Contrast Ratios Explained

Do you ever wonder why the contrast ratios on newer model LCD TV's can vary so much? It's not uncommon for contrast ratios to be 2000:1 and 25000:1 on two HDTV's that are otherwise very similar in their features and overall quality. Why is this?

There are actually two types of contrast ratios and the difference lies in the definitions. Unfortunately not all salespeople and marketers of HDTV's bother to point out which type of contrast ratio is being reported. The first type of contrast ratio, the static contrast ratio, is the ratio of the brightest part of an LCD screen to the darkest part that can be simultaneously displayed on screen. The second type of contrast ratio, the dynamic contrast ratio, is measured by comparing the blackest black of one image to the whitest white of another image at a different time.

By measuring the dynamic contrast ratio in such a way that allows for the entire screen to be darker for dark scenes and lighter for light scenes, this allows LCD makers and marketers to claim a larger dynamic contrast ratio. So when you see two otherwise comparable LCD's with contrast ratios of 2000:1 and 25000:1, you now know the larger, more impressive looking number is a dynamic contrast ratio, while the smaller one is a static contrast ratio.

The most interesting part of this is while dynamic contrast ratios can improve the picture quality for scenes that are predominantly dark or bright, the actual reported contrast ratio can't actually be achieved. So don't get confused. Yes, dynamically-altered brightness is a good HDTV feature, just don't base your buying decision on the massive looking dynamic contrast ratio.

Via Real World IT

Read More in: How to buy an HDTV

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