The all-new Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc has arrived on 4K Blu-ray. Successor to the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark Blu-ray, this disc is packed with optimized content to perfectly test and calibrate your TV or projector. More comprehensive than the previous version, this new release includes three Blu-ray discs with new test patterns, 4K HDR video clips, and even Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio tests!
Why it is important to calibrate your TV or projector correctly
When installing a new television or projector, users often stick to the factory settings. However, these settings are rarely optimized for home use. They are designed to catch your eye in a store, with a picture that’s too bright, has over-saturated colors and artificial contrast. This results in a picture that is flattering at first glance, but doesn’t respect the original intentions of directors and creators.
Good calibration allows you to enjoy an accurate image with natural colors, deep blacks that don’t flatten details, and precise whites that don’t blow out the highlights. In both SDR and HDR, incorrect settings can result in a loss of detail, colors that appear too cold or too warm, or inadequate tone mapping, particularly with recent Ultra HD content.
Calibration is also important for visual comfort. Poorly adjusted brightness or contrast can create unecessary eye strain, especially if you’re watching movies or TV shows for a long time. With a projector, the wrong settings can also make it harder to see what’s going on in dark scenes or make things look less sharp.
Lastly, calibrating your installation correctly also means getting the most out of your equipment. Whether you have an OLED or Mini-LED TV or a high-end home theater projector, only precise calibration will allow you to enjoy their full potential. This is where professional calibration discs come in.
Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark: a reference for audio and video calibration
The Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark Blu-ray is the latest version of a calibration disc that is already a reference in the home theater sector. Available on Ultra HD Blu-ray, it follows on from the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark and goes even further, with a box set of three particularly comprehensive discs.
Created by image professionals, this disc features a wide range of calibration patterns that are suitable for both SDR and various HDR formats: HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. These patterns allow you to precisely adjust brightness, contrast, colorimetry, sharpness, color alignment and movement processing.
The Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc isn’t just limited to technical patterns. It also features original demo videos, shot and edited in HDR 8K, which are ideal for evaluating the true performance of your installation with real images. These scenes are particularly useful for refining tone mapping and checking the behavior of your TV or projector with various peak brightness levels.
This disc hasn’t left out audio. It provides 5.1, 7.1, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio tests, allowing you to check the consistency of levels, spatialization, and audio/video synchronization in your home theater system.
Whether you’re a discerning enthusiast or a professional calibrator, the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark Blu-ray provides all the necessary tools to achieve reference-level image and sound. A must for anyone wanting to enjoy their films and series in the best possible conditions, all while respecting the original artistic intentions.
