NEC Spectraview 1990 Users Manual

							
	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE 	|	1

Calibration
Question: How often do I need to calibrate my monitor?
Answer: The answer will depend on how critical a 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 couple of 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.
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: ( Mac OS only) I’m using a wide color gamut display together with the standard gamut screen on my 
MacBook. Colors in Safari look oversaturated when the window is on the w\
ide gamut display. What is wrong?
Answer: The color management in Safari and some other Mac applications will only apply color correction for the 
primary  display  (the  display  with  the  menu  bar).  When  a  window  is  moved  to  the  secondary  display,  the  correct 
color correction for that display is not applied. This causes the images to be oversaturated on the secondary display. 
To display colors correctly on the wide color gamut display it must be made the primary display. Use the Mac OS 
System Preferences - Displays to configure the display as the primary . 
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.
6	
Frequently	Asked	Questions
Downloaded	from	ManualMonitor.com	Manuals 
						

							
	 |	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE

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 is 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 monit\
or?
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.
 
						

							
	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE 	|	

Installation and Setup
Problem: Calibrate button is disabled.
Solution: The calibrate button is disabled for either of the following reasons:
No supported calibration sensor was detected.
No supported display monitor was detected.
See the following sections for further explanations. 
Problem: No supported monitor was detected.
Solution: 
Verify that the display monitor connected is a model supported by Spectra\
View II.
If more than one video output is present on the computer, try connecting to the other output connector. 
Always use a DVI video output if possible. 
Mac OS:
See the README file included with the software for further information about any specific incompatibilities  
or issues. Note that some Macs require at least OS 10.5.2 in order suppo\
rt the functionality necessary with 
SpectraView.
ÿ Windows:
Some video graphics adapter cards may not support the necessary function\
s for SpectraView to 
communicate with the display monitor. For Windows systems, verify that the video graphics adapter is 
supported by SpectraView by checking the Windows Graphics Chipset Compatibility Information. \
See the 
README file included with the software for further information. 
Install the latest video drivers for the video graphics adapter card.
Communications with the display monitor requires a special driver to be \
installed. This is installed and 
configured when SpectraView is installed, however any of the following changes may necessitate that 
SpectraView be re-installed to re-configure the driver:
Updating the video graphics adapter card driver.
Changing the monitor model
Changing the video port that the monitor is connected to.
Check the display configuration by clicking the Display Configuration button. In the Display 
Configuration dialog, confirm that your model of display monitor is listed. If it is not listed, then there is a 
problem communicating with and detecting the display monitor. If it is listed, confirm that the monitor is 
associated with the correct Windows desktop display.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
7	
Troubleshooting
Downloaded	from	ManualMonitor.com	Manuals 
						

							
	 |	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE

Problem: No supported calibration sensor was detected. 
Solution: 
Try reconnecting the calibration sensor and click the Auto Detect button in the Preferences dialog 
to re-detect the sensor. 
It may be necessary to close and re-launch the SpectraView application. 
(ÿ Windows) It may be necessary to install the drivers for the color sensor device.\
 Note that only 
the drivers for the X-Rite iOne devices are installed by the SpectraView setup application. Drivers for 
other devices must be installed manually. 
Problem: Severe color banding appears after calibrating on images and when the \
test pattern is shown.
Solution: 
Always use a DVI video output if possible. 
If an analog video signal must be used perform the following steps once \
prior to calibration: 
 
1. Display something on the screen that has both full black and full whi\
te, such as the Test Pattern in 
SpectraView. 
 
2. On the monitor’s On Screen Display, select and operate the AUTO CONTRAST control. 
 
3. Proceed with the calibration. 
Problem (ÿ Windows): The ICC profile generated by SpectraView does not appear to be correctly installed 
and recognized in Windows. 
Solution: 
This problem may occur especially when using a multi-monitor configuration. In some cases 
updating the video driver may fix this issue.
The profile can be manually assigned if necessary as follows: 
1. In the Windows Display Properties control panel, select the Settings tab and click Advanced. 
 
