Configurations and Purchasing Questions

QUESTION: What are the different configurations that SpectraView can be purchased in?

ANSWER: SpectraView can be purchased in several different configurations:

1. As a complete bundled kit (display monitor, color sensor, and SpectraView II software) - The model name will be the model name of the display monitor, with an "-SV" suffix.
   
   
2. Color sensor and software kit (color sensor and SpectraView II software) - A compatible display monitor must be purchased separately. The part number for this is "SVII-PRO-KIT".
   
   
3. SpectraView II software only - A compatible display monitor and color sensor must be purchased separately. This is useful if you already own a supported color sensor and display. The part number for this is "SVII-SOFT" for CD-ROM format and “SVIISOFT-W” for online purchase and download. Be sure to check that your color sensor model is supported by SpectraView.
   
   
4. Color sensor only - A compatible display monitor and SpectraView II software must be purchased separately. This is useful if you already own compatible display monitor and a copy of the SpectraView II software and would like to upgrade or replace only the color sensor. The part number for this is "MDSVSENSOR2".

QUESTION: Is the monitor hood included with SpectraView?

ANSWER: No. The hoods for the LCD2190UXi, LCD2490WUXi, LCD2490WUXi2, LCD2690WUXi, LCD2690WUXi2 and LCD3090WQXi are available as a separate option in the accessories section, or can be purchased from online retailers such as Chromix and B&H Photo Video.

The part number for the hood that fits the LCD2190UXi, LCD2490WUXi, LCD2490WUXi2, LCD2690WUXi and LCD2690WUXi2 is "SV-HOOD-90", and the hood for the LCD3090WQXi is "90HD30".

QUESTION: Where can I find out which online retailers carry a certain product?

ANSWER: A listing is available on the How To Buy section of the website that lists the online retailers that carry each product.

QUESTION: I can't find a retailer that stocks the -SV bundle version of the display that I want. Some retailers list it as a special order item only.

ANSWER: Many retailers do not regularly stock the -SV bundle versions and will instead only place an order with their distributor once they have received a customer order. Contact your retailer and confirm that they can order the -SV version.

QUESTION: When I try and purchase SpectraView from the NEC store it shows out of stock. How can I place an order?

ANSWER: Our online sales system is updated with stock levels in our warehouse in real time, and may be temporarily low on the item you selected. Either check back the next day or place an order by calling our NEC Pre-Sales directly on 866-632-6673.

QUESTION: Are volume discounts available for people who run color or photography workshops and trainings that require high end color calibrated displays?

ANSWER: Volume discounts may be available. Please contact NEC Pre-Sales directly on 866-632-6673.

QUESTION: I live in Canada. How can I purchase SpectraView?

ANSWER: In Canada SpectraView is available directly from CDW, Tigerdirect, and Insight. SpectraView kits can also be purchased by calling our NEC Pre-Sales directly on 866-632-6673.

QUESTION: I live outside the US and Canada. How can I purchase SpectraView?

ANSWER: At this time SpectraView II is only available for purchase within the US and Canada. In Europe please contact your regional NEC sales office for information on what calibration options are available. In Japan SpectraView II is sold under the SpectraNavi name.

QUESTION: Is SpectraView II different from the SpectraView Profiler displays sold in Europe?

ANSWER: Yes. The SpectraView II calibration system is developed by NEC and optionally includes an NEC branded X-Rite iOne Display V2 color sensor. SpectraView II can be used with any supported display model and is sold both as a complete kit bundled with a display, and as an add-on product.

In Europe SpectraView Profiler includes a display monitor with hood, custom calibration software developed by basICColor, and each display is individually certified. It is not possible to purchase and use the SpectraView Profiler software with a non-SpectraView Profiler display.

QUESTION: What is the difference between the color sensor used in the SVII-KIT and the new SVII-PRO-KIT?

ANSWER: The new SVII-PRO-KIT includes the MDSVSENSOR2, an NEC branded X-Rite iOne Display V2 color sensor that is custom calibrated for increased measurement accuracy with our wide color gamut displays such as the LCD2690WUXi, LCD2690WUXi2, LCD3090WQXi, and P221W. It is backward compatible with standard color gamut displays. The SVII-KIT included an NEC branded X-Rite iOne Display V2 but did not have any custom calibration.

QUESTION: Can I use the new MDSVSENSOR2 color sensor included in the new SVII-PRO-KIT with other 3rd party calibration applications?

ANSWER: Yes, however the custom calibration for NEC wide color gamut displays will not be available. Only the standard calibration is available.

QUESTION: Which kit (SVII-KIT or the new SVII-PRO-KIT) is included with the monitor if I purchase a "-SV" bundled version?

