contrast ratio for lcd monitors manufacturer

The contrast ratio (CR) is a property of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest shade (white) to that of the darkest shade (black) that the system is capable of producing. A high contrast ratio is a desired aspect of any display. It has similarities with dynamic range.

There is no official, standardized way to measure contrast ratio for a system or its parts, nor is there a standard for defining "Contrast Ratio" that is accepted by any standards organization so ratings provided by different manufacturers of display devices are not necessarily comparable to each other due to differences in method of measurement, operation, and unstated variables.projection screen or emitted by a cathode ray tube, and the only light seen in the room would come from the display device. With such a room, the contrast ratio of the image would be the same as the contrast ratio of the device. Real rooms reflect some of the light back to the displayed image, lowering the contrast ratio seen in the image.

Static contrast ratio is the luminosity ratio comparing the brightest and darkest shade the system is capable of producing simultaneously at any instant of time, while dynamic contrast ratio is the luminosity ratio comparing the brightest and darkest shade the system is capable of producing over time (while the picture is moving). Moving from a system that displays a static motionless image to a system that displays a dynamic, changing picture slightly complicates the definition of the contrast ratio, due to the need to take into account the extra temporal dimension to the measuring process.

Many display devices favor the use of the full on/full off method of measurement, as it cancels out the effect of the room and results in an ideal ratio. Equal proportions of light reflect from the display to the room and back in both "black" and "white" measurements, as long as the room stays the same. This will inflate the light levels of both measurements proportionally, leaving the black to white luminance ratio unaffected.

Some manufacturers have gone as far as using different device parameters for the three tests, even further inflating the calculated contrast ratio. With DLP projectors, one method to do this is to enable the clear sector of the color filter wheel for the "on" part and disable it for the "off" part

Another measure is the ANSI contrast, in which the measurement is done with a checker board patterned test image where the black and white luminosity values are measured simultaneously.

It is useful to note that the full on/full off method effectively measures the dynamic contrast ratio of a display, while the ANSI contrast measures the static contrast ratio.

An LCD technology is dynamic contrast (DC), also called advanced contrast ratio (ACR) and various other designations. When there is a need to display a dark image, a display that supports dynamic contrast underpowers the backlight lamp (or decreases the aperture of the projector"s lens using an iris), but proportionately amplifies the transmission through the LCD panel; this gives the benefit of realizing the potential static contrast ratio of the LCD panel in dark scenes when the image is watched in a dark room. The drawback is that if a dark scene contains small areas of superbright light, the resulting image will be over exposed.

The trick for the display is to determine how much of the highlights may be unnoticeably blown out in a given image under the given ambient lighting conditions.

It is also common to market only the dynamic contrast ratio capability of a display (when it is better than its static contrast ratio only on paper), which should not be directly compared to the static contrast ratio. A plasma display with a 4,000,000:1 static contrast ratio will show superior contrast to an LCD (with LED or CCFL backlight) with 30,000,000:1 dynamic and 20,000:1 static contrast ratio when the input signal contains a full range of brightnesses from 0 to 100% simultaneously. They will, however, be on par when input signal ranges only from 0 to 20% brightness.

This animated gif shows a rudimentary representation of how various backlight dimming technologies work on TV. Dimming technology can drastically affect the contrast ratio of the display.

In marketing literature, contrast ratios for emissive (as opposed to reflective) displays are always measured under the optimum condition of a room in total darkness. In typical viewing situations, the contrast ratio is significantly lower due to the reflection of light from the surface of the display, making it harder to distinguish between different devices with very high contrast ratios.luminance of the display, as well as the amount of light reflecting off the display.

When shopping for a computer monitor, you"re bombarded with specifications like native resolution and response time, but one of the more misunderstood monitor features is contrast ratio. As with many things, bigger is generally better when it comes to contrast ratio, although it is only one factor to consider when purchasing a monitor -- and manufacturers sometimes use confusing terms like "dynamic contrast ratio" to make things more confusing. Still, if having a huge contrast range is tops on your priority list, there are some numbers to look for.

What Contrast Ratio Means Simply put, the contrast ratio of a monitor is the the measured difference between the darkest blacks and the brightest whites a display is capable of producing. This is expressed in ratio form, such as "4000:1" and is read as "four thousand to one." The larger the first number, the higher the contrast ratio of the monitor and the more difference there is between pure black and pure white.

