VideoEq - Advanced Colour Processor

VideoEq

Complete Gamma and greyscale control at the push of a button.

VideoEq Pro

Same as above but adds a Color Management System for completely independent Hue, Saturation, and Brightness controls for each Primary and Secondary colour!

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The VideoEq is an advanced colour processor designed to accurately calibrate and match colours on all display types.

It is the first 100% digital HDMI solution that allows greyscale, gamma, and color adjustments to be performed either manually using simple PC based software, or automatically with CalMAN.

Today’s high performance, high definition, home theater systems with 1080p60 and beyond pixel-perfect images are still underperforming in color accuracy. Now, with the exclusive colour processing engine in the VideoEq family, you can have image quality and accurate colour too.

Sadly, colour accuracy is one of the least understood and most critical aspects of a video system. Hollywood directors use colour and colour tone as an artistic medium to help tell the story. Colour tone is just as important to the overall mood and feeling of a scene as is the soundtrack. Getting the colours right can make the home cinema experience much more memorable. Just like the smell of theater popcorn and the 6-Channel surround sound.

The video industry has long focused on larger screens, higher pixel counts, noise reduction, and
artifact elimination. We've has taken image quality to the next level by developing the VideoEq series to address the lack of colour fidelity in modern video displays. To develop the VideoEq and the VideoEq Pro, we looked far and wide to understand the state of the art in colour processing. We started by looking at professionals whose livelihood depends on colour accuracy. We looked at the colour-managed workflow for photography. We looked at the color matching systems used in film production. We even looked at technology used for prints and paint matching, just to make sure that we had a good handle on the state of the art in color systems.
We based the colour engine in the VideoEq products on the best-practices used in the colour industry to ensure that you can have the highest video colour quality possible.

Before the VideoEq, the only way to obtain colour processing this accurate was through a standalone video processor such as the Radiance. These advanced processors also provide a slew of other features that many users do not require such as scaling, noise reduction, and so on. The VideoEq provides the colour processing you're looking for without all the extra ($$) items.

Getting colour correction right is a delicate balance between colour science, electronics, and the calibrator interface. Generally, most manufacturers get the electronics right, a few manufacturers get the colour science right, but almost none get the calibrator interface right. What this means is that even if you can find video components that are engineered correctly, and are technically capable of delivering accurate colour, the controls available to a calibrator make the task extremely cumbersome and difficult.

The VideoEq and VideoEq Pro solve this problem by focusing the engineering on the colour science and electronics, and leaving the calibration controls to the industry leading CalMAN calibration software. The CalMAN 4.0 software (Enthusiast or Pro version, not included) can be used to take a series of accurate measurements, calculates and programs the optimal settings for the VideoEq, and then re-measure to verify the effects. Simple, automated, and quick!

Manual adjustment is also possible for those users who do not use CalMAN Enthusiast or Pro. An easy to use PC interface provides the user with direct access to all of the colour controls and adjustments in the VideoEq. Simply hook up a laptop to the VideoEq with the included USB cable and make your adjustments. The VideoEq then saves these adjustments. Once set up, the VideoEq runs as a standalone colour processor - the laptop does not need to be kept connected.

The VideoEq and VideoEq Pro provide unprecedented accuracy in obtaining a ruler-flat greyscale (from black to white) ensuring that there are no unwanted red, green, or blue tints added to any colour.

Displays typically only have two adjustment points available for trying to achieve a flat greyscale. As all professional calibrators know, having only two adjustment points usually means means having to make compromises or having to use a very expensive video processor... until now!

Gamma adjustment ensures that the signal at all brightness levels is correct. The issue typically is that dark details (i.e.: shadow detail) will lack detail or simply be missing. The gamma adjustments in the VideoEq and VideoEq Pro are used to restore this detail.

If you've always found movies too dark or missing detail in dark scenes, you need to adjust your gamma!

The VideoEq Pro version takes it one step further by adding a Colour Management System (CMS) which ensures that the raw or "primary" colours used to create all colours are correct. Most new displays today artificially boost or shift how they create colours (especially green and blue) in order to boost light output and to make the colours appear more 'vivid' or 'pleasing' to the consumer. What's important to know is that this is completely incorrect and is not what the director intended for you to see! It results in incorrectly oversaturated colours causing (for example) faces to to glow pink or grass to have neon-like glow to it as seen below:

This is not something that affects only cheaper or incorrectly manufactured displays. Displays at all price ranges are affected, from PC monitors to recent/expensive high-end home theater projectors like the JVC RS1 shown above. The only way to fix these deficiencies in these displays up until now has been to use the expensive Radiance video processor. Now the VideoEq Pro adds this capability for a fraction of the price!

Proper colour calibration has the greyscale as its foundation. Accurate colours are not possible unless the greyscale is also accurate. If we compare this to painting with a brush, greyscale calibration ensures that the proper amounts of paint are mixed together to get the colours we need, while colour calibration is ensuring that we have the right base colours to mix in the first place. For example: If your bucket of red paint isn't perfectly "pure" red, no matter how you mix in the other primary colours you'll never you'll never be able to get that red any more correct. The Colour Management System (CMS) in the VideoEq Pro allows you to fix this!

Hollywood and the professional video industry have used this same technology in so-called "LUT Boxes" for many years to match and calibrate displays for their colour-critical work. Now you can obtain the same level of colour perfection in your own home using the VideoEq and VideoEq Pro!

For more information on why proper greyscale and colour calibration is critical to proper movie reproduction (or why it is needed at all), see our extensive Greyscale & Colour Calibration for Dummies guide. Learn how to get the best image quality out of any display and more importantly, how to do it yourself!

