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Reviewed: Blu-ray setup discs for your HDTV (screenshots)

To get the most out of your HDTV, you need a setup disc. Here are screenshots from the best available.

Geoffrey Morrison
Geoffrey Morrison is a writer/photographer about tech and travel for CNET, The New York Times, and other web and print publications. He's also the Editor-at-Large for The Wirecutter. He has written for Sound&Vision magazine, Home Theater magazine, and was the Editor-in-Chief of Home Entertainment magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Television/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling novel, Undersea, and its sequel, Undersea Atrophia, are available in paperback and digitally on Amazon. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com and on his YouTube channel.
Geoffrey Morrison
Disney_WOW_Menu_1.jpg
1 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Disney

Disney WOW: World of Wonder Blu-ray Main Menu

The main menu of Disney's WOW: World of Wonder Blu-ray. It's purrrrdy.
Disney_WOW_Tutorial_1.jpg
2 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Disney

Disney WOW: World of Wonder tutorial

A screenshot from one of the tutorials on the Disney WOW disc. Here it's explaining interlaced and progressive exceedingly well.
Disney_WOW_Contrast_Pattern.jpg
3 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Disney

Disney WOW: World of Wonder Contrast pattern

This is one of the Disney WOW disc's patterns to help you set contrast. There's a similarly designed pattern to set brightness.
Disney_Brightness_1.jpg
4 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Disney

Disney WOW Brightness Pattern

The main pattern on the Disney WOW disc to set brightness.
Disney_Contrast_and_Brightness_1.jpg
5 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Disney

Disney WOW Contrast and Brightness

One of the Disney WOW disc's advanced contrast/brightness patterns
Disney_Sharpness_1.jpg
6 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Disney

Disney WOW Sharpness

This pattern on the Disney WOW disc helps set focus (for projectors) and sharpness.
DVE_Main_Menu_1.jpg
7 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Menu: JKP

Digitial Video Essentials: HD Basics Main Menu

The main menu of DVE: HD Basics. Not as intuitive as Disney's menu, but better than previous generations of DVE.
DVE_Resolution_and_Menu_610x344_1.jpg
8 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: JKP

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics Resolution and Menu

Here you can see DVE's most user-friendly feature: the menu overlays the pattern so you can quickly navigate to another pattern. The pattern in the background here tests for per-pixel resolution.
DVE_Contrast_and_Brightness_1.jpg
9 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: JKP

DVE Contrast and Brightness

A pattern to check contrast and brightness from DVE: HD Basics.
DVE_Overscan_1.jpg
10 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison /Pattern: JKP

DVE Overscan/Sharpness

This pattern, on DVE: HD Basics, helps check for overscan, and to set sharpness.
SM_Main_Menu_1.jpg
11 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Menu: Spears and Munsil

Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark Main Menu

The simple main menu of the Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark.
SM_Contrast_1.jpg
12 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Spears and Munsil

Spears and Munsil Contrast Pattern

A pattern to set contrast on the Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark. Note the fine gradations between steps, allowing for precise adjustment.
SM_Ship_610x343_1.jpg
13 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Spears and Munsil

Spears and Munsil HD Ship

This is an HD video of a sailing ship. The test here is in the rigging. The better the video processor, the more the ropes will be diagonal lines without jaggies.
SM_Rotating_Bar_610x351.jpg
14 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: Spears and Munsil

Spears and Munsil Rotating Bar

This is the infamous rotating bar pattern that tests video processing, as seen on the Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark. Ideally, the bar is smooth throughout its entire rotation. Most TVs or Blu-ray players will create small jagged edges (jaggies) as the bar nears horizontal.
THX_Main_menu.jpg
15 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Menu: THX

THX Optimizer Main Menu

The main menu of the THX Optimizer.
THX_Brightness_and_Contrast.jpg
16 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: THX

THX Optimizer Brightness

The brightness pattern from the THX Optimizer. Note the subtle THX logo in the center, which should be visible if brightness is set correctly.
THX_Contrast_Pattern.jpg
17 of 17 Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison/Pattern: THX

THX Optimizer Contrast

The main contrast pattern on the THX Optimizer. There should be eight squares visible when contrast is set correctly.

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