Why Contrast Ratio Is Important With a wider range between black and white, a monitor is capable of deeper, richer colors with more visible details in shadows and highlights. This is particularly important if the monitor is being used for photo or video editing, graphic design, watching movies or even playing video games. Essentially, any application where being able to detect small differences in color and brightness will benefit from a higher contrast ratio.

Manufacturer Claims and Measurement Irregularities Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for measuring contrast ratio, so it"s entirely possible for two different monitors to have identical published specifications while actually appearing rather different from each other. Still, while the measurements cannot be considered scientific or consistent from monitor to monitor, they provide a basic baseline for comparison while visually inspecting the picture on two different displays.

Highest Available With the advent of local-dimming LED backlit monitors, manufacturers list both the dynamic contrast ratio as well as the static contrast ratio. LED monitors can actually shut off the backlight in the portions of the monitor that have a pure black area, leading to contrast ratio measurements that can top 50,000,000:1. The static contrast ratio, which is a more realistic measurement of monitor contrast performance, is the measurement of the difference between blacks and whites with the backlight at its lowest possible setting while remaining powered on. Higher-end monitors can have a static contrast ratio up to 3000:1, giving a large dynamic range.

If you’re in the market for a new TV, projector, camera, or any other type of display, you should pay attention to the contrast ratio. But what does this measurement mean, and how do you know whether your display has good contrast?

While most displays have a contrast setting that the viewer can manually adjust, the ratio refers to the panel’s limitations—in other words, the largest possible difference between its lightest (white) and darkest (black) areas.

Contrast ratio is the measurement of the difference between a display"s maximum and minimum brightness; put another way, it"s the ratio between the brightest white and the darkest black. For example, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 means that the brightest white image is 1,000 times brighter than the darkest black.

Generally, a higher contrast ratio is better since a display with a 100,000:1 ratio can produce darker black levels and more saturated colors than one with a 1,000:1 rating, thus achieving a more natural-looking image. That said, a bigger number isn"t always better, as you need to take external lighting conditions into account the lighting conditions and the type of display into account.

As previously mentioned, a higher contrast ratio has its benefits but isn’t the only thing you should consider. For example, a projector with a lower contrast ratio could provide an optimal viewing experience if you’ll be using it in a room with a lot of ambient light.

Contrast ratios can also vary significantly across different display types. While a transmissive digital projector may only have a contrast ratio of 200:1, many newer TVs are over 4,000:1. But even these figures don’t tell the whole story, as contrast ratios are dependent on the underlying technology and how they are measured.

When looking at a display’s contrast ratio, it’s important to understand the various ways in which they are measured. The actual ratio you see can be broken down into two different types: Static Contrast and Dynamic Contrast.

Static Contrast, otherwise known as “native” or “onscreen,” is a ratio comparing the brightest and darkest shade a display system is capable of producing at the same time. Since this ratio reflects the results from when the panel was made, industry experts typically consider this a more accurate representation of a display’s capabilities.

Dynamic Contrast offers a more theoretical range of a display’s contrast ratio, as it’s heavily dependent upon the screen’s underlying technology. Here, the range between the lightest areas of an all-white/light scene and the darkest areas of a black/dark scene is measured.

The problem with dynamic contrast measurements is that they are typically dishonest, as you’re unlikely to experience such a wide contrast range in the same scene. On top of this, manufacturers can manipulate contrast to make a scene lighter or darker using a display’s backlighting and firmware.

Unfortunately, there is no standardized measurement of contrast ratio. Particularly in the TV market, manufacturers can essentially inflate their ratings due to a combination of measurement and unstated variables. That said, most contrast ratios are measured using one of two methods:

Displays that measure with this method tend to register lower contrast ratios as ANSI contrast provides a more realistic measurement of the screen’s capability. However, since the test can include a room’s lighting conditions in its measurement, it needs to be performed in an ideal environment for the most accurate reading.

This method measures an all-white screen with an all-black screen and reflects equal proportions of light from the display to the room and back. It"s the preferred method for many manufacturers, as it cancels out exterior lighting conditions and results in an ideal (and thus higher) contrast ratio. Unfortunately, dynamic contrast specs are often misleading since they can be inflated and don"t indicate much about how an average image"s contrast will look.

