v4 is a complete re-architecture of CalMAN, with a new multithreaded I/O engine and an entirely new user interface built on Microsoft’s latest technology, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
“CalMAN v4 will allow calibrators to achieve much better results than are possible today,” Murray says. Up until now, he explains, calibration software could only tell calibrators what settings on a display to adjust. CalMAN 4 can talk directly to the display to make the adjustments directly.
Konica Minolta Sensing Americas and SpectraCal Announce Strategic Home Theater Partnership
RAMSEY, N.J., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (KMSA), the worldwide leader in the industrial measurement of color, light and shape announces its strategic partnership with SpectraCal, LLC, developer of CalMAN, the leading video calibration software for home theater applications.
In the agreement SpectraCal will become an authorized reseller for Konica Minolta Sensing's radiometric instruments for the entire US. Focus will be specifically on the home theater calibration market which has seen steady and strong sales due to the popularity and decrease pricing in flat panel TV sets. SpectraCal plans to market is CalMAN software with Konica's instruments as a complete solution to its professional video calibration customer base.
"This is a very exciting announcement for us. Konica Minolta instruments are the absolute reference standard in the industry. We have always recommended Konica Minolta instruments to users who want the very best. We absolutely depend on them in our own calibration lab. We're very pleased to be able to now offer these instruments directly to our users," said Derek Smith, CEO of SpectraCal.
CalMAN supports 6 of Konica's instruments as well as a number of others. SpectraCal will be primarily offering Konica's CS-200 spectral chroma meter to its pro calibration customers. The CS-200 is a spectral chroma meter that can be tripod mounted or because of its small portable size can also be used as a handheld instrument making it very versatile to carry on calibration tours. "The software fully supports the functionality of each instrument and all its features. When customers have demanding or custom software requirements I recommend they contact SpectraCal," added Heath Wakelee Western Regional Sales Manager for Konica.
"SpectraCal's decision to bundle our CS-200 and their CalMAN software as a complete solution is a testament to the quality and accuracy of our instrument. Our partnership further paves the way to improve calibration practices throughout the industry," say Yoko Komatsu, Radiometric Business Unit Manager for Konica Minolta Sensing.
SpectraCal will be demonstrating the CS-200 and the first public appearance of its newly updated CalMAN v.4 software at the Electronic House Expo (EHX) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL March 25-27, 2010. Version 4 features an innovative user interface and a powerful multi-threaded IO engine designed to derive the highest performance from the CS-200. "It's like a chance to test-drive a Ferrari," says Joshua Quain of SpectraCal.
To set up an appointment for a hands-on demonstration of CalMAN with the CS-200 please contact Joshua Quain (425) 471-3003.
Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (KMSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings USA, Inc., is recognized as the international leader of industrial color, light and shape measurement. The company is responsible for product lines that continuously revolutionize how visual perception is measured by the world. An industry pioneer, as well as innovator, Konica Minolta Sensing developed and introduced the first portable color measurement units to the world. Presently, their catalog contains instruments such as portable colorimeters as well as portable and benchtop spectrophotometers for color measurement, spectroradiometers and lux meters for light/display measurement and 3D non-contact digitizers for shape measurement.
Thousands of companies across the globe choose to depend on Konica Minolta Sensing equipment when color, light or 3D measurement is vital to the manufacturing process. Konica Minolta Sensing's products can be found in a wide array of industries including food, plastics, paints, coatings, automotive, aerospace and cosmetics. Konica Minolta Sensing's Ramsey, New Jersey corporate headquarters is fully equipped with a state of the art service center, 3D scanning laboratory, tech support center, and a focused sales force dedicated to both the North American and South American regions.
SpectraCal, LLC, a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, develops and markets a variety of software and hardware solution for video calibration. Its flagship product CalMAN is used by nearly all professional video calibrators, and a home version has made accurate video calibration easy enough that many home theater enthusiasts are now taking control of their own systems.
ColorMunki Support in CalMAN
If you have been wanting a spectrophotometer but thought you couldn't afford one, this may be your opportunity.