2. Select the Color Management tab on the Display Properties dialog.  
 
3. Find the color profile generated by SpectraView and use Set As Default.
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 www.microsoft.com website, search for “Color 
Control Panel Applet”.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
 
						

							
	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE 	|	

Using SpectraView with NaViSet Administrator ( ÿ Windows version only)
The  SpectraView  II  software  integrates  with  the  NEC  DISPLAY  SOLUTIONS NaViSet Administrator  software  to 
provide remote administration of  the display monitors on networked machines. NaViSet Administrator will report all 
of the current SpectraView settings and the current calibration status within the NaViSet Administrator Console 
application. 
When  using  the Single  Connection  feature  of  NaViSet  Administrator  to  administer  a  remote  machine,  the 
SpectraView information will be shown in the monitor metadata report. 
When using the Monitor Asset Report feature to poll and gather information about the display monitors on multiple 
remote machines, the SpectraView information can be included in the Output Monitor Asset Report file by selecting 
the items to include in the report in the Configuration Wizard.
8	
NaViSet	Administrator
Example metadata report showing the SpectraView settings using the Single Connection feature.
 
						

							
	 |	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE

9	
Test	Pattern	Guide
The SpectraView II software includes several test patterns that are useful in evaluating the monitor calibration. It is 
also good practice to use the Test Patterns to quickly visually verify the integrity of the calibration\
. 
A  pattern  based  on  the  DICOM  TG18-GC  test  pattern  has  a  number  of  useful  features  that  allow  very  detailed 
analysis  of  the  monitor  grayscale  performance  in  one  pattern.  The  main  features  of  this  pattern  are  described 
below. 
“QUALITY  CONTROL”  characters with decreasing contrasts at minimum, mid-point, and maximum pixel values for  simple  low-contrast  evaluation  at three luminance levels.
Sixteen  luminance  patches  with  pixel  values varying  from  8  to  248  for  luminance  response evaluation.  Each  patch  contains  four  small 10x10    pixel  corner  patches  at  ±4  of  pixel  value difference  from  the  background,  +4  in  upper-left and  lower-right,  -4  in lower-left  and  upper-right. The small patches are used for visual assessment of luminance response.
Two  patches  of  minimum  and maximum  pixel  value  with  13,  and 242  pixel  value  internal  patches, similar  to  5%  and  95%  areas  in  the SMPTE test pattern.
256 level grayscale with 2 lines per level.
Line-pair patterns for resolution evaluation, having pixel values of 0-255 and 128-130.
Grey background of pixel value 128.
Several other patterns are available in SpectraView and can be selected 
using the buttons at the top left of the screen, or using the [ and ] ke\
ys. 
                                  
						

							
	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE 	|	

Glossary
Achromatic – Neutral in color (having no hue).
Additive Primaries – Red, green, and blue light that when combined in different relative inten-
sities produces different colors. (See also Subtractive Primaries)
Backlight – the internal light source for a Liquid Crystal Display, such as fluorescent lamps or 
array of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
Blackbody – A hypothetical object that absorbs all incident radiation, thus any radia\
tion (e.g. 
light) coming from a blackbody must be emitted from it and not reflected.
Blackbody Radiator Locus – The curved formed when the color of light radiated from a black-
body is plotted at different temperatures on a color space such as CIE xyY. 
Black Level – The luminance or “brightness” of black when displayed on the scree\
n. 
Calibration – The process of bringing a device such as a display monitor to an absolut\
e stan-
dard to ensure consistency over time and with other similarly calibrated\
 devices.
Candelas (cd) – An international unit of light intensity. Luminance can be described in units of 
Candelas per meter squared (cd/m²) but is often referred to as just Candelas or Nits for sake of 
brevity.
CIE – The Commission Internationale d’Eclairage (International Commission \
on Illumination). 
An organization that sets many of the standards used in color and color \
measurement.
CIE Lab – A color space that is relative to a reference white point. The L value represents light-
ness, a represents Red/Green and b represents Yellow/Blue. Lab is almost perceptually uni-
form in that differences between colors expressed in Lab correlate to equally perceived \
color 
differences.
CIE uv chromaticity coordinates – Coordinates in the CIE uv color space which are derived 
directly from CIE xyY color space. CIE uv is more perceptually uniform than CIE xy.
CIE xy chromaticity coordinates – Coordinates in the CIE xyY color space representing color 
independent of luminance. 
CIE xyY – A standard color space in which the Y component represents luminance. The x and 
y components represent color.
Color Gamut – (See Gamut)
Colorimeter – An optical measurement device used to measure color that responds to lig\
ht by 
separating it into red, green, and blue components.
Color Management System (CMS) – Software used to control the handling of color between 
scanner, monitor, and printer. ColorSync is an example of a CMS used on the Macintosh. Mi-
crosoft Image Color Management (ICM) is an example of a CMS used on Wi\
ndows systems.
 