ANSWER: The SVII-KIT has been discontinued as of February 2009 and has been replaced with the SVII-PRO-KIT. All LCD3090W-BK-SV (LCD3090WQXi SpectraView bundle), LCD2490W2-BK-SV (LCD2490WUXi2 SpectraView bundle), LCD2690W2-BK-SV (LCD2690WUXi2 SpectraView bundle), P221W-BK-SV (P221W SpectraView bundle) include the new SVII-PRO-KIT with the new MDSVSENSOR2. Other bundle models created before February 2009 may include the SVII-KIT, but all bundle models created after this date include the new SVII-PRO-KIT.

QUESTION: Is the new MDSVSENSOR2 available in Europe with SpectraView Profiler?

ANSWER: No. At this time it is not available.

QUESTION: Can you explain the naming of the -SV series models such as "LCD2690W2-BK-SV"?

ANSWER: The -SV series are the bundles of a display monitor with the SVII-PRO-KIT (color sensor and SpectraView II software). The naming consists of the monitor model name (LCD2690W2 is an LCD2690WUXi2), followed by "-BK" to indicate the color is black (for models available in colors other than black). Lastly the "-SV" indicates it is the SpectraView II series bundle.

QUESTION: I already purchased a copy of SpectraView and would like to upgrade my color sensor to the new custom calibrated NEC branded X-Rite iOne Display V2. Is it possible to purchase just the sensor?

ANSWER: Yes. The part number for just the sensor is MDSVSENSOR2 and it is available for purchase directly from NEC.

QUESTION: Are there any technical differences with the display monitor between purchasing the full "-SV" bundle, and separately purchasing the display monitor and SVII-PRO-KIT?

ANSWER: No. In the US and Canada the display monitor in the "-SV" bundle is exactly the same as if the display monitor was purchased separately. Purchasing the "-SV" bundle is usually slightly cheaper than buying separately.

QUESTION: Can I purchase the "SVII-SOFT" SpectraView II software online for immediate download and use?

ANSWER: Yes. The SpectraView software is now available for online purchase and download for US based customers from our website. The part number is “SVIISOFT-W”.

QUESTION: Are updates to the SpectraView II software available for free?

ANSWER: Yes. Free updates are available for download for customers who have purchased SpectraView. The license key from your original purchase will be required to install and use the software.

QUESTION: Is there a trial or evaluation version of SpectraView available?

ANSWER: Unfortunately no. Before purchasing please be sure to carefully check the latest compatibility information for your system in the README file for the latest version of SpectraView.

QUESTION: What is the best way to obtain support for SpectraView?

ANSWER: For detailed questions regarding SpectraView please use the online feedback form. Support is also available for SpectraView and all other issues via the regular NEC support  methods.

QUESTION: I have an idea for a new feature that I would like to see in SpectraView. Who should I contact?

ANSWER: We welcome your comments, feedback and suggestions on SpectraView. Please submit them via the online feedback form.

QUESTION: I have two supported NEC display monitors that I would like to use in a dual monitor configuration on one machine. Do I need to purchase 2 licenses of the SpectraView software?

ANSWER: No. The software license allows you to use multiple NEC displays connected on one machine.

QUESTION: Is a Linux version of SpectraView available?

ANSWER: A Linux version of SpectraView is available, however it is currently limited to customers with large installations of NEC display monitors. This restriction is due to the specific system requirements and individual configuration necessary to support the different Linux distributions and versions. If you are interested in finding out more about the Linux version please submit a request via the online feedback form.

QUESTION: My installation is several NEC displays on Linux systems, how can I find out more about the Linux version of SpectraView?

ANSWER: Please contact your NEC sales representative, or submit a request them via the online feedback form.

 

Color Gamut Questions

QUESTION: I noticed that there are several different figures published or quoted for the color gamut specification of each display monitor model. What is the difference between the figures?

ANSWER: The color gamut of a display can be calculated in many different ways, and there is no industry standard method. Therefore unless the exact method used to calculate the values is specified it is difficult to compare values between different displays.

NEC calculates the Color Gamut Size and Coverage specifications as a 2D gamut area in CIE 1931 xy or CIE 1976 u'v' colorspace using measurements from a very precise spectrophotometer. The display color gamut is compared to that of a reference gamut, such as sRGB, AdobeRGB, or NTSC (1953).

The Gamut Size specification is the total relative display gamut area and includes any colors outside the reference gamut expressed as a percentage. In other words it is the area of the display color gamut triangle vs. the area of the reference color gamut triangle, and does not take into account if the gamuts actually overlap or not – it is just the ratio of the total areas

The Gamut Coverage is the relative display gamut area contained inside the reference gamut expressed as a percentage. In other words it is the area of the intersection of the display color gamut triangle and the area of the reference color gamut triangle vs. the entire area of the reference color gamut triangle. The maximum possible coverage value is 100%.

The official specifications for several SpectraView displays are shown below calculated using both CIE 1931 xy and CIE 1976 u'v' colorspaces:

QUESTION: Why are color gamut specifications sometimes calculated in CIE 1931 xy and sometimes in CIE 1976 u'v' colorspace?

