An independent reference about picture quality on screens. It does not show or distribute films, does not sell equipment and is not related to the former site on this domain.
Tools
You don't need lab equipment to adjust a picture. You already have almost everything you need: the screen's own menu, the settings on your set-top box or computer, a couple of images you know well and a light switch. The rest is attention and a little patience.
The most underrated picture-tuning tool is the light switch in your room.
How this section works: we describe types of tools, not specific programs or devices. Professional calibration with measuring equipment does exist, but at home adjusting by eye against simple reference points is usually enough.
A basic kit that's enough for relaxed home setup.
There are special images made for adjusting a screen: gray steps from black to white, color bars, grids of thin lines. They show whether the darkest and brightest shades are distinguishable and whether halos appear. Familiar photos with faces and sky work too.
The screen menu usually has an info item that shows what resolution and refresh rate the screen is receiving right now and whether HDR is on. It's the fastest way to tell whether the screen or the source is to blame.
A set-top box, computer or app has its own output settings: resolution, refresh rate, color range and HDR. If they don't match what the screen can do, no amount of adjusting the screen itself will help.
Turn the screen off and shine a flashlight on it, or look at it from the window side: you'll see right away where the glare comes from. Moving a lamp or hanging a heavy curtain sometimes does more than an evening in the menu.
A simple notebook or a note on your phone comes in handy after resets and updates. Write down the mode, brightness, contrast, sharpness and color temperature for daytime and evening viewing.
Step-by-step guides: setting up a new screen, choosing a picture mode, turning off extra processing and matching brightness to the room. Plus the article index.
How HD differs from Full HD and 4K, what HDR adds compared with SDR and how frame rate relates to motion smoothing.
What to do if the picture looks blurry or dark, gradients show bands, motion stutters, colors look off or there are black bars around the edges.
A glossary of terms: resolution, pixel, bitrate, codec, compression, HDR, frame rate and refresh rate, motion smoothing, banding and more.
Risks for people looking for a better picture: pages with malicious ads, fake player updates, browser extensions and questionable apps.
This advice is written in general terms as of the date it was prepared. Screen menus, mode names and factory settings vary from device to device and change with updates, so check your own manual and trust your eyes more than the labels on the box.