• Aren't Pods Faster? - The pod tested and its software are sometimes faster and sometimes slower.  Both will slow down on dark images when you activate the improved accuracy mode in i1 Pro DCS.  A typical measurement sequence required five more seconds for the Eye-One Pro than the color analyzer.  What good is fast if it is wrong even if the pod is slightly faster ? 
• Aren't Pods Better In Low Light? - Maybe if you are not using i1 Pro DCS, but it is not obvious in any of the data below when compared to this software.  Note the amazing performance of the Eye-One on the Sony B&W monitor even at 0.03 fL the values are believable while the pod is erroneous with an impossible reading of 0.9 in x. 
• Aren't Pods Acceptable For All Display Types? - You could say that, but what does that mean.  Take a look at the data below and see if you believe a pod is acceptable.
• Won't a spectroradiometer miss narrow emission bands? - Look at the green and red laser pointer data below to see how the GretagMacbeth i1 Pro responds to these extreme measurements versus the pod.
• Why would a spectroradiometer be better than a pod?  - A pod measures light through filters and estimates the color based on a relatively small number of sensors, usually three and sometimes a few more.  The i1 Pro uses a holographic diffraction grating with a diode array (no filters to degrade) similar to what is found in laboratory grade instruments.  The i1 Pro samples with 100 sensors instead of three and uses the internationally recognized scientific standard method from CIE to calculate the x and y coordinates from those samples.  Which do you think is likely to be more accurate?

The following tables compare measurements made with a GretagMacbeth i1 Pro using the i1 Pro DCS software with improved low light capabilities (only available from AccuCal™) versus a popular professional color analyzer probe.  Note the large difference in foot Lamberts (fL) measured with the rear projection televisions.  The pod does not see the screen gain and reports a value that is too low.  

Note that the pod is reasonable for the direct view CRT which is what they were used for historically.  ±0.005 in x and y is the target accuracy for many color calibrators.

Definitions:

• Signal = Input signal strength to the display.
• x = x coordinate (0 to 1) in the CIE 1931 color system.  The larger the value the redder the color.
• y = y coordinate (0 to 1) in the CIE 1931 color system.  The larger the value the greener the color.
• Y = luminance in foot Lamberts.  This is how bright the display is.