Simplify Your Video Calibrations with the ACP6500 Auto CalPro Software Can the Auto CalPro really make your calibrations faster and easier? You‘ve just purchased the ACP6500 Auto CalPro software, and you want to know the basics of how to use it. How do you get started?
	First, install the ACP6500 software onto your laptop PC. Then, connect your CP5000 Color Analyzer and VideoPro Video Generator to the appropriate USB and/or serial ports on your laptop. If you don’t have enough serial ports on your laptop to connect these instruments, use the USB to serial port expander that is supplied with the ACP6500 software.  If you are calibrating a display that is already profiled within the ACP6500 software for serial communications calibration control, connect a serial cable between your computer and the display, as well.
Connect the video generator signal output to one of the display’s signal inputs and attach the CP5000 sensor pod to the center of the display screen. Insert the supplied USB security key into one of your USB ports, then run the Auto CalPro software.
Four tabs are located at the top left of the ACP6500 software screen. These tabs select the four main Auto CalPro software pages.
During the course of a calibration, you normally proceed through these four pages in order. Customer – On this page, you’ll fill in information about your calibration customer. Display – Here, you’ll select the brand and model of your customer’s display from the new display drop-down list, or type in the brand and model information for a new custom display. Calibrate – On the Calibrate page you’ll first select whether you are calibrating for Day or Night operation. In the case of a profiled display with serial calibration control, you also choose the display input you are going to calibrate, from the Input drop-down box. After you select the generator signal type, format, and white reference, you’ll proceed step-by-step through each of the listed Calibration Procedures to complete the display calibration. The individual Calibration Procedures are discussed below. Report – The Report page allows you to view or print a report, from the display performance data that was automatically collected during the Precalibration Capture and Postcalibration Capture steps. The Printing Options selection, under Settings on the main menu, allows you to select which display performance graph data to print on each page of your report.
Calibration Procedures: Ten calibration procedures are listed at the bottom-left of the Calibrate screen. As you select each step, the Auto CalPro software automatically selects the correct video generator pattern on the display, takes required measurements from the ColorPro sensor, and prompts you to make needed calibration adjustments.
Brightness Preset – prompts you with instructions to preset the display to the proper black level, as a starting point for the white balance calibration. Contrast Preset – prompts you with instructions to preset the display to an acceptable starting white level, as a starting point for the white balance calibration. Precalibration Capture – automatically controls the video generator and color analyzer to capture precalibration display performance data at every 10 IRE luminance level, from 10-100 IRE. Click the Capture button to capture the full set of performance data. This Precalibration data is automatically saved as part of the customer record, and can be printed to show your customer ‘before’ and ‘after’ calibration reports.
Automatic White Balance– if you are calibrating a profiled display (with serial calibration control), just select the calibration IRE levels, click the “AutoAdjust” button, and the Auto CalPro software automatically calibrates the display white balance in about 3-5 minutes.
or Manual White Balance – if you are calibrating a custom display, the manual white balance procedure guides you through the adjustment using the display’s remote, while you use the cutoff and drive controls to center the measurement indicators on the laptop screen.
Brightness – prompts you to make the black parts of the picture dark, without losing any of the darkest gray picture detail. With a profiled display, a slider bar is provided on the laptop screen for ease of display adjustment. With a custom display, the remote is used to adjust brightness on the display. Contrast – prompts you to adjust for the highest white level possible, without degrading the picture. Again, a profiled display shows a slider bar on the laptop to adjust with the mouse, and a remote is used to adjust the contrast for a custom display. Saturation – prompts you to adjust the color intensity, using a blue filter. Use the slider bar to adjust a profiled display and the remote control for a custom display. Hue – prompts you to adjust the color hue, using a blue filter. Use the slider bar or remote control to calibrate hue. Sharpness – prompts you with the proper method to adjust for least enhancement artifacts, without reducing picture resolution. Use the slider bar or remote control to calibrate sharpness. This is the last adjustment step for an overall perfect display.
Postcalibration Capture – automatically captures Postcalibration display performance data at every 10 IRE luminance level, from 10-100 IRE. Click the Capture button to capture the full set of performance data. The Postcalibration data is automatically saved as part of the customer record, and can be printed to show your customer ‘before’ and ‘after’ calibration reports.
Calibration completed: You’ve just completed your video calibration in half the time, or less, compared to previous manual methods. Now you can show your customer the beautiful picture on his calibrated display and explain the before and after calibration reports. Accept his praise and be on your way to your next calibration client – fast and simple. Who could ask for more? If you have any questions about the ACP6500 Auto CalPro, or would like to see how well it fits into your calibration business, visit the web page http://www.sencore.com/products/acp6500.htm, give us a call at 1.800.736.2673 or mailto:sales@sencore.com. For information on Sencore’s complete video suite with a carrying case: http://www.sencore.com/products/videosuite.htm