The eye test is the best tool at your disposal — if a display’s black levels look washed out and gray, its contrast ratio probably isn’t high enough. However, there are other ways to ensure you’re not being misled:

Look for vendors that publish ANSI contrast specs, as this is a more accurate reflection of the display’s true contrast range. Unfortunately, many companies don’t disclose these figures, as ANSI readings tend to be much lower than Full On/Off, and it’s simply a better marketing strategy for these companies to focus on the latter.

Pay attention to backlighting technology.If you’re looking for a TV with a high contrast ratio, an OLED display will offer a better viewing experience than an LCD panel, as the OLED’s pixels don’t rely on a backlight and can display deeper blacks without a “blooming” effect.

Stick to the same manufacturer when making comparisons.Since every company arrives at its contrast ratios through different means, comparing displays produced by the same manufacturer is an excellent way to get consistent figures.

As it pertains to monitors, the contrast ratio is the ratio between the brightest white’s highest lumination level and the deepest black color the monitor is capable of producing. If a monitor has a high contrast ratio, it means it offers deeper shades of black, indicating a higher level of picture quality overall.

Contrast ratio is crucial for projector image quality. The higher the contrast ratio, the more detail viewers can see on the image projected. A higher contrast ratio also means more color subtlety is available, and more shading is visible.

Modern computer LCD monitors typically have a contrast ratio of between 1000:1 and 3000:1. A good gaming monitor may range toward the higher end of the spectrum, but use your eyes when considering a monitor you"re comfortable with and note that ambient light will affect what you"re seeing.

As a first step, try using the calibration settings we recommend (provided we have reviewed your monitor). This will get good, basic contrast - meaning no additional contrast-enhancing settings - and with no loss of detail in dark portions of the image. You can find this information in the "Post Calibration" section of the review.

Contrast:Adjusting this will let you affect how much contrast the monitor has. We list a recommended setting with all of our reviews, but it"s almost always fine to just set this to the maximum. On rare occasions, gamma might be affected, leading to a loss of detail in highlights.

Local Dimming: The local dimming feature dims the backlight behind darker portions of the screen. It can deepen contrast, and it"s worth using when implemented well. It can introduce issues like light blooming off of light objects within dark areas, and when done especially poorly, can dim the entire image. We discuss local dimming in more detail here.

Backlight settings have a very minor impact on contrast, and so you should set it to whatever looks best in your viewing space. With LED Monitors, both white and black will become about equally brighter or dimmer when the backlight is adjusted, preserving the ratio of light to dark. With OLED monitors, adjusting the OLED light only increases the peak brightness; blacks are still perfectly black.

One frequently asked question is which is more important, a panel"s native contrast or contrast with local dimming? It"s a good question. The answer is a bit complicated, but basically, it depends. Unlike TVs, most monitors don"t have a local dimming feature. The few that do, generally speaking, don"t work very well. They usually have very small zone counts, and the algorithms can"t keep up with fast-paced motion, so the leading edge of a bright object in a dark scene ends up looking darker than the rest, and there"s a trail of light behind it.

Because of these issues with local dimming, it"s almost always more important to look at the native capabilities of a monitor instead of the contrast ratio with local dimming. Because most monitors have poor local dimming features, there"s usually not that much of a difference between the native contrast of the panel and the contrast with local dimming when tested with a checkerboard pattern. In fact, of the 23 monitors with local dimming that we"ve tested on our latest test bench, only 4 of them can improve contrast by 10% or more with our test pattern through local dimming.

There are different ways to measure contrast. We measure contrast with a checkerboard pattern and take the average black level from four squares, but some other review sites measure it differently, which can lead to a difference in posted numbers. Some of the other methods we"ve seen websites use include:

Full On/Off: Some websites measure the contrast using a full white screen, and a full black screen. This is generally considered a less accurate way to measure contrast, and it isn"t very realistic. Contrast measurements with local dimming tend to appear much better with this measurement technique, as it"s easy for any monitor with local dimming to turn the entire screen off at once.

Small Samples: Similar to the full-screen method, but instead of large slides, contrast is measured using small slides that only cover part of the screen. This method isn"t ideal either, as imperfect uniformity can significantly skew the results.

ANSI Checkerboard: The most generally accepted way to measure contrast; a checkerboard pattern very similar to ours is used, but with an asymmetric test pattern. The ANSI method measures the output in all 16 squares and averages the values for the white and black squares. It usually produces very similar results to our own.

