| "The simplest and least
expensive way to
calibrate a TV is to use
the free THX Optimizer
on any THX-Certified
DVD."
»New York Times |
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Download these Instructions in French 
The THX Optimizer is designed and engineered to allow you to experience your feature presentation exactly how the director originally intended the content to be seen.
Through the use of test patterns, the THX Optimizer ensures that your equipment is set for the highest quality playback. These settings enhance details in the shadows, as well as areas with high levels of luminance, (the amount of light in the picture.) Accurate settings will produce a picture with subtle detail in both dark and light areas.
Pixar and THX have included a new test pattern that will help you modify your monitor’s Contrast and Brightness settings to increase your viewing enjoyment of The Incredibles. The advanced test pattern will ensure that your display is correctly reproducing the entire range of the picture, from the darkest to the brightest areas of the image.
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You can either:
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- Adjust the Contrast and Brightness settings through the use of the traditional THX Optimizer test patterns, or
- Adjust the Contrast and Brightness settings through the use of the new test pattern using the “Advanced” button on either the Contrast or Brightness set-up menus under the THX Optimizer Video Tests
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Please refer to Figure 1 for a picture of the advanced test pattern highlighting the various areas that will be used during these instructions. Descriptions of the terms are provided directly below with instructions for their use following.
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- – The Black Optimize, which is circled in blue in Figure 1, helps to optimize the display of the blacks in the picture, enabling rich shadows without the loss of detail. This pattern alternately blinks on and off, to make the pattern easier to see. The center bar of the pattern is the same shade of black as the background of the test pattern and after using this test will be the darkest shade that the monitor will display.
The four bars on the left portion of the Black Optimize, outlined in red in Figure 1, encompass four shades darker than black. Meanwhile, the four bars on the right, outlined in green, encompass four shades lighter than black. Ideally, if your monitor or projector is properly calibrated, the four bars on the left should not be visible while the four bars on the right should be visible as the pattern blinks on and off.
Note: Depending on the capabilities of your DVD player and your monitor or projector, you may not be able to see the four bars on the left portion of the Black Optimize. Some audio/video components cannot play back video levels below the standard black that is found in the background of this test pattern. All is not lost, but the accuracy of your adjustments will be limited. Please refer to the instructions below to describe what to do in a situation where below black or “super-black” levels cannot be displayed.
- – The White Check, which is circled in red in Figure 1, is used to confirm that your monitor or projector is not clipping any of the whitest whites and allows your monitor or projector to display the full range of highlight information without artifacts.
Figure 1: Description of advanced test pattern used in THX Optimizer for The Incredibles
This pattern is animated in order to increase the visibility of the pattern, allowing you to see the subtle gradations of white that would otherwise be difficult to see. The animation alternates the upper row of four white shades with the lower row of four white shades.
Ideally, all eight boxes, (four shades of white on the top and four shades of white on the bottom) should be visible. If you cannot see all of them, you will need to lower the contrast or brightness. If you can only see four of the eight boxes, you may have a loss of luminance dynamic range somewhere in your system. This part of the test is very similar to the traditional THX Optimizer Contrast pattern.
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– The Ramps, pointed out at the top of Figure 1, are the twelve columns that appear from left to right on the screen. Each column is made up of alternating horizontal lines of black and a particular shade of gray. Within each Ramp are Blocks of gray (described below).
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– The Blocks are the solid gray squares that appear within each Ramp from the top to the bottom on the screen. The shade of gray is the same within each Ramp from top to bottom, but varies in luminance for each Ramp from left to right.
Together the shades of gray found in the Ramps and Blocks can help determine the ability of your system to display various luminance levels simultaneously. The combination of the Ramps and Blocks can be used to adjust Contrast, Gamma (if your monitor or projector supports this control), and other possible settings such as “Cinema” or “Sport” modes.