						

							
	 |	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE

Color Separation – The separating of a color image into the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black 
color layers used for printing.
Color Separation Tables – A set of conversion tables used to calculate the separating of RGB 
images into the CMYK layers necessary for printing.
Color Space – A three dimensional representation of colors. Examples are RGB, CIE xyY, and 
CIE Lab.
ColorSync – The Color Management System built into the Macintosh Operating System (\
Mac 
OS).
Color Temperature – The color of light given off by an object, known as a blackbody, as it is 
heated to a given temperature in degrees Kelvin. Low color temperatures \
such as 5000K are 
reddish, whilst higher color temperatures such as 9300K are bluish. A color temperature of 
6500K is considered to be “neutral” white.
Contrast Ratio – The ratio of the white luminance (Intensity) and black luminance (Bla\
ck 
Level) of the display. 
Correlated Color Temperature – The closest matching color, expressed in Kelvin, of a white 
point that does not lie exactly on the blackbody locus. 
CMYK – The subtractive colors used in printing: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Note that 
Black is referred to using “K” to avoid confusion with “blue”\
.
D Illuminants – CIE Daylight Standard Illuminants based on approximating daylight. \
The 
subscript denotes the correlated color temperature of the illuminant. Fo\
r example, D50 has a 
correlated color temperature of 5000K.
Delta-E (Δ-E) – A measurement of how different two colors are to each other. In SpectraView, 
Delta-E values are derived by calculating the distance between two color\
s in Lab color space 
using the CIE 94 formula. A Delta-E value of 1 indicates a just perceptual difference between 
two colors.
Delta-uv (Δ-uv) – A measure of how different two colors are, irrespective of luminance. In 
SpectraView Delta-uv values are used to indicate how far a white point is from t\
he blackbody 
locus. CIE uv color space is used instead of CIE xy because it is more p\
erceptually uniform or 
linear.
Device Dependent Color – A color space that is tied to the color rendering capabilities of a 
specific device. Examples are RGB color spaces that depend on the phosphor or filter colors 
used on the display. Another example is CMYK color spaces that are dependent on the types 
of inks and paper used.
Device Gamut – The range of colors that a device can produce.
Device Independent Color – A color space that can describe color independently of the capa-
bilities of a specific device. An example is the CIE xy color space.
DDC/CI – Display Data Channel Command Interface is a two-way communications \
link be-
tween the video graphics adapter and display monitor using the video sig\
nal cable. 
DICOM – Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine. 
Foot Lamberts (fL) – A unit of luminance. One foot Lambert is equal to 1 Candela per meter 
squared divided by 10.76/π (approximately 3.43) .
 