Because of differences in measurement techniques, equipment used, and even differences between units, it"s extremely common for different websites to report different contrast measurements.

Monitors use different display technologies, each with advantages and disadvantages. Knowing which type of panel is used in your monitor can already give you a good indication of what to expect in terms of contrast ratio:

OLED: Very few OLED monitors exist, but they essentially have perfect contrast, as each pixel is self-emissive, the black level of black pixels is essentially zero.

Even within the same panel types, it"s normal for the contrast to vary a bit between units, even of the same model, due to manufacturing tolerances. Manufacturers used to provide the typical contrast ratio for each monitor, but recently, some brands, including LG, have started listing the minimum contrast ratio you could get. For IPS and TN panels, this difference usually isn"t very significant, and most people shouldn"t worry about it, but for VA panels, the variance between individual units and measurement techniques can be significant. For example, the LG 32GN600-B is advertised to have a typical contrast ratio of 3000:1, but according to LG, it could be as low as 1800:1 for some units. We measured a contrast ratio of 3248:1, almost double the minimum contrast for that model.

A monitor’s contrast ratio indicates the depth of blacks – a higher contrast ratio means deeper blacks – and, by extension, better picture quality. It’s a very important part of picture quality, so if you want something that looks good (particularly in a dark room), be sure to get a monitor that has good contrast.

There are a few things that can be done to improve contrast, but there are limits. As a good first step, look to our recommended picture settings (listed with every review), as those can help you get a good baseline. From there, you can enable or disable a few different settings that might help deepen blacks. Just remember that some of those settings will have other consequences on picture quality.

If the games you play and movies you watch on your best computer display, HDR monitor, or HDTV seem a bit washed-out or not as detailed as they should despite high resolutions and high-end settings, you might want to look into adjusting your contrast ratio.

Contrast ratio (which we’ll refer to here sometimes as “CR” is defined by the range between the luminance (brightness) of the brightest white and the darkest black that any given monitor or tv can display. More technically speaking, luminance is a number used to measure the intensity of light present on any given surface, as expressed in candelas per square meter (ced/m²)- more commonly referred to as “nits.” The contrast ratio of a display is determined by measuring the luminance of white and black and then calculating the ratio between the two extremes. If you’re conscious about your eye health, check out our guide on the best monitor settings for eyes.

It’s particularly noticeable in dark scenes in a game or video, where shades of black will be a prominent part of the image, but it makes a huge overall difference in image quality and sense of detail and depth regardless of the image, and it’s a concept a lot of people aren’t aware of. Luckily, Windows, macOS, and most modern displays all offer plenty of calibration options to ensure that you’re getting the best contrast ratio possible for your system, like the quality contrast you can see on an HDR computer monitor.

Contrast ratio is generally expressed in product descriptions of most HDTVs computer displays using the default value of 1000:1- that is, a range of approximately 999 nits between the blackest black and most luminous white a display can generate at default settings. Here, default settings would be defined as brightness= 50, contrast= 50, and gamma (if offered) = 50- both in the native display window, with high contrast mode set to off if using Windows 10.

In terms of CR numbers, the higher, the better, so it’s good to look for numbers of anywhere from a fairly standard 1000:1 to an exceptional 3000:1. There is, however, a caveat here- if a product is described as having a contrast ratio higherthan 3000:1, it’s most likely purely a marketing gimmick, and not really a noticeable or effective ratio.

As ever, though, you should trust your own eyes before anything else. If you happen to be shopping for a new television or display in-store, take the time to check the contrast ratio between products, and test settings while you’re at it. Due diligence in this regard will pay off.

Lastly, a factor many don’t consider when purchasing a new display is ambient light– or the light in a room or space falling directly on the display. This will have a real impact on your perception of contrast and is something you should consider when hunting for a new monitor or HDTV. If you want to learn about more monitor setting guides, check out how to fix input lag on a monitor.

Nothing beats the vertical alignment panels and super vertical alignment panels in contrast ratios regarding the display technology and probably the panel types.

The vertical alignment panels have liquid crystals aligned naturally to the glass, ensuring a more comprehensive contrast ratio range. These panels also have minimum light leakage; meaning prevents the backlights from reaching the deepest blacks. Its whites have better clarity and are uniform.

