Tech Talk: THX certification

If you've gone through our TV Ratings (available to subscribers), you may have noticed that a number of plasma TVs and LCD TVs now list THX certification as one of their features—and it's something that we'll typically call out when we discuss the TV. But what does it really mean?

First off, the THX company was started in the early 1980s by Star Wars director George Lucas, who believed that many movie theaters were delivering sub-par audio and visual experience to their audiences. So THX was created to develop specifications to ensure audiences a consistent level of performance when they viewed his—and others'—films.

Since then, THX certifications have moved out of theaters and into homes, and even cars. TVs, receivers, amplifiers, preamplifiers and speakers that bear the THX logo have been tested by THX and certified to meet certain performance benchmarks.

When it comes to TVs, THX certified displays are tested to ensure they meet or exceed specifications in two areas. One is picture quality—device performance, in THX's words—and includes minimum specs for things like black levels, contrast, color gamut, brightness, resolution and uniformity. The other is "signal" (or video) processing, which includes things like sharpness, noise reduction, overscan, motion compensation and deinterlacing. All certified TVs are tested to make sure they meet or exceed minimum standards. Since the THX video certification program is still relatively new, only a handful of manufacturers, including LG Electronics and Panasonic offer THX-certified TVs. (JVC sells THX-certified front projectors). We expect to see more manufacturers come aboard in the near future.

While THX certification doesn't guarantee that a THX-certified model will outperform one that doesn't bear a THX logo, there are several advantages to buying a THX-certified set. The main one is these TVs offer a THX Mode, which makes fine-tuning the set as easy as pressing a button. When you hit the THX Mode button on the TV's remote, it automatically sets the TVs video settings—for things such as brightness, color and contrast—for optimal performance.

We've found that the THX mode in models from LG and Panasonic can yield the shortest path to well-tuned picture settings (without entering into the far less intuitive picture-control sub-menus that allow you to adjust settings manually). However, we've also seen that the THX picture mode typically yields a somewhat dimmer image that's best suited for a darker room, so it may not be optimal for brighter environments. In addition, THX says, a THX-certified TV lets a TV buyer feel secure that the TV they've purchased meets minimum picture-performance standards, regardless of price.

So far, THX-certified TVs have been priced a bit higher than models that lack that designation. We'll continue to report on new plasma and LCD TVs that include THX certification to see if they warrant the extra premium. —James K. Willcox