ANSWER: The CIE 1931 xy colorspace is the more popular and widely recognized colorspace, and engineers are used to using this for calculations and charts. However it does not give equal area representation to different colors - in particular the size of the green area is overemphasized, but the blue area is underemphasized. This means that differences in green colors appear larger on the chart, than an equal difference in blue.

The CIE 1976 u'v' colorspace attempts to correct for this representation problem by scaling the chart so that colors are more equally represented.

So CIE 1976 u'v' is technically more useful for comparison purposes, but not as popular due to legacy usage and recognition.

QUESTION: I want to use the display as an output preview for editing video intended for viewing on a standard TV, what do I need to be aware of when choosing a standard gamut vs. a wide gamut display?

ANSWER: If you are using a wide color gamut display such as the LCD2690WUXi, LCD2690WUXi2, LCD3090WQXi, or P221W, either the video editing software must be color management aware, or the display monitors should be used in sRGB Emulation mode - otherwise colors will appear to be oversaturated.

QUESTION: I want to use the display as an output preview for editing NTSC video. Should I purchase a display monitor that has a color gamut with as close to 100% coverage of NTSC (1953) as possible?

ANSWER: No. The NTSC (National Television System Committee) specification for color television encoding was finalized in 1953. Part of this specification defined the color gamut for the system as three color primaries; red, green and blue. The gamut that these primaries actually encompass was huge and well beyond the limitations of the TV camera and display technology at the time, so it was never actually adopted for TV broadcast applications. In practice a much smaller and more achievable color gamut, known today as SMPTE-C or SMPTE 170M, was officially standardized and adopted by the TV broadcast industry in the 1960s.

The original NTSC 1953 gamut specification has lingered in various charts and tables and has been resurrected in recent years as a large color gamut with which to compare device gamuts, even though it has nothing to do with modern TV applications.

It is very important to note that anyone who is doing any kind of video editing or production on their display monitor actually needs to be using a color gamut as close as possible to SMPTE-C or sRGB, and not NTSC 1953. This can be done by either using a display monitor with a color gamut close to sRGB, or by using a wide gamut display monitor together with video editing software that is color management aware, or via the sRGB emulation mode on the display.
 

QUESTION: I am doing mainly web based work such as editing images intended to be viewed on the web. Which display monitors are recommended for this application?

ANSWER: Standard gamut displays like the LCD2190UXi, LCD2490WUXi, and LCD2490WUXi2 are excellent choices for this type of application because they are standard gamut displays and can be accurately calibrated. sRGB images viewed on these displays will look "normal", even when a non-color managed application is used.

QUESTION: My video graphics adapter card has a control panel that includes some color controls such as saturation. Can I just use these controls to de-saturate the colors on my wide color gamut monitor when I'm viewing non-color managed images or video?

ANSWER: These saturation controls normally apply to all colors equally. However with a wide color gamut display, typically the red and green are much more saturated than sRGB, but the blue is typically very close to sRGB. Therefore using this control can cause blue to become under saturated. Beware of this issue if using this approach. Using these controls may also interfere with the SpectraView calibration because they may not be able to be reset by applications other than the control panel.

QUESTION: Will there ever be a display that can reproduce all of the ProPhoto color gamut?

ANSWER: No. The ProPhoto color gamut contains imaginary colors that can not be reproduced.

 

Display Monitor Questions

QUESTION: What is the Auto Luminance feature and when would I want to use it?

ANSWER: The Auto Luminance feature, available on the LCD2490WUXi, LCD2490WUXi2, LCD2690WUXi, LCD2690WUXi2 and LCD3090WQXi, uses an internal sensor to constantly measure the luminance of the CCFL backlight used to illuminate the LCD panel and generate an image. These measurements are used to regulate the luminance of the backlight so it remains as constant as possible despite changes due to temperature variations and normal ageing of the display.

Using the Auto Luminance feature means that the display won't need to be calibrated as often and that it will become stable in luminance sooner after powering on. Using this feature will increase the calibration time slightly, and may have a very slight impact on the contrast ratio of the display when calibrated. The Auto Luminance will not be used if the Target setting is near to or above the maximum possible Intensity of the display, or with Targets with Maximum Possible Intensity selected.

QUESTION: I locked the On Screen Display controls on the display using SpectraView. How can I unlock the controls?

ANSWER: In SpectraView deselect the "Calibration On" checkbox to unlock the controls. See the Users Manual for your model of display for the specific procedure to unlock the controls without using SpectraView.

QUESTION: The power indicator LED on the display is too bright and distracting. Can it be turned off?

ANSWER: The brightness and color of the LED can be controlled for most models of display using the controls in the Monitor Settings dialog available on the Tools menu in SpectraView.

QUESTION: How do I determine if I should use the ColorComp feature on my display?