The display brightness determines the contest ratio integrity in the real action. It counters the surrounding lights" effect on the display. Calibrate the backlight luminance settings to match the display contrast calibration.

To enjoy the best contrast ratio experience, consider a monitor with high brightness levels of up to 5,000 nits. The high luminance counters the effect of ambient lighting.

Glare and reflection of light to the screen affect contrast ratio. When ambient light hits the screen surface, it reflects into your eyes, disrupting your vision. A monitor with an anti-glare coating addresses the glare and reflection issues effectively. Also, ensure your room has minimum ambient and natural light striking the screen directly.

Ambient light from the surroundings directed towards the monitor affects the contrast ratio. This light strikes the screen, scattering in all directions. The reflected light then strikes the eyes of the monitor used. This condition results in unclear image display due to lowered contrast quality.

tossed around for computer displays. If you didn"t know before, contrast ratio is simply the difference between the darkest blacks and the brightest whites a given display can produce.

Typically, computer displays have a contrast ratio of about 1000:1. However with DCR, you"ll see numbers like 4000:1, 10,000:1, and higher. Basically, it"s just a way for Company A to proclaim, "Don"t buy Company B"s monitor because it has a much lower DCR than our monitor." Since more and more vendors have been pushing this, I want to delve further into how they"re getting these numbers. I also covered this topic in less detail (but with a sexy voice thrown in) in podcast.

Before a monitor is released to the public it goes through a bunch of testing in the vendor"s own lab. These tests produce the specs that the vendor will then publish with the release. Specs like maximum brightness, pixel pitch, pixel response time, contrast ratio, and dynamic contrast ratio are all determined in the vendor"s own lab.

When testing normal contrast ratio, vendors use a device that measures light to determine how much light is emanating from a display while it"s showing both a completely black and a completely white screen. They then take each number, do a bit of math, and come up with the contrast ratio.

Now, aside from a relatively low number of LCDs that use newer LED backlighting technology, all LCDs have a lamp built in to their screens. When you turn your brightness setting down, you"re actually just dimming the lamp in the back. When the vendors dim the backlight to get the contrast ratio score, they dim it to a point, but do not turn it off. When they test to get the readings for DCR, however, they turn on the DCR feature and put up a black screen. When the video signal is black or near black, this triggers the backlight to go into standby mode.

Once this is triggered, the darkness of the black level increases by a factor of 10 or more. At this point the vendor takes its reading for the dark screen and compares it with the white screen reading it got before. Since this new dark screen level is so dark, it increases the contrast ratio. The problem is that the screen only gets this dark when the video signal is black or near black--not very useful when you"re watching a movie, or playing a game, or doing pretty much anything. The primary reason for including this feature is that the contrast ratio goes from 1000:1 to 10,000:1, and even 20,000:1 for computer displays and even higher for televisions.

When vendors push DCR as a spec for LCDs that use LED backlighting technology, however, it may be more appropriate. Direct contrast ratio works differently here than with lamp-based LCDs. When a portion of an image in a movie is relatively dark, the LEDs in that local area of the screen are dimmed. This occurs on a frame-by-frame basis and lowers the black level in that dark area only. Unfortunately, this implementation has its weaknesses, as well, as there can be some noticeable visual glitches in the areas that darken.

So, after the testing is done, the vendor publishes its super-high number, and Joe Consumer (not you, of course, loyal reader, but someone else) goes into the local Best Buy, looking to get a new monitor for his 5-year-old Compaq desktop that was handed down to him by his younger, more tech-savvy brother. He looks at the specs and sees that monitor A has a 10,000:1 DCR, while monitor B has a contrast ratio of 1000:1. Well, bigger numbers mean better, right? So, he goes for the display with DCR. And that"s fine if A does everything else you want it to do.

If a display looks good with the type of content you plan to use on it, has the connections you want, is the right size and price, then by all means get it. Don"t get it, however, just because of some spec that means jack when you"re actually using the display (or has not been implemented well enough for the glitches not to distract, as is the case with LED-based DCR).

Contrast ratio is the most important aspect of a TV"s performance. More than any other single metric, a set"s contrast ratio will be the most noticeable difference between two TVs.

In its simplest form, contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest image a TV can create and the darkest. In another way: white/black=contrast ratio. If a TV can output 45 foot-lamberts with a white screen and 0.010 ft-L with a black screen, it"s said to have a contrast ratio of 4,500:1.

