THX tune-up™ Review

Most people who own a TV don't take advantage of its customizable picture settings to get the full, high quality image it is capable of. THX tune-up™ solves this problem by offering a fantastic utility that helps people get the most out of their television and sound system. The app walks users through each step in adjusting color, contrast, aspect ratio, and much more. It's a great tool, but may only be used once or twice, depending on how many televisions are owned.

In order to get the most out of the app, users need to connect it to their TV either by using a digital AV adapter or through Apple TV's Airplay. For surround sound, a cable must be used, as Airplay is not supported. Once connected to the TV, users must select their equipment to get started. The app then proceeds to automatically play an audio clip of a narrator explaining exactly what to do with each adjustment. The picture adjustments include aspect ratio, brightness, contrast, color, and tint. The audio adjustments include speaker assignment and phase.

Each category is accompanied by an explanation of what the adjustment does and how to change it to the proper setting. For example, for brightness, users will see a picture of several numbered squares of varying shades. The narration directs users to adjust the brightness setting so that the ninth box is barely visible. Additionally, users may tap on the "photo" button to see an image with a dark pattern in the background. Each adjustment is accompanied by a high quality photo so that users can verify that they have made the appropriate adjustment. Other adjustments, such as color, utilize the iPhone's camera feature to help make the proper setting.

At times, the narration may be lengthy and need to be paused or replayed so as to better understand the directions. There are buttons at the top of the screen for pausing and replaying the last few seconds. I found these buttons to be particularly helpful, as I needed to hear the directions a few times so I could accurately perform the adjustment. However, there does not seem to be a fast forward feature which would also be very helpful.

I was surprised that I actually had to make an adjustment in each category. My TV's settings weren't far off, but I did notice a difference in what the settings were and where they ended up after I completed all the adjustments. At the end, users may review all of their adjustments and watch a high definition THX trailer to see how it looks on their TV.

THX tune-up™ is absolutely a fantastic tool for properly adjusting TV video settings and sound systems. The user interface is intuitive and very well designed. However, users should keep in mind that once the adjustments are made, the app is unlikely to be used again, until a new TV is purchased, or their toddler takes the remote and changes all the settings.