ANSWER: Use the White Screen Background test pattern available in the Monitor Settings dialog available on the Tools menu to evaluate the screen uniformity. If there are any areas of the screen that appear non-uniform and present a problem with your color workflow and evaluation, try enabling the ColorComp control and adjust the slider control and see if the areas improve. Find the minimum setting that provides the best acceptable improvement. Each display will be different so there is no ideal setting for all displays.

QUESTION: What are the drawbacks of using ColorComp?

ANSWER: ColorComp will decrease the maximum luminance of the display in order to make the overall luminance and color more uniform. The extent of the luminance decrease will depend on the ColorComp level selected and the individual characteristics of the display.

QUESTION: Why doesn't the ColorComp control make any improvements to the uniformity of black across the screen?

ANSWER: The ColorComp feature improves the color uniformity of the display by applying a factory measured correction to the display that reduces the luminance of any bright areas on the display screen so the overall luminance and color is uniform. Since it is not possible to reduce the luminance of pure black on the screen, ColorComp can not improve the uniformity of black.

QUESTION: If I change the ColorComp setting, do I need to recalibrate the display?

ANSWER: Ideally you should recalibrate after changing this setting.

QUESTION: What type of LCD panel is used in the display monitor?

ANSWER:

LCD1990SX - 19.0 inch, PVA.

LCD1990SXi - 19.0 inch, S-IPS.

LCD2090UXi - 20.1 inch, IPS A-TW.

LCD2190UXi - 21.3 inch, SA-SFT.

LCD2490WUXi - 24.1 inch widescreen, H-IPS A-TW.

LCD2490WUXi2 - 24.1 inch widescreen, eH-IPS A.

LCD2690WUXi - 25.5 inch widescreen, wide color gamut, H-IPS A-TW.

LCD2690WUXi2 - 25.5 inch widescreen, wide color gamut, H-IPS.

LCD3090WQXi - 29.8 inch widescreen, wide color gamut, H-IPS.

P221W - 22.0 inch widescreen, wide color gamut, S-PVA.

QUESTION: What is an A-TW (Advanced True White) polarizer and what are the benefits and drawbacks?

ANSWER: The A-TW filter is an additional film that is applied to some LCD panels with the aim of improving off-axis viewing of the display by reducing the "glow" effect that can be seen when viewing very dark images at extreme angles on S-IPS LCD panels. While it does reduce the glow effect, it can also introduce a slight coloration artifact that causes the glow to appear green when viewed from one angle, and magenta from another.

QUESTION: Which models use an A-TW (Advanced True White) polarizer?

ANSWER: The LCD2090UXi, LCD2490WUXi, and LCD2690WUXi use an A-TW polarizer. The LCD2490WUXi2, LCD2690WUXi2, LCD3090WQXi and other models do not.

QUESTION: I just received and unpacked my display monitor and I noticed that there are several bright patches around the edge of the screen when I look at a black screen. Is the monitor defective?

ANSWER: Almost all LCD panels will have some slight light leakage around the edge of the screen when viewed with a black screen - especially when viewed at an angle, and on larger screens. Additionally, pressure and stress on the LCD panel edges due to packaging and shipping can increase this effect temporarily. Allow the display a few days after being unpackaged to reach its optimal performance as the stress on the LCD panel is released. Do not place any heavy items on the top of the display. Do not leave the color sensor resting against the screen for longer than necessary. Never apply pressure to the screen or use suction cups to hold the color sensor in place.

QUESTION: How often do I need to calibrate my display?

ANSWER: The answer will depend on how critical a level of color accuracy is necessary, how long the monitor is used per day, environmental conditions and the characteristics of each individual monitor. Some users working in highly critical color applications may calibrate their displays every few days. Others may only need to do it once a month. The recommended and default re-calibration period is every 2 weeks. The Validate Calibration feature can always be used to verify the display’s white point and Intensity and determine if the monitor needs to be re-calibrated. Always remember to allow the monitor sufficient time to warm up and reach optimum color performance before performing any color critical work or calibrating the display.

In general a brand new display will need to be calibrated more often than one that has been in use for several months.

QUESTION: I read that some display models have an Ambient Light sensor. Wouldn't this impact the calibration results when the ambient lighting changes?

ANSWER: This feature is automatically disabled when you calibrate using SpectraView. Always try and maintain consistent ambient lighting conditions when performing color critical work.

QUESTION: How can I access the Advanced OSD (On Screen Display) menu on an LCD90 series display?

ANSWER: Follow these steps:

1. Power off the monitor by pressing the power button.
   
   
2. Hold down the INPUT button.
   
   
3. Turn on the monitor by pressing the power button while continuing to hold the INPUT button.
   
   
4. After 4 seconds release the INPUT button.
   
   
5. The Advanced OSD menu should be shown.

QUESTION: My video card claims to support 10 bit color depth when using analog video. Should I use analog instead of the 8 bit digital video to take advantage of this extra bit depth?

