A few basic tweaks on your HDTV's picture settings can save you up to $50 a year on your power bill, and you'll get a better-looking image in the bargain, according to the A/V experts at THX.

High-Def Digest spotted this new survey from THX, which took more than a dozen plasma and LCD HDTVs and compared their pre- and post-calibration energy consumption.

What the researchers at THX found was interesting: namely, that a "properly" calibrated HDTV uses anywhere from 15 to 50 percent less energy than a TV that's still using the factory picture settings—and typically, that means the "Vivid" or "Dynamic" picture presets, which look great on a brightly lit showroom floor but garish in a dark living room.

Assuming four hours of daily use at 11.36 cents per kilowatt hour, switching your HDTV from the Vivid or Dynamic picture settings to, say, "Standard," "Cinema," or "Custom," along with properly tweaked brightness and contrast settings, could save you up to $40-$50 a year—not a king's ransom, exactly, but hey, it's something. (Apparently, plasma HDTVs manufactured before 2008 will see the most savings, followed by LCD sets; also, the bigger the screen, the bigger the savings, according to the THX report.)

So, what's involved in getting your HDTV calibrated? Well, you could spend hundreds of dollars on a professional, in-home calibration, but you can also get solid results from an inexpensive HDTV calibration disc. My favorite: Joe Kane's "Digital Video Essentials," available online for $25 (DVD) and $29 (Blu-ray). Just follow the instructions, which step you through the basic picture settings and test patterns; once you're done, don't be surprised if your picture "pops" a lot more than it did before.

Don't want to bother with a calibration disc? At least check your picture settings and make sure you're not on the "Vivid" or "Dynamic" presets; trust me, your picture will look the better for it, and a few extra bucks in your pocket never hurts.