SHARE: monitor calibration tool

[dudlo]

Would you like to share a monitor calibration tool (GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2)?

I've been quietly lurking here for months learning about photography (not much posting though). As I dove into post-processing, I realized the value of having my monitor calibrated. Unfortunately, I am too cheap to shell out some $250-350 for a calibration puck. However, I noticed that I am not alone in this sentiment as many people here pondered such purchase and attempted various improvisations with free software and adjust-until-it-seems-right approach.

If the purchase price is too much for a single person, what if several individuals pooled together to buy it? Once you calibrate the monitor, it pretty much stays calibrated for weeks. The manufacturers recommend re-calibration every two weeks but people do it once a month or every other month (the monitor does not drift that much once calibrated). If eight people (or so) shared the device, they could have it rotated among themselves for initial calibration and then recalibration roughly every 8 weeks.
Would you be interested in such approach? This is how it could work:

- you pay $30 to buy your share of the tool. Note this is not rental or service fee; it's your share of the device.
- you receive the tool, calibrate your monitor(s) and send it promptly to the next person. You are responsible for shipping charges (about $6-8 for Ground shipment with tracking). I live in Dallas, TX so if you are local you could save on shipping.
- you receive the tool again in 8 weeks or so
- contiguous USA only (to avoid customs and long shipping time)

The whole system would work on trust:
- you trust me that I'm not going to scam you. I do not know how to prove this is not some scheme; perhaps just that if this were a real fraud, I would have chosen a less labor-intensive process. I understand this may be the biggest hurdle. If you do not feel right about it, just don't do it.
- I trust you that you won't simply keep the device. The fact that seven other people know your email address and mailing address is a big enough deterrent, I think.
- I trust that you calibrate the monitor within a day or two of receiving the device (barring unexpected circumstances like the device being broken) and send it to the next person. A typical ground shipment takes 2-4 days. When you add 1-2 days of using it, I think it is safe to estimate a week or less of turnaround time.

There is a good review of calibration hardware at http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/m...tion_tools.htm. Of the "top three", I'm thinking of GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2 at $240. It offers good performance at a good price and it does not have software licensing limitation - their product brochure states "Use at multiple workstations – no additional licensing fee"; I have also called and checked with them that this arrangement would not break their software license. However, I think most of them will do a decent job and I am open to other suggestions (provided we can use it without breaking the software license). At this time, I'm thinking of monitor calibration, only. The packages that include printer and scanner calibration would probably not work in this mode as there are more variables (ink, paper) that would require more frequent calibration.

If you are interested, send me some PM. I will reply to all questions/comments. If I get 4-5 people interested to start, I'll purchase the device and I'll set up some area for administration, probably a private Yahoo Group or something similar.

Thank you,
Peter

[Hogleg 44]

I am interested. I have been thinking exactly the same thing. I have a colorvision pro, but it seems to be rated near the bottom of the list, but I got it pretty cheap at Fry's with a rebate. I would like to try something better.

I have an email from "Picto Marketplace" offering this for March at the price of $224. Picto is the dealer that markets the iCorrect Edit Lab Software,

http://www.pictomarketplace.com/gret...e_display2.htm

This is currently the best deal around on this product.

I'll go in on this purchase.

This Picto deal may be a limited time offer. The Email says March, but I didn't see a time limit on the web page.

[JamesB]

I have the spyder calibrator, its the older one, not the new version 2.

it will do CRT and LCD monitors, Im willing to share

here is a link to a review of it at DPreview
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0211/02...derspecial.asp

James

[Bill Huber]

I have the same one as JamesB and I am sharing it now, its in KC right now but when it gets back and someone whats to use it just let me know. I am in the DFW are and we would not even have to ship it, We could just meet for a shot and you could take it with you.

I will post when it get back in town.

[gene74]

Im interested. Does it work for all monitors? Do you have to uninstall the software once its calibrated?

[Bill Huber]

Originally Posted by gene74

Im interested. Does it work for all monitors? Do you have to uninstall the software once its calibrated?

With the units that JamesB and I have, no you don't have to uninstall the software. It will right out a profile for your monitor and then you just have that profile loaded at start up.
The whole operation take just a few min. to do and then once it done you don't have to worry about it until something changes.

[Gordon]

Usually even 'multiworkstation' licenses are locked down to one geographical location. If they really let you send it around the country that would be quite revolutionary. Are you sure they understood that you planned to mail it around various cities and states ?

[Bill Huber]

Originally Posted by GordonMcGregor

Usually even 'multiworkstation' licenses are locked down to one geographical location. If they really let you send it around the country that would be quite revolutionary. Are you sure they understood that you planned to mail it around various cities and states ?

That is right, but if I sell you the unit then you own it now and you can do what ever you want, right.

I know that is a real sticky subject and you have some very good points.

[Hogleg 44]

Originally Posted by GordonMcGregor

Technically doing this is illegal, so I don't know how much you'd want to publically advertise that you were going to do this.

You buy a license to run the software on one computer, not a group of people - that's why they'll sell bundle licenses for multiple machines.

As every time you switch on the computer, you run the profiling software to apply the custom profile, this is certainly breaking the license agreement and the copyright laws.

Normally I wouldn't post, but most photographers are such sticklers for getting upset when someone violates their copyrights and uses one of their pictures without permission, so ...

I would imagine that this is more of a "Hardware Tool' than software, so I'm not quite sure that it would be the same thing as passing around your copy of Photoshop.
I'm sure that it would be expected by the mfgr that a 'tool' would be used on more than one monitor.