ANSWER: No. While the Digital-to-Analog-Converters on the video card may support 10 bits, nothing else in the video chain does, including the Operating System and application software. There is absolutely no advantage of using 10 bit analog video and it will actually have much lower performance than using 8 bit digital.

QUESTION: How does the NEC hood attach to the display?

ANSWER: The hood is custom made for the 90 series displays and attaches via a series of clips that fit into holes on the back of the display. A flap on the top of the hood allows a color measurement sensor to be lowered into place for calibrating the display without having to remove the hood.

QUESTION: Can the NEC hood be used when the display is oriented in portrait mode?

ANSWER: No. The hood was not designed for this orientation.

QUESTION: Is a hood available for the P221W or 19" and 20" 90 series displays?

ANSWER: No. We do not currently make a custom hood in these sizes.

QUESTION: I have a new Apple Mac with Mini DisplayPort video output. Which DisplayPort to DVI adapter do I need?

ANSWER: The Mini DisplayPort to SingleLink DVI adapter will be able to show full native resolution on all displays except the LCD3090WQXi. The Mini DisplayPort to DualLink DVI adapter is required on the LCD3090WQXi in order to display the full 2560x1600 native resolution. Note: It is currently (as of OS 10.5.7) necessary to use the SingleLink adapter when calibrating the LCD3090WQXi with SpectraView II. Therefore both adapters are required. See the README file for the SpectraView software for more details.

 

LCD3090WQXi Specific Questions

QUESTION: The LCD3090WQXi has a self calibration feature and I can connect my X-Rite iOne Display V2 sensor and calibrate the monitor. Do I still need the SpectraView calibration software?

ANSWER: It depends on the particular application that the monitor is being used for and the software being used. If the software is color management aware, then normally an ICC/ColorSync display profile is needed in order to accurately convert images for viewing. Since the self calibration feature of the LCD3090WQXi is entirely self contained within the monitor, it can not generate an ICC/ColorSync profile on your system. Also the flexibility of the self calibration feature is limited compared to what can be done with the SpectraView software. So in these cases it is recommended to use the SpectraView calibration software to calibrate and profile the display monitor.

QUESTION: I connected the X-Rite iOne Display V2 color sensor to the USB port on the LCD3090WQXi and SpectraView reports that it can not detect a supported color sensor. What is wrong?

ANSWER: The USB port on the LCD3090WQXi is for using the self calibration feature only. When calibrating using SpectraView the color sensor must be connected to a USB port on the host system and not to the display directly.

QUESTION: What sensors are supported by the self calibration feature on the LCD3090WQXi?

ANSWER: The X-Rite iOne Display V2 is the only sensor supported by the self calibration feature.

QUESTION: I noticed that the top of the LCD panel on the LCD3090WQXi moves slightly if I push it. Is this normal?

ANSWER: Yes. In order to reduce pressure points around the edge of the LCD panel which could cause screen uniformity problems, it is suspended within the monitor frame. Some slight movement is normal, but care should be taken never to apply any pressure to the screen surface.

 

LCD2690WUXi and LCD2690WUXi2 Specific Questions

QUESTION: What are the differences between the LCD2690WUXi and LCD2690WUXi2

ANSWER: The following are the main changes made to the LCD2690WUXi2:

1. The color gamut has been increased and the green primary now almost exactly match those of AdobeRGB. The red and blue primaries exceed that of AdobeRGB.
   
   
2. The contrast ratio has been improved from 800:1 to 1000:1.
   
   
3. The maximum typical luminance has decreased from 400 to 320 cd/m².
   
   
4. The white point of the sRGB Emulation mode can now be calibrated by SpectraView.
   
   
5. A shortcut feature has been added on the On Screen Display to make it easier to switch between different color modes such as Programmable (calibrated) and sRGB Emulation.

QUESTION: How can I use the On Screen Display shortcut on the LCD2690WUXi2 to quickly switch between calibrated wide color gamut mode, and sRGB Emulation mode?

ANSWER: When the OSD is not displayed, press the RESET button (top button on the right side of the screen). This will bring up the PICTURE MODE menu. Then use the LEFT or RIGHT buttons to switch between sRGB and PROGRAMMABLE modes. The PROGRAMMABLE mode is the wide color gamut mode that was calibrated by SpectraView. The STANDARD mode can be used for any custom settings not relating to sRGB or SpectraView.

QUESTION: Is there any way to upgrade the firmware in my LCD2690WUXi to that of the newer LCD2690WUXi2?

ANSWER: Unfortunately, no.

QUESTION: Why has the A-TW (Advanced True White) filter not available on the LCD2690WUXi2?

ANSWER: It has been discontinued and is no longer available from the supplier.

 

LCD2490WUXi and LCD2490WUXi2 Specific Questions

QUESTION: What are the differences between the LCD2490WUXi and LCD2490WUXi2

ANSWER: The following are the main changes made to the LCD2490WUXi2:

1. The color gamut has been modified slightly to more closely match that of sRGB. The sRGB coverage is 96.7% (vs 93.5% on the LCD2490WUXi) in CIE xy.
2. The contrast ratio has been improved from 800:1 to 1000:1.
3. The maximum typical luminance has decreased from 400 to 320 cd/m².

