Home Theater & Entertainment > TV & Displays Best Video Performance Evaluation Test Discs Use a test disc to check your device's performance By Robert Silva Robert Silva Writer San Diego State University Robert Silva has extensive experience in consumer electronics and home theater product sales and sales supervision; he has written about audio, video, and home theater topics since 1998. Robert has articles published on HBO.com and Dishinfo.com plus has made appearances on the YouTube series Home Theater Geeks. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2020 TV & Displays Samsung Projectors Antennas HDMI & Connections Remote Controls Trending Videos Close this video player Find out whether an HDTV, 4K UHD TV, Blu-ray/DVD player or video processor/scaler is delivering the performance that it claims to deliver with a good test disc. Robert Daly / Getty Images 01 of 03 Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark Disc 2nd Edition What We Like State of the art setup patterns. Includes help for beginners. Suitable for video enthusiasts and professionals alike. What We Don't Like Some sections are advanced. Overkill for most users. Might require special tools. With tools for both the professional installer and average consumer, this disc features a variety of tests and video footage to check deinterlacing, scaling, noise reduction, color accuracy, and motion response of TVs that incorporate 120Hz and 240Hz screen refresh rates. Also included are a series of tests that can evaluate 3D performance, speaker phase, frequency response, and A/V sync. 02 of 03 Spears and Munsil High Definition Benchmark Test Disc (Blu-ray Edition) What We Like Excellent calibration patterns. Instructions onscreen and printed. Sets brightness, contrast and sharpness. What We Don't Like Requires an HDTV with HDMI or HD-component cables. Explanations and examples are difficult to understand. Learning curve for non-professionals. This disc starts with scenes that contain complex shapes that test the limitations of your equipment. The disc also takes the user through a series of technical tests, giving the average consumer the ability to find out whether their HDTV, Blu-ray Disc player, or an external video processor/scaler is delivering good performance. This test disc is out-of-print as of the release of the 2nd Edition, but it is still available through third-party sources. 03 of 03 Disney WOW (World of Wonder) DVD and Blu-ray Test Discs What We Like User friendly. Entertaining content. Includes clips to show off the system. What We Don't Like Can require special tools. Might not meet modern standards. Some users report errors. The Disney WOW discs provide an easy way to set up and test home theater systems. There is a "discovery" section that explains home theater basics for both novice and more advanced users, as well as a host of audio and video calibration tools to aid in getting out of a home theater system. There are also scaling, viewing angle, and grayscale tests to see if your DVD, Blu-ray Player, TV, or projector is as good as its specs say it is. This test disc is out-of-print, but it is still available through third-party sources. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit