Cry foul if you'd like, but I've never been much of an audio or videophile. Sure, I appreciate a digitally scrubbed transfer and an immersive soundscape as much as the next DVD addict, but I've never been as nitpicky as most reviewers on this site or elsewhere ("not that there's anything wrong with that", for you Seinfeld fans). I can tell if a disc's color palette looks a bit on the warm side, the framing is incorrect or the rear channels are too overpowering, but I usually won't flip out over a bit of edge enhancement or slightly thin dialogue.

As such, I've never been overly inclined to rent or buy a calibration disc for my modest home theater setup, much less shell out the money to have it professionally tweaked. I've got a fairly good eye for composition and color despite my less-than-perfect vision, so I've always been comfortable with my eyes and ears telling me if they like what's happening. More than anything else, most calibration discs are fairly straightforward audio/visual tests riddled with trailers and commercials for other DVDs featuring great picture and sound...which is fine if you've got the money to burn, but most people don't.

The Ultimate DVD: Home Theater Fine Tuning Made Simple, presented by R&B Films, sadly doesn't break any new ground. Though it's fairly easy to follow and may help novice DVD fans to tweak their new toys, most anyone comfortable with their remote---and familiar with the setup tests on their audio receivers---probably won't learn anything new. Several of the aforementioned "trailers and commercials" are also on board here; though several of them are admittedly interesting, better audio/video demo discs have been on the market for several years.

Divided into six different main sections, Home Theater Fine Tuning Made Simple is relatively easy to zip through but frustratingly light on content. Though the region-free coding on the DVD and multi-lingual capabilities will ensure it reaches a broader audience, most casual fans of the format won't get much out of what's included here. Nonetheless, these main sections are as follows:

Video & Audio Calibration Tools: Presented with English, Spanish, Dutch and French voice-over instructions, this series of tools and tests helps the viewer adjust their displays properly. The six sections include "Brightness" (a series of bars ranging from white to black), "Contrast" (a cross-hatched grid of white lines on a black background), "Geometry" (a symmetrical grid to confirm that your display is balanced properly, available in 1.33:1, 1.78:1 letterboxed and 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratios), "Color" (a series of three familiar images to help normalize the hues, though color bars would've been sufficient), "Clamp" (featuring animated black-to-white transition screens) and "Sharpness" (a series of vertical bars that increase in number from left to right).

Only the Clamp test was new to me, which determines your monitor's ability---or lack thereof---to display correct black levels during high contrast transitions. NOTE: Apparently, viewers can't change their sets to affect the test outcome; it simply determines if your display is up to the challenge.

All six video sections feature optional voice-over instructions, while simplified demos and onscreen text ensure that it's relatively easy to follow along. Though a wider variety of interfaces would have been preferable, this basic range of tests and calibration tools may prove helpful to novice DVD fans.

Audio Calibration Tools: Also available with English, Spanish, Dutch and French voice-over instructions, this shorter section is compatible with PCM Stereo, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 options. There's really not much here to dig through; in all, there's basic tests for Channel ID, Polarity (speaker balance), Speaker Level Adjustment and Subwoofer Level Adjustment. It's easy to follow and understand, but very straightforward in execution. This isn't much more detailed than the setup available on my current audio receiver, so I didn't make any adjustments at all.

Multi-Angle: This is a series of slow-motion crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (1:07 total, above left), presented in seven different viewing angles. The angles can be freely cycled through during the footage, but a longer series of clips would've been preferable. We'll assume this is simply a way to demonstrate the multi-angle option supported on certain DVDs---and while it does its job well, you won't really learn a great deal.

Screen Formats: The footage on display here is a clever CGI clip presented by Animusic, which depicts a room full of machines and instruments that perform by themselves (3:24 total, at top). Available in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 pan-and-scan, this is more of a plug for Animusic than a useful comparison between the two screen formats...but it's a cool little short nonetheless. Why not do a more detailed synopsis of widescreen vs. pan and scan, like on the Die Hard Five Star Collection disc?

Multi-Lingual: Like the multi-angle presentation, this next feature is more of a simple way to get comfortable with your remote than anything else; basically, a brief clip from a nature film is presented with seven different language options and English subtitles (2:24 total, above right). Not incredibly useful, but it's here if you're looking.

Audio Options: Available in Dolby Digital Surround and DTS 5.1, this section includes clips from "Stick Figures" (another Animusic segment, 5:24 total) and Chronos (7:00), presented in both audio options. These make good use of the surround channels, but they're not in the same league as existing demo discs like Saving Private Ryan and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Again, this is more of a novelty than a bonafide calibration tool.

Presented on DVD by R&B Films, Home Theater Fine Tuning Made Simple is perhaps too simple and novice for its own good; that is, most DVD fans have already learned the few basic lessons provided here. Those new to the medium may learn a thing or two, but the $20 price tag is a bit high for such a small amount of content. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Presented in 1.33:1, 1.78:1 letterboxed and 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratios (listed above), the main portion of Home Theater Fine Tuning Made Simple looks as good as your calibration is. The Animusic and Chronos clips look perfectly fine, so this one easily earns passing marks in the video department. It's not the most loaded demo disc around, but there's some decent material on board here.

The audio is presented in a multitude of options (listed above), while the demo segments sound crisp and clear overall. As there's very little dialogue and narration during these segments, no subtitles or Closed Captioning options have been included (with the exception of the nature clip).

Relatively slim in content but easy to follow, Home Theater Fine Tuning Made Simple will only appeal to novice DVD fans who may also want a demo disc to pop in every once in a while. It's painfully obvious by this point, but there's really not enough material on here to justify a $20 price tag---and even with the coolness factor of several included clips, most A/V junkies are better off buying the stand-alone releases instead. Overall, it's doubtful that Home Theater Fine Tuning Made Simple will really benefit most viewers; for that alone, this one's a weekend curiosity at the very most. Rent It.