 

Color Application Specific Questions

QUESTION: How can I make sure the ICC Color profile by SpectraView is being used by Adobe Photoshop for color management?

ANSWER: The profile associated with the Primary display can be easily checked in Photoshop using the following steps:

1. Open the Color Settings dialog in Photoshop from the Edit menu.
   
   
2. Click on the Working Spaces RGB listbox so it opens.
   
   
3. Look near the top of the list for an entry starting with "Monitor RGB - ". The text shown after this is the description tag of the ICC profile that Photoshop is current using for the primary display. DO NOT SELECT THIS. Just confirm it is listed and is the same as the profile shown in "ICC Profile" in the "Information Summary" window in SpectraView.

QUESTION: I'm using a wide color gamut display. What color working space should I be using inside my color application?

ANSWER: This will depend on the source images and what you intend to output them to. Many modern inkjet printers can output colors that are beyond even AdobeRGB, especially along the blue-red axis, so a larger working space such as ProPhoto is recommended. It is also recommended to work in 16 bit depth rather than 8 bits when using large working spaces such as ProPhoto.

QUESTION: I'm using a wide color gamut display, but my color managed workflow uses the sRGB colorspace. Should I set the display to the sRGB Emulation mode Target?

ANSWER: No. Because your application is color managed it will correctly handle converting your image from sRGB to the monitor's color gamut when displaying an image. You only need to use the sRGB Emulation mode if your are using non-color managed applications and require that images be displayed in sRGB.

QUESTION: I'm using dual displays, one of which is a wide color gamut. My web browser is color managed, however when I move a browser window to the wide color gamut display, colors are oversaturated. What is going on?

ANSWER: Currently all web browsers that are color managed (e.g. Safari and Firefox 3 [with the color management option enabled]) only use the ICC/ColorSync profile for the primary display for color correction. This means that even if a browser window is moved to the secondary display, it is still (incorrectly) using the color correction for the primary display.

Also Safari assumes that all images that do not have an embedded ICC profile are unmanaged and are not color corrected. Only images that have an ICC profile are corrected. Firefox 3 correctly assumes that all images that do not have an embedded ICC profile are in sRGB colorspace.

QUESTION: Which web browsers support color management?

ANSWER:

Internet Explorer does not support color management on Windows.

FireFox 3 and later support color management but it must be manually enabled (see below). All untagged (no embedded color profile) images are assumed to be sRGB and are color managed. Note that only the primary display is correctly color managed.

Safari is color managed and enabled by default. All untagged images are not color managed. Note that only the primary display is correctly color managed.

QUESTION: I'm using the Safari web browser, which is supposed to be color managed, however some images appear overly saturated on my wide color gamut display, while others appear normal. What is wrong?

ANSWER: Safari assumes that all images that do not have an embedded ICC profile are unmanaged and are not color managed. Only images that have an ICC profile are corrected. Be sure to embed an ICC profile in each image file if you want to make sure it will appear correctly on Safari, even if the image colorspace is sRGB.

QUESTION: How can I enable color management on Firefox 3?

ANSWER: Follow these steps to enable color management:

1. Type "about:config" in the address bar of Firefox 3.
   
   
2. Click thru to the confirmation page and find the following line in the list: "gfx.color_management.enabled".
   
   
3. Double click that line so it says "true".
   
   
4. Restart Firefox 3.

QUESTION: My prints don't match what I am seeing in Photoshop on my display. What could be wrong?

ANSWER: This is a very difficult question to answer given the huge number of variables involved. Some general hints are given below:

1. Confirm that your display monitor and printer profiles are correctly installed and associated.
   
   
2. Confirm that Photoshop or other application being used is configured to use these profiles. You should never use the display monitor's ICC/ColorSync profile as the color workspace.
   
   
3. Confirm that you are using the correct printer profile for your particular printer, and the type of paper being used. Be aware that print colors change drastically depending on the paper being used, so it is vital to obtain and use the correct printer profile for the combination of printer, inks and paper.
   
   
4. If possible use a printer profiling package to generate an accurate profile of your printer and paper combination.
   
   
5. Most inkjet prints will change color as they dry. Allow sufficient time for drying before evaluating color.
   
   
6. Make sure that any colors you are evaluating are not either outside of the display or the printer's color gamut.
   
   
7. Make sure that you are using Photoshop or other application correctly in order to do a "proof colors". Note that most applications no not show a "printer simulation" or "softproof" by default and these modes must be specifically selected. See the documentation for your imaging application and other resources for more information on this complex topic.
   
   
8. Make sure that the printer's control panel is correctly configured when printing. In some cases it may be necessary to disable the color management in the printer driver. See the documentation for your printer and other resources for more information on this complex topic.
   