Feature	VideoEq	VideoEq Pro
RGB (Greyscale) adjustment?	YES 1 custom LUT, 2D 10 bit RGB gamma/grayscale LUT	YES 4 custom LUT, 2D 10 bit RGB gamma/grayscale LUT
Gamma adjustment?	YES, fixed 4 gamma presets in firmware: Straight passthrough Add 0.2 gamma (day mode) Add 0.5 gamma (night mode) Subtract 0.2 gamma (sports mode)	YES, adjustable 4 gamma presets same as VideoEq, but they can be changed (1D 10 bit gamma LUT)
Colour Management System (CMS)	NO	YES 4 custom CMS tables, 6-axis RGBCMY LUT colour control for completely independant Hue, Saturation, and Brightness controls for each Primary and Secondary colour
1/8" IR jack for automation integration	NO	YES
Case	Silver	Black

The VideoEq does not provide scaling (the resolution out is the same as the resolution in), colorspace conversion, or strip HDCP. If you require scaling, noise reduction or other video processor features consider a video processor such as the Radiance.

Does the VideoEq come with CalMAN?
No. The VideoEq box does not include a CalMAN licence. CalMAN is sold separately. See the CalMAN order page for purchasing CalMAN with or without a meter.

Is CalMAN required to use the VideoEq?
No. An easy to use Windows PC application (included) provides the user with direct access to all of the colour controls and adjustments in the VideoEq. Simply hook up a laptop to the VideoEq with the included USB cable and make your adjustments. Think of it as a Windows based remote control for making changes in the VideoEq. The VideoEq then saves these adjustments. Once set up, the VideoEq runs as a standalone colour processor - the laptop does not need to be kept connected. Setup of the VideoEq can however be simplified by using CalMAN 4.0. CalMAN 4.0 can be used to take a series of accurate measurements, calculate and program the optimal settings for the VideoEq, and then re-measure to verify the effects. Simple, automated, and quick! CalMAN 4 lets you control the VideoEq directly within the CalMAN charts as well as all of the other video processors and displays that have external control in CalMAN via USB/RS-232.

Do CalMAN 3.x owners get a free upgrade to CalMAN 4?
CalMAN upgrades are free for one year from the point of purchase. So anyone who has purchased CalMAN 3.x in the past year will get version 4 for free. Purchasing CalMAN anytime between now and the release will therefore get you a free upgrade to version 4 once it's released.

What version of CalMAN is required if I want to automate the programming of the VideoEq?
The VideoEq and VideoEq Pro are only compatible with CalMAN 4.0 Enthusiast and Pro. The Home version of CalMAN cannot interface with the VideoEq / VideoEq Pro. There are no limitations between CalMAN Enthusiast and Professional, and how they interact with the VideoEq and VideoEq Pro.

I only have CalMAN Home. Should I upgrade to CalMAN Enthusiast to automate the setup process of the VideoEq?
That is a personal choice and is based on how much time you want to save when doing a calibration. Anyone who purchase a VideoEq/VideoEq pro will be able to access all of the features - nothing will be missing. It will simply take longer to calibrate as it has to be done manually by hand if you don't use CalMAN 4.0 Enthusiast and Pro to do it for you. Anyone who already has a CalMAN Home licence can email us for a discount to upgrade to CalMAN Enthusiast.

Where does the VideoEq sit in the signal chain? How do I hook it up?
The VideoEq/VideoEQ Pro sits between your source and display, usually right before the display. It modifies the signal in real time so it has to stay in place all the time in order to work. For example: Blu-ray player -> HDMI cable -> VideoEq -> HDMI cable -> Display. To set up the VideoEq with the right settings and calibration tables for your display, you temporarily hook up the VideoEq to a laptop using the included USB cable and then run software on the laptop to calibrate the VideoEq for your display based on what your calibration meter is telling you. If this laptop software is CalMAN 4, it can automatically take readings from your meter and write the correct values to the VideoEq. If you use other software to take readings from a meter, then you can manually adjust settings in the VideoEq and re-measure to see the results. To get the most out of the VideoEq you need a calibration meter to know how to change settings in the VideoEq. CalMAN simply makes it even easier still to integrate everything together since a bunch of stuff is automated.

Does the VideoEq introduce any lag to the image?
No. They are based on a zero frame buffer design, so no additional processing lag is added to cause lip-sync delay.

My display does not have an HDMI input. How do I use the VideoEq?
The VideoEq is HDMI in, HDMI out. To use it with displays that have component or RGB inputs, use an HDMI converter like the HDfury2 or HDfury3 like this: Source -> HDMI cable -> VideoEQ -> HDMI cable -> HDfury2/3 -> analog cable -> Display

Is the VideoEq HDCP compliant? What version of HDMI is used?
Yes. The VideoEq series is HDCP compliant: if the input signal is HDCP protected the output will also be HDCP protected. The interface is HDMI 1.3.

What resolutions does the VideoEq support?
The VideoEq supports any and all resolution and refresh rate combinations up to and including 1080p60 (1920x1080 resolution at 60Hz refresh rate).

A demonstration showing the power of the VideoEq / VideoEq Pro from CES 2010 (January 2010):

A demonstration of CalMAN 4 Enthusiast/Pro which can be used to control the VideoEq / VideoEQ Pro:

Windows PC software (for those who do not use CalMAN 4 to control the VideoEq):

Supports all known display types including (but not necessarily limited to): LCD, LCoS, SXRD, CRT, Plasma, DLP, and LED based displays.

VideoEq - Advanced Colour Processor

When purchasing you will be paying and dealing directly with the third party seller 'SpectraCal'. This item is not sold or supported by CurtPalme.com

When purchasing you will be paying and dealing directly with the third party seller 'SpectraCal'.
This item is not sold or supported by CurtPalme.com