The trouble with hunting for an HDTV is that the clerks at most retailers futz up the contrast and brightness and then show cartoons with unbearably saturated colors. Before you buy one, you'd better re-calibrate those suckers to see what they really look like. Trouble is, calibrating an HDTV requires serious hardware or at least a DVD with the right test pattern that has to be cued up properly. The Calibug is meant to solve this problem. It's a USB drive with hundreds of DVD test patterns on it. You plug this into your CPU, then use a VGA- or DVI-out to get it on the HDTV screen. The keyfob version is $129, and there's a $149 version that includes a knife for gouging the eyes out of that clerk who screwed up the signal in the first place.

The CALIBUG HDTV - It's Time to Calibrate Your HD Display [eHome Upgrade]

Contact information for this author is not available.