						

							
	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE 	|	

Gamma – The relationship between the input video signal to a display monitor and\
 the screen 
output luminance. Typically the screen luminance follows a mathematical power function of t\
he 
input video signal, the exponent of which is called the gamma.
Gamut – The range of colors that can be reproduced on a particular device such a\
s a monitor 
or printer, or that can be distinguished by a sensing device such as a scanner or \
the human 
eye.
Hue – The basic attribute of color such as red, green, yellow, blue or purple.
ICC – International Color Consortium, a color industry group working on s\
tandards for color 
management technology.
ICC Profile – A file conforming to the standards set by the ICC that contains a description of 
the color characteristics of a device such as a monitor, printer, or scanner. In Windows ICC 
profiles have the file extension “.icm”.
Image Color Management (ICM) – The Color Management System built into the Microsoft 
Windows operating systems.
Intensity – Intensity specifies the luminance or brightness of white when displayed on the 
screen.
Kelvin – An absolute temperature scale denoted by K. Zero Kelvin (0K) is equiva\
lent to –273° 
Celsius.
Lab – (See CIE Lab)
LED – Light Emitting Diode.
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display.
Lightbox – An enclosure with controlled lighting conditions used to evaluate proofs\
, transpar-
encies and other printed materials. Typically a lightbox is illuminated to approximate a standard 
illuminant such as D50 or D65.
Luminance – A measure of the brightness or intensity of light, usually expressed in u\
nits of 
Candelas per meter squared (cd/m²) or foot Lamberts.
Look Up Table (LUT) – A table used to translate input values to output values.  SpectraView 
displays use 10 or 12 bit internal LUTs to apply Gamma corrections and Tone Response 
Curves.
MCS (Monitor Calibration Settings) file – A file used by SpectraView II to store the results of 
the calibration, including the monitor settings and measurements.
Metamerism – A phenomenon in which two color samples appear to match in color under ce\
r-
tain lighting conditions but not in others.
MPCD (Minimum Perceptible Color Difference) – A unit of measure, developed by the CIE, 
to define the change in light and color required to be just noticeable to the human eye.
Nit – A unit of luminance equal to Candelas per meter squared (cd/m²).
NTSC – National Television Standards Committee. A standard for encoding video signals used 
widely in North America and Japan.
 
						

							
0	 |	SPEC TRAVIEW	II 	- 	USER’S 	GUIDE
PAL – Phase Alternation by Line. A standard for encoding video signals used in Western Eu-
rope and parts of Asia.
Phosphors – Materials that emit light when struck by radiation of certain wavel\
engths.  CRT 
displays use phosphors that give off red, green, and blue light to display an image on the 
screen.
Profile – A file containing a description of the color characteristics of a device such as a moni-
tor, printer, or scanner.
Refresh Rate – The number of times the display screen is electronically scanned or “\
painted” 
each second. Expressed in Hertz (Hz).
Saturation – An expression of the amount a color deviates from being achromatic (neu\
tral in 
color, such as gray). For example, red is a saturated color, while pink is less saturated, and 
white has no saturation.
SECAM – Sequentiel Couleur Avec Mémoire (Sequential Color with Memory). A standard for 
encoding video signals used mainly in France and Eastern Europe.
Soft Proof – Previewing on a display monitor what an image will actually look li\
ke when print-
ed on a particular printer.
Subtractive Primaries – Cyan, magenta, and yellow colors, such as dyes or inks that subtrac\
t 
light reflecting off objects giving the appearance of color. For example magenta ink subtracts 
green light. When combined together, cyan, magenta, and yellow produce black.
Tone Response Curve – A graph representing the relationship between the input and out-
put of a system or device. In SpectraView, Tone Response Curves represent the relationship 
between the intensity of a color within an application and the light int\
ensity displayed on the 
monitor.
USB – Universal Serial Bus. A communication bus used to connect up to 127 devices such as 
keyboards, mice, scanners, color sensors, etc.
Viewing Booth – (See Lightbox)
White point – Specifies the color of pure “white” on a display, usually as a Color Temperature 
expressed in Kelvin or as CIE xy chromaticity coordinates.