In order to use this portion of the test pattern, you must look at the pattern as if it is an optical illusion, similar to looking at 3-D still pictures (also known as stereograms). By squinting, removing your glasses if you are nearsighted, or looking through a pinhole in a piece of paper, you should see the horizontal lines in each Ramp blur together to form a solid gray shade, producing 12 solid vertical bars, each of which has several Blocks within it. The gray Blocks will appear to be depressed within the Ramp, raised outwards from the Ramp, or the same shade as the Ramp. You will use this phenomenon to set up the Contrast and Gamma adjustments, if supported.
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1.
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- Play the test pattern on your DVD by activating the "Advanced" button on either the Contrast or Brightness menu in the THX Optimizer Video Tests.
- Set the room lighting to the level that will be used for watching the feature. The room lighting will determine what settings you should use for your television adjustments.
- Sit in your normal viewing location.
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2.
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To adjust your Brightness control, you will be looking at the Black Optimize test pattern (refer to Figure 1 for location).Turn your Brightness control up until you can easily see all nine bars of the Black Optimize test pattern. If your television looks like Figure 2, continue to the next step. If your television looks like Figure 3, go to the step labeled "Only Black Bars on Right Are Visible."
- : If you can see the bars on the left of Black Optimize, you are in great shape - your display and DVD player both support “super-black” or video levels below standard black level.
- Back off of the Brightness control, turning it down until you cannot see the four left-most bars at all as they blink on and off.
- You should see only a solid black background, with no hint of the four left-most super-black bars.
- Ideally, you should still be able to make out all four bars on the right of the Black Optimize test pattern as they blink.
- : If you cannot make the left-most bars visible, no matter how high you turn up Brightness, either your monitor/projector or your DVD player does not support “super-black” - most likely your DVD player. In this case you will want to lower the Brightness control until the four bars on the right are just visible as they blink.
In either case, you should now have Brightness set correctly, given the setting of all other controls. As you adjust Contrast and other controls like Gamma, Picture or specialized “Cinema” controls, you will always want to finish off by checking that Black Optimize is still operating correctly.
Figure 2: Note that all bars of Black Optimize are
visible | 
Figure 3: Note that only the right four bars of Black
Optimize are visible |
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3.
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To adjust your Contrast/Gamma control, you will be looking at the twelve Ramps (refer to Figure 1 for location).
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- While squinting or looking through a pinhole punched out in a piece of paper, adjust the Contrast/Gamma control so that the Blocks neither protrude from nor recede into the Ramp bars.
- The Blocks should match the same shade of gray as the blurred Ramps.
- The Blocks and the Ramps should match in intensity for all twelve of the Ramp/Block sets, not just a few of the sets.
- You may need to view the Blocks and Ramps from a distance further than where you normally sit in order to see the optical illusion.
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Now look at the White Check test pattern (refer to Figure 1 for location).
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- Double-check the White Check test pattern, to make sure that all eight boxes are still visible.
- If they have become washed-out and no longer distinguishable, you will need to lower your Contrast control and reset your Brightness control. If available, you may need to use other adjustments such as Gamma, Picture or custom "Cinema/Sport" settings to compensate.
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4.
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- You can only see the four bars on the right of Black Optimize.
- You can still see all eight boxes of the White Check.
- Looking through the pinhole or by squinting, the gray Blocks dissolve into the blurred Ramps.
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Order THX Optimizer Glasses
Download a PDF of the Template for use with The Incredibles THX Optimizer Test
Download these THX Optimizer Instructions for The Incredibles (PDF)
* If your monitor or projector has a "Black Level" control, set "Brightness" to its nominal position and adjust the "Black Level" control wherever you see references to the “Brightness control” in these instructions.
** If your monitor/projector has a "Gamma" or "Gamma Trim" control, first adjust Contrast until you begin to lose the 8 “White Check” boxes, and then back off slightly. Next, adjust the “Gamma” control(s) wherever you see references to the “Contrast/Gamma control” in these instructions.
+ Contrast is also called “Picture” on some displays.
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