   
9. Review the lighting conditions being used to evaluate your prints. The lighting should be consistent and of known characteristics. The use of a lightbox is highly recommended. The area surrounding your workspace should ideally be neutral in color and relatively dark to avoid influencing visual judgment. Daylight should not be used to evaluate color if possible because of the huge variation in color during the day.
   
   
10. Depending on the lighting conditions, it may be necessary to choose a different Intensity and/or White Point when calibrating the display using SpectraView.

QUESTION: I'm using multiple monitors in Windows and am trying to verify that the ICC profiles have been correctly assigned to each display by looking in Color Management tab on the Advanced Display Properties. However sometimes the same profile is shown for both displays. Is this wrong?

ANSWER: The information shown in the Color Management tab on the Advanced Display Properties in Windows can sometimes become out of sync and incorrectly report which ICC profile is associated with each display.

A more advanced control panel is available from Microsoft for Windows XP which is much more reliable for checking the assigned monitor profile. On the Microsoft website, search for “Color Control Panel Applet”.

QUESTION: In Adobe Lightroom all of my images display as gray rectangles. What could be wrong?

ANSWER: This can occur when an ICC/ColorSync profile is either corrupt or incorrectly installed. Try deleting or regenerating the profile, or temporarily assign a different profile to the display.

 

SpectraView Functionality and Calibration Questions

QUESTION: Can I transfer SpectraView calibration Targets created on one machine to another?

ANSWER: Yes. Starting with SpectraView version 1.1.00 all Target files are cross platform between Mac, Windows, and Linux so it is possible to send Target files to other users on different machines.

QUESTION: If I calibrate the display on one machine, can I then move it to another machine (or switch to a machine connect using another video input on the display) and have it keep the calibration?

ANSWER: If you are using analog (VGA or DVI-A) video then this is not recommended because there can be variances between the analog video signal levels on different machines that can impact the calibration.

If you are using digital video then it is possible to do this, however you should confirm that the display is set to the correct mode since some settings are video input and video resolution specific.

Confirm that the Gamma Selection is set to "PRG Programmable" and the Color Control is set to "P Programmable" by using the On Screen Display menu.

The ICC/ColorSync file generated on one machine should be located and manually copied to the other machine and associated with the display so that color managed applications are aware of the color characteristics of the display monitor. 

QUESTION: (Mac OS only) Why can’t I use the ColorSync control panel to switch between different display calibrations like I can do with other monitors?

ANSWER: When used with the SpectraView software, NEC display monitors store all of the necessary color adjustments internally, including the 10 or 12 bit Look Up Tables. The ColorSync utility switches the display color settings by changing the Look Up Tables in the video graphics adapter. The ColorSync profiles generated by SpectraView contain linear Look Up Tables for the video graphics adapter. Therefore the SpectraView software must be used to update the display monitor.

QUESTION: When I change to a different calibrated Target in SpectraView by selecting it on the Target list, do I need to manually change the ICC/ColorSync profile?

ANSWER: No. SpectraView will automatically regenerate the correct ICC/ColorSync profile for the current calibrated Target settings and install it on your system.

QUESTION: Can SpectraView calibrate a non-NEC or non-supported NEC display monitor?

ANSWER: No. SpectraView is targeted specifically at providing the best possible color performance and calibration with the supported NEC displays using hardware calibration. Other displays can be profiled but not calibrated in SpectraView.

QUESTION: I’m using two different displays and calibrating both to the same target, however the white points do not match exactly. What can I do to improve this?

ANSWER: This issue can be caused by the different spectral outputs of the two displays causing the human eye to see color differences differently than the color sensor used to calibrate the displays. In this case the numerical measurements from the color sensor are identical on both displays, but they do not visually match. Manually visually matching one display to another can usually avoid this issue. The basic steps to take are as follows:

1. Calibrate both displays.
   
   
2. Pick one of the displays to be a reference. Call this display #1.
   
   
3. Select display #2 in SpectraView and open the Custom White Point dialog. Use the Visual Match tool to adjust the white color so it visually matches white shown on display #1.
   
   
4. When a visual match is achieved, put the sensor over the measurement area and click Measure. This will enter the value that the sensor perceives into the White Point. Save this as a new Target.
   
   
5. Recalibrate display #2 with this new Target. From now on always use the respective Target to calibrate each display.

QUESTION: Each time I calibrate my monitor I receive a different Delta-E result. Should I recalibrate again if I receive a value that is high?

ANSWER: For Delta-E values of less than 2 there is almost certainly no need to recalibrate. For values higher than 3 it is important to understand what the cause is, and if it is significant.

The calibration and adjustment process has inherent variability due to many factors such as the repeatability of color sensor measurements, and changes within the display as it is adjusted. The basic accuracy and repeatability specifications for most sensors are typically +/- 0.002 or higher for CIE xy, and +/- 2% for luminance. These variances alone can give rise to Delta-E values of up to 2 or 3.
 