There is no standard as to how to measure contrast ratio. In other words, a TV manufacturer could measure the maximum light output of 1 pixel driven at some normally unobtainable maximum, then measure that same pixel with no signal going to it at all. This hardly represents what you"d see at home, but without a standard, such trivialities don"t matter to TV manufacturers.

Worse, contrast ratio numbers have gotten so extreme, there is literally no way to measure some of them. What happens more often than not is the marketing department will come up with the number it needs to sell the product. The engineers will shuffle their feet, and stare at the wall, and magically the TV has that contrast ratio.

Because you"re reading this article on a device that has its own contrast ratio, I can"t give you real examples of what good and bad contrast ratios look like, so I"ll have to fake it. If you can, make sure your computer monitor is set decently; you can use

There are two more aspects of contrast ratio. Most often these are referred to as "native" and "dynamic." Native contrast ratio is what the display technology itself can do. With an LCD, this is what the liquid crystal panel itself is capable of. With DLP, it"s what the DMD chip/chips can do.

Imagine putting the image above on your TV"s screen. Native contrast ratio is how dark the darkest parts of the image are, compared with the brightest parts of the same image. I like to call this "intra-scene contrast ratio" though I"m certainly open to something better if anyone has an idea.

When an adjustable backlight, or a projector"s iris, is used in conjunction with circuitry to monitor the video signal, it is able to adjust the overall light output in real time depending on what"s onscreen. This dynamic contrast ratio looks like this:

A bright image is bright, a dark image is dark. Done well, this does increase the apparent contrast ratio of a display, but not nearly as much as the numbers would suggest. A TV with 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio would be unbelievable to look it. Too bad one doesn"t exist. A TV with a high dynamic contrast ratio may look better than a TV that has no such circuitry, but it won"t look as good as a display with a high native contrast ratio.

Yes, the LED"s of an LED LCD can turn off, creating a true black, but it will never do this when there is any amount of video on the screen. Picture the end credits of a movie. A display with a high native contrast will show this as a dark black background, and punchy white text. A display with a high dynamic contrast ratio may have a similarly dark background, but the text won"t be bright.

As you can see, a display with a high native contrast is the way to go, if that"s what you"re going for. The night sky is black, but the streetlights pop out. The day sky is bright, but the dark jacket is dark. This is more like CRT, more like film, more like life.

The technology with the highest native contrast ratio is... LCOS. At the moment, JVC front projectors using their version of the technology (D-ILA) have the highest native contrast ratios I"ve measured. Sony"s version (SXRD) comes in a rather distant second. Third is plasma, though some DLP projectors are close.

LCD has come a long way in the past decade, but still lags behind the other technologies. Thankfully, the better LCD manufactures know this and have come up with a few ways to mimic the high native contrast ratio of the other technologies.

The best way to get a high intra-scene contrast ratio with LCDs is with local dimming. This is when the backlight of the LCD is an array of LEDs, all of which can dim depending on what"s on screen. It"s not done on a per-pixel level, but LED zones are generally small enough that the overall effect is quite good. It"s far better than what the LCD panel can do itself. The downside is an artifact known as "halos" where the LEDs are lit behind small bright areas of the screen, but these areas are visible because the other parts of the screen are dark. This is very noticeable on specific types of content (like movie credits or star fields) but generally local dimming works really well. I was going to Photoshop some halos onto a screenshot of the one movie where I actually had a screen credit, but it came across more douchey

Unfortunately, most manufactures have moved away from full array LED backlights, which are the only kind that can do local dimming well, because of the cost.

Most LED LCDs these days are "edge lit," as in their LEDs are along the sides (or the top and bottom, or both). Several companies have developed methods to dim areas of the screen with LED edge lighting, though the effect isn"t as good as full array LEDs. Again, every bit helps though, and many edge lit LED LCDs look amazing.

You may be asking yourself: How can you, as a consumer, find out what display has the best contrast ratio? Good question. You can"t tell in a store, as the store lighting will throw off any comparison (biasing towards LCDs or TVs with antireflective and/or antiglare screens that have better ambient light rejection). As mentioned, all manufacturers manufacture their numbers with little basis on reality, so spec sheets are out.