The X-rite ColorMunki bears a strong family resemblance to the EyeOne Pro, but carries a much lower price tag.
The ColorMunki is also conveniently self-contained. Rather than requiring external attachments that can be way too easy to lose, the ColorMunki's attachments are all built-in, and you simply select among them by turning a dial on the side of the ColorMunki.
Now the ColorMunki is fully supported in CalMAN, and now it's available from SpectraCal, at a special introductory price.
VideoEq Video Equalizer
One of the most innovative products in years is now available: a small box that will solve calibration problems you previously couldn't fix any other way.
The VideoEq from AV Foundry offers quick, easy gamma and grayscale correction, and it also provides a new state of the art in Color Management System correction. With truly independent correction of Primary and Secondary colors, the VideoEq gives CMS performance you can't match anywhere else at any price.
See the VideoEq page for full technical details on the VideoEq.
World's Largest Video Calibration Project
(São Paulo, Brazil) When SKY Brazil rolled out high definition television across Brazil this week, it also offered subscribers the premium of having their HDTVs precision calibrated.
SpectraCal provided the software the calibrators will use.
THX Ltd., the entertainment technology company founded by filmmaker George Lucas, provided video calibration training to Sky Brazil’s team. THX is synonymous with the design and certification of world-class home audio and video products, and has partnered with major HDTV manufacturers to integrate THX display certification into the world’s highest rated plasmas, LCDs and projectors. The company’s professional calibration training has been hailed by critics as the most hands-on and in-depth in the world today.
"THX is setting the world standard for video calibration training," explains Eduardo Belham, Service Innovation Director at SKY Brazil. "We were extremely pleased to be able to get THX trainers in São Paulo to teach our teachers," Belham said.
"SKY has a very demanding set of requirements, and no off-the-shelf software would do what they need," explained THX Director of Education John Dahl.
SKY intends to train some 1,000 calibrators who have little previous technical experience. Lengthy training sessions for each calibrator were out of the question. So the software had to not only be very simple to operate, but also essentially take control of the task and lead the calibrator through the whole process.
"We were highly impressed that SpectraCal was able to put together a custom version that did exactly what we needed so quickly," Belham said.
The custom SKY THX software was based on SpectraCal's product CalMAN. Introduced to the professional video calibration market less than a year ago, CalMAN quickly became the best selling product in the video calibration market.
For the calibration program X-Rite, SpectraCal and THX, SKY will be deploying thousands of the award-winning i1Display2 systems from X-Rite, the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies. Designed to quickly and easily calibrate and profile all types of LCD and CRT monitors, i1Display2 delivers unparalleled professional calibration to obtain accurate color on every TV screen.
"Our software works with essentially every color meter in the world, so we had a huge array of choices," explained SpectraCal's CEO Derek Smith. "Only X-rite's i1Display2 offered accurate enough readings at the affordable price SKY needed," Smith said.
X-Rite’s i1Display2 is sold both to consumers, and to professionals in industries where color is mission-critical for use in calibrating all types of monitors. "But it has become our biggest seller for calibrating televisions," Smith said.
"We're thrilled to see our hardware recognized for its precision and selected for what is essentially the largest video calibration project in the world," said Dr. Iris Mangelschots, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at X-Rite.
“We believe that video calibration is attractive throughout the customer base of high definition service because it offers tangible benefits such as improving the experience of watching TV, extending the useful life of equipment, and energy saving. The viewer will have the best visual experience that can bring your TV and see the images exactly as created in the studio”, Belham said.
Even in a time of global economic contraction, professional video calibration remains a rapidly expanding field.
"Most consumers have no idea that their HDTV experience could be greatly improved by professional calibration," says THX's Dahl. But enough people are discovering the benefits every day to keep thousands of professional video calibrators increasingly busy, going from home to home, and business to business.
"People think the main benefit will come from getting accurate colors," Smith says. But he explains that video calibration can make details in the very dark or very light areas of the picture visible that could not be seen at all before.
Several studies have been published recently that also show calibration can improve the energy efficiency of a video display and give the owner appreciable savings on an electric bill. |