When a specific Intensity value is being used for the calibration, the Delta-E value is comprised of the luminance and color differences. Differences in color are much more critical than a difference in relative luminance. Look at the results of the calibration shown in the Information window to determine if the high Delta-E value is caused mainly by a shift in color or in luminance.
 

High Delta-E values can also occur if a specific Intensity value is being used for the calibration and the display is not capable of achieving the specified Intensity value. The calibration will always aim to achieve the specified White Point, even if the Intensity value could not be reached. If the display can not be calibrated to achieve the specified Intensity value modify the value accordingly.
 

In some situations, the display Intensity will drift slightly for several minutes after it is adjusted. Since the measured value used to calculate the final Delta-E result is taken up to one or two minutes after the display was adjusted, a higher Delta-E value may be shown, even though the calibration process achieved the specified Target values during the calibration process. Selecting the Extended luminance stabilization time option in the Preferences can be used to try and minimize this effect.

QUESTION: The Delta-E result values shown in SpectraView are higher than those shown in other display calibration applications. Does that mean they are better at calibrating the display than SpectraView?

ANSWER: No. SpectraView calculates the Delta-E values using both the luminance and color differences for more realistic and accurate values. Other applications may calculate Delta-E differently.

QUESTION: After calibration I manually adjusted some of the monitor controls to get a better color match for my particular application. What happens the next time I calibrate the monitor?

ANSWER: The manual adjustments will be reset by the calibration process. In general it is not a good idea to manually adjust the monitor after calibration because it not only invalidates the calibration and ICC/ColorSync profile, but also means that the adjustments will be lost the next time the monitor is calibrated.
 

If you still feel it is necessary to tweak the display after calibration, a much better approach is to create a new Target file based from the measurements of the display after it has been manually adjusted. That way the monitor will be automatically calibrated to that particular set of characteristics the next time it is calibrated. Use the Custom White Point tool to measure and set the white point and Intensity values.

QUESTION: Where are the Target files used by SpectraView stored on my system:

ANSWER: On Windows 2000 and XP:

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS\SpectraView II\Targets\

On Windows Vista:

\Users\Public\Public Documents\NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS\SpectraView II\Targets\

On Mac OS:

/Users/<user name>/Library/Application Support/NEC Display Solutions/SpectraView II/Targets

QUESTION: Where are the Preference files used by SpectraView stored on my system:

ANSWER: On Windows 2000 and XP:

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS\SpectraView II\Config.dat

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS\SpectraView II\Preferences.dat

On Windows Vista:

\Users\Public\Public Documents\NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS\SpectraView II\Config.dat

\Users\Public\Public Documents\NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS\SpectraView II\Preferences.dat

On Mac OS:

/Users/<user name>/Library/Preferences/com.necdisplays.SpectraView II.preferences.prefs

/Users/<user name>/Library/Preferences/com.necdisplays.SpectraView II.config.prefs

QUESTION: Where are the ICC/ColorSync profiles generated by SpectraView stored on my system:

ANSWER: On Windows 2000, XP and Vista :

\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color

On Mac OS with the "Shared by all users of this computer" setting for the storage selected:

/Library/ColorSync/Profiles

On Mac OS with the "Per user of this computer" setting for the storage selected:

/Users/<user name>/Library/ColorSync/Profiles

QUESTION: I want to install a previous version of SpectraView on my Mac, but the installer will not let me downgrade.

ANSWER: Go to the "/Library/Receipts" folder and delete the file called "SpectraView II Installer.pkg". Re-install using the installer application.

QUESTION: What version of ICC/ColorSync monitor profile is generated by SpectraView.

ANSWER: Version 2.1

QUESTION: The "DICOM Conformance" graphs in the Information window in SpectraView are always empty. Why is this?

ANSWER: These graphs will only show data when the monitor is calibrated to a Target that uses the DICOM response curve. DICOM is normally only used for medical imaging applications.

QUESTION: (Windows only) Why aren't the device drivers for my color sensor device installed by SpectraView?

ANSWER: SpectraView will automatically install the device drivers for the iOne Display color sensor. However it is assumed that if you are using a 3rd party sensor, then the software that came with it will have already installed the drivers for the device. If you did not install the 3rd party software then the device drivers will need to be manually installed.

Drivers for all sensors are available on the SpectraView II CD-ROM or in the \Program Files\NEC Display Solutions\SpectraView II\Drivers folder after installing SpectraView (on 64 bit versions of Windows the folder location is  \Program Files (x86)\NEC Display Solutions\SpectraView II\Drivers).

QUESTION: (Windows only) I tried to install a newer version of SpectraView, but instead it un-installed the previous version when I ran the setup application. Is this normal?

ANSWER: Yes. The installer will first un-install any previous version, and must then be run again to install the new version. This ensures that any older files are removed.