Info on the Sony BKM-14L probe

[RebeL9]

I got two BKM 14L probes. The info on them online is pretty scarce and sometimes conflicting. Some say they can only be used for the BVM D and A-series of monitors. Other say they can be used for all BVMs and some say they work on some PVMs as well. Are they rare and is there any interest in them? How much do they go for nowadays?

[CMcK]

I’ve have that probe and can confirm it worked with my bvm-20f1e and pvm-20l4.

[fernan1234]

It works in the sense that it will produce values for your calibration, but these probes are very old and they need to be calibrated themselves and I'm not sure anyone has figured out how to do that. If you simply trust it, you'll get inaccurate results. At best you could have another reference calibrated display on the side, but at that point you're basically calibrating by eye and don't need the probe.

You'll definitely get more accurate results using modern equipment.

[Dochartaigh]

It works in the sense that it will produce values for your calibration, but these probes are very old and they need to be calibrated themselves and I'm not sure anyone has figured out how to do that. If you simply trust it, you'll get inaccurate results. At best you could have another reference calibrated display on the side, but at that point you're basically calibrating by eye and don't need the probe.

You'll definitely get more accurate results using modern equipment.

This is the correct answer, and the 14L can be calibrated (Philexile offers a service) but will still be MAJORLY lacking compared to even a $75 (current price on eBay right now) X-Rite Colormunki Display or similar. (plus, just for the record, even with the best probe, per Sony's procedure you still would have to do all these internal adjustments with an oscilloscope or whatnot to get it 100% correct I believe).

The 14L does tend to go for a premium however... and how to I put this nicely? ...by people who aren't the sharpest tool in the toolshed and don't do their research lol.

[H6rdc0re]

It works in the sense that it will produce values for your calibration, but these probes are very old and they need to be calibrated themselves and I'm not sure anyone has figured out how to do that. If you simply trust it, you'll get inaccurate results. At best you could have another reference calibrated display on the side, but at that point you're basically calibrating by eye and don't need the probe.

You'll definitely get more accurate results using modern equipment.

This is the correct answer, and the 14L can be calibrated (Philexile offers a service) but will still be MAJORLY lacking compared to even a $75 (current price on eBay right now) X-Rite Colormunki Display or similar. (plus, just for the record, even with the best probe, per Sony's procedure you still would have to do all these internal adjustments with an oscilloscope or whatnot to get it 100% correct I believe).

The 14L does tend to go for a premium however... and how to I put this nicely? ...by people who aren't the sharpest tool in the toolshed and don't do their research lol.

Indeed, auto calibration of the 14L sounds nice but you'll get much better results with manual calibration using newer tools.