The Avia II Guide to Home Theater TV calibration disc is mastered in standard definition (SD), and it is perfect for adjusting the picture and sound on you SDTV. However, it is only available on DVD, which means it won't be able to help calibrate an HDTV. It lands in 6th place on our list.

If you’re new to TV calibration, the Avia II Guide to Home Theater DVD has plenty of instructions and tutorials to walk you through adjusting the picture and sound on your television or surround sound system.

There are also guides to installing a home theater system properly, including tips on connections, placement of the TV, the room’s lighting and more. Plus, there’s some information covering the various TV technology that's currently available.

With over 200 test patterns to adjust the video of your SDTV, there definitely isn’t a lack of video calibration tools on the Avia II Guide to Home Theater TV calibration disc. You can calibrate color, brightness and contrast, overscan (to ensure the picture is lined up properly), sharpness, geometry of the screen (so shapes like houses look normal) and more.

The calibration tools and instructions are split into a few sections. Basic Set-Up has just enough help and tools to get a good calibration of your television, while Advanced User contains every test pattern available, plus tutorials.

Audio calibration tools include a variety of test signals to properly adjust your SDTV’s sound, and that of a surround sound system, too. You can calibrate speakers, subwoofers and sound levels, and you can make sure your sound is traveling normally in a 5.1 system. The Extended Audio Tones section has more tools to better tweak the sound.

Keep in mind that the Avia II Guide to Home Theater TV calibration DVD is mastered in standard definition (480i and 480p resolution), so it’s perfect for calibrating your SDTV. You won’t be able to get a proper or accurate calibration if you’re using the disc with an HDTV.

There are too many differences between high definition and standard definition, and not just in the resolution. Color is processed differently between the two; aspect ratios are also different (16 x 9 widescreen vs. 4 x 3 fullscreen, with some exceptions); and even HD audio is more robust than standard definition audio.

On the home page of Avia II’s manufacturer, Ovation Multimedia, they’re promising an HD version coming soon. We’d love to see one, as the standard definition version is very helpful with calibrating SDTVs. However, we believe this promise has been unfulfilled for a few years now.

Ovation Multimedia’s site has an FAQs section, along with direct email support. The manufacturer will replace the disc if it’s faulty. Unfortunately, the phone number listed on the website is disconnected.