Regarding the professional system tune-up for configuration and calibration of home theater systems -- where can I find a professional in the Orange County area? (Southern California). The $250.00 prices seems very reasonable and well worth the money spent.
Many people would rather have a certified pro than a disc to prompt them. Just as many would rather get a plumber than a how to book.
Probably the best organization to look up is "ISF", which is the acronym for Imaging Science Foundation. To be an ISF certified dealer you must do video calibration, audio calibration, and system automation with custom installations. All ISF certified dealers go through a detailed training education and certification process on video and audio calibration techniques for high-end components. Dealers must have a video analyzer from Sencore and an spectrum analyzer from Audio Control.
So they come in and adjust your HDTV to be as precise and natural as possible. They use Audio Control equalizers to balance your speakers to the main spot you sit when listening to music or watching and listening to movies.
This adjusts the slight delays in speakers so the sound arrives at you simultaneously, they adjust the speakers to remove the frequency "bumps" that occur in all rooms when the speakers interact with the surroundings. It is a lot of work particularly when different brands of speakers are used--but it is common to do anyway with all the same speakers. No speakers have a perfectly flat frequency response.
Of course, you may find you like a "bump" in the midrange or you like having your HDTV bright or overemphasizing reds or whatever.
In any case I recommend you being there and asking questions while the process is going on. For a number of reasons. One: to make sure that he/she is doing the work. To make sure the adjustments --even if proper to video and acoustical standards are to your liking.
Look up the ISF website and you should be able to find a list of qualified technicians in your area.
But Video Essentials is good. As a matter of fact I think Joe Kane started ISF. There are a couple of other good discs--I think Avia is another.
Anyway, tell the ISF people what you have to see if the can help. I doubt they are for $300 receivers and inexpensive tv's without internal adjustments.