[labguy]

there is software involved in calibration. same as distrubiting copies of Photoshop, or customers copying your photos, none of us would like that.

you can buy a "home" edition of the spyder for about $89 and its yours to keep. and it is pretty accurate.

we haave customers using the home edition and results are nearly the same as the pro versions.

[dudlo]

All,

Thank you for your responses. I'd like to address the licensing question first before it spirals out of control.

I would be the last to propagate pirated or non-legal use of software. I do understand (and read) license agreements. Some of the companies, like ColorVision (Spyder) and X-rite (Monaco Optics) have different version of their products - low end and high end. The high end uses the same hardware but has more features in the software; thus the software license is more restrictive. Their license talks about "site" license or "unlimited site" or five-seat license (in case of Monaco Optix XR Pro). The terms are well defined and it would not work for the arrangement I proposed here - that's why I eliminated XR Pro.

However, GretagMacbeth has only one version of Eye-One Display2. And their license says unlimited use. It is not a site license. The product brochure spells it: http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/downloa...rochure-en.pdf
I even downloaded the software from
http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/mac/ind...software-2.htm
and read the license agreement. Mind you, this was before purchasing the product (I have not yet) - just by downloading and running the software. Anyone can do it (the software was not a patch/updade - it was the full calibration software) and not break the license. It would not do anything without the hardware but it would be legal.

Just to be on a safe side, I called GretagMacbeth, explained exactly what I was planning to do (basically read them a draft of my post) and asked them about legality of it. They said fine, as long as it is used with their hardware (dongle); it's not a problem. Mind you, I did not get the answer from a receptionist or an eager salesperson; they gave me a phone number to their Application development group and their manager called me back after consulting it with their IP lawyer/expert. They even mentioned the analogy of their software being a driver to the hardware; not an end product.

I understand how photographers are sensitive about copyright and intellectual property. I also believe this is legal and not breaking their software license. I hope we can put the legality issue to rest. This is not an "I think I'm OK" situation; this is "everything I've read and I even asked specifically points to being legal". I do not know how to be more clear than that.

Thank you for your understanding,
Peter

[JamesB]

we are sharing it for "educational purposes". Once the person I let borrow it calibrates their monitor to see how it works. They should "delete" the software and remove the calibration profile.

That way they can see if the calibration hardware software is right for them to go out and ummm..buy it when they get a chance.


James

[dudlo]

Paul,

Thank you for your interest. Indeed, that is the best price. Amazon.com sells it (Adorama through them) for $230; so you beat it. I have never purchased from or heard of pictomarketplace.com (can't find entry in resellerratings.com) but I assume you have done business with them before.

There's enough people to start so I'll go ahead and do it. Thus end of March deadline should not be a problem. I'll PM you to exchange email addresses.

Thank you,
Peter

[LoungeLizard]

I just spent the entire day yesterday attending a Graphics Intelligence Agency seminar on color management. GIA is a GretagMacBeth company.

Let me tell you that I learned more than I thought I would. The seminar was INCREDIBLE in the level of detail and practical knowledge. For the price, it included the Eye One Display 2 which I can't wait to actually use to make sure things are not as "whacky" as I think they are.

The guy teaching this thing was great and answered every single question anybody had. There were 30 people in the room, ranging from pro printshop level people to amateur photographers like me. He handled everyone's questions perfectly.

They will have another touring show later on this year that I will probably attend also. Of course, I'll try to negotiate a discount since I won't need the Eye One, but I highly recommend their stuff.

As far as the license issue you mentioned, the Eye One is an unlimited license and while he said that he wouldn't say he said so, he recommended excactly what you are doing for the higher priced items (he was talking about the other devices that allow you to calibrate/profile printers and scanners and that.)

Oh, they were using an HP DesignJet 130 for all the print demos. Man, that thing is SWEET!

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by dudlo

All,

Thank you for your responses. I'd like to address the licensing question first before it spirals out of control.

I understand how photographers are sensitive about copyright and intellectual property. I also believe this is legal and not breaking their software license. I hope we can put the legality issue to rest. This is not an "I think I'm OK" situation; this is "everything I've read and I even asked specifically points to being legal". I do not know how to be more clear than that.

Thank you for your understanding,
Peter

Certainly if their legal department say its okay, then its okay, I'd assume.

But the license on the software you point at says you are supposed to purchase expanded licenses for multiple users. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but I get to wrangle with enough license agreements for stuff like this that I've been bitten before with trying to move licenses around geographically. I'm sure in the long run, if it is just a group of half a dozen people, that GMB wouldn't bother anyway.


This End-User License Agreement ("Agreement") is a legal contract between You, a single individual user ("You"), and Gretag-Macbeth AG, Regensdorf, Switzerland ("GretagMacbeth")
...

iii) Multiple installation / Single Use at the time
The Software may be used by You on one single personal computer or workstation at the time. Specifically, You may install the Software on more than one computer at Your premises or at Your home at a time, however, the use of the Software must always be connected with the use of the dongle provided by GretagMacbeth. You are not permitted to circumvent the protection given by the dongle. Furthermore, it is not allowed to use the Software or to network the Software to multiple computers or terminals without first obtaining an expanded license from GretagMacbeth to cover such additional users and computers. GretagMacbeth may replace the dongle by any other means of protection without previous announcement.


On a more practical note, will their software run without the hardware present ? I would think it would, but the legalise seems to give the impression it wont. Typically the software must be run every time you reboot the computer - would be worth checking you don't need a dongle plugged in each time for this to happen, otherwise it wouldn't be much use. (The software has to run to re-program video card DACs appropriately for the user profile)