What Is Vizio CTI?

Although most TVs look good when you first use them, you can fine tune their displays to produce optimal image quality. Many Vizio sets include a setting labeled "CTI," which Vizio variously calls "Color Transient Intensity" or "Color Transient Improvement." This setting can help you adjust your TV's picture for the best possible viewing experience.

Vizio's CTI technology produces sharper transitions between adjacent areas of color. If you want to maximize the color quality of your set's onscreen display, CTI may help you obtain the best picture possible. On most sets, the feature includes four settings: off, low, medium and strong. The higher the setting, the more pronounced the effect. Like many TV color adjustments, CTI doesn't cause a drastic change in the on-screen image.

When you use CTI, you'll see sharper, more defined borders around areas of color. Too-sharp edge detail can make the image unnatural, so you may need to experiment with CTI to find the setting that looks best to you. Even some professional TV reviewers perceive little effect when they enable or disable CTI on Vizio TVs, however. Your experience may differ.

On most Vizio sets that include CTI, you turn the feature on or off in the TV menu's "Picture" section under the "Advanced Video" option. Press the remote control's left and right directional buttons to activate CTI and select its settings. Once you're done, press the "Exit" or "Last" button on the remote to close the menu.

To fine tune the image on your TV, take a look at Vizio's other picture-quality settings as well. Depending on the set you own, your options may vary, but most Vizio sets include basic options such as tint, which can improve the realism of skin tones, as well as brightness and contrast, which control black and white levels respectively. Some Vizio TVs offer a Color Temperature adjustment, which can emphasize "warm" or "cool" colors; some sets provide separate control of the intensity of red, green and blue color components.