So that leaves reviews. Sadly, few review sites measure contrast ratio, and those that do don"t have consistency between them. There is no set standard for reviewers on how to measure contrast ratio either, so numbers are going to be extremely different. I may measure 20,000:1, while Joe Numbnutz over at TVAwesomeReviews.com measures 1,000:1 with his Datacolor Spyder (a decent product, but not a valid measurement tool for contrast ratio).

ANSI contrast ratio is a good addition. This is where eight-each white and black boxes in a checkerboard pattern are measured and averaged. This gives a good idea of what a display is doing, and is far more relevant to compare to actual video. Even this, though, is problematic, as the brightness of the white boxes can affect the measurement of the black boxes. Done right, it is also exceedingly time consuming. When I started measuring ANSI contrast ratio when I was at Home Theater, it nearly doubled the total amount of time spent measuring a television. Spending that much time on one measurement that most people will overlook is not an effective use of time.

I hate to say it, but there is no good answer. Yep, 1,500 words to get to that conclusion. Sorry. The best we can hope for is reasonably accurate measurements from sites like CNET to give a general idea of what"s going on, and the knowledge from the rest of this article and others like it to extrapolate what the performance will be in your home.

Like nearly all TV buying guides say: It"s all in what you want to do with the TV. If you"re a movie buff and you watch TV in a dark room or at night, the added contrast of plasma will be very cinematic.

Somewhere in between is an LED LCD with some kind of local or zone dimming, offering better intra-scene contrast ratio than a "normal" LCD, but still offering that technology"s extreme light output.

Got a question for Geoff? First, check out all the other articles he"s written on topics like Send him an e-mail! He won"t tell you which TV to buy, but he might use your letter in a future article. You can also send him a message on Twitter: @TechWriterGeoff.

Unlike CRT monitors, LCD monitors display information well at only the resolution they are designed for, which is known as the native resolution. Digital displays address each individual pixel using a fixed matrix of horizontal and vertical dots. If you change the resolution settings, the LCD scales the image and the quality suffers. Native resolutions are typically:

When you look at an LCD monitor from an angle, the image can look dimmer or even disappear. Colors can also be misrepresented. To compensate for this problem, LCD monitor makers have designed wider viewing angles. (Do not confuse this with a widescreen display, which means the display is physically wider.) Manufacturers give a measure of viewing angle in degrees (a greater number of degrees is better). In general, look for between 120 and 170 degrees. Because manufacturers measure viewing angles differently, the best way to evaluate it is to test the display yourself. Check the angle from the top and bottom as well as the sides, bearing in mind how you will typically use the display.

This is a measurement of the amount of light the LCD monitor produces. It is given in nits or one candelas per square meter (cd/m2). One nit is equal to one cd/m2. Typical brightness ratings range from 250 to 350 cd/m2 for monitors that perform general-purpose tasks. For displaying movies, a brighter luminance rating such as 500 cd/m2 is desirable.

The contrast ratio rates the degree of difference of an LCD monitor"s ability to produce bright whites and the dark blacks. The figure is usually expressed as a ratio, for example, 500:1. Typically, contrast ratios range from 450:1 to 600:1, and they can be rated as high as 1000:1. Ratios more than 600:1, however, provide little improvement over lower ratios.

Unlike CRT monitors, LCD monitors have much more flexibility for positioning the screen the way you want it. LCD monitors can swivel, tilt up and down, and even rotate from landscape (with the horizontal plane longer than the vertical plane) to portrait mode (with the vertical plane longer than the horizontal plane). In addition, because they are lightweight and thin, most LCD monitors have built-in brackets for wall or arm mounting.

Besides the basic features, some LCD monitors have other conveniences such as integrated speakers, built-in Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports and anti-theft locks.

Contrast ratio - The difference in light intensity between white and black on an LCD display is called contrast ratio. The higher the contrast ratio, the easier it is to see details.

Ghosting - An effect of slower response times that cause blurring of images on an LCD monitor, it"s also known as latency. The effect is caused by voltage temporarily leaking from energized elements to neighboring, non-energized elements on the display.

Luminance - Also known as brightness, it is the level of light emitted by an LCD display. Luminance is measured in nits or candelas per square meter (cd/m2). One nit is equal to one cd/m2.

Stuck pixels - A pixel that is stuck either "on" or "off", meaning that it is always illuminated, unlit, or stuck on one color regardless of the image the LCD monitor displays can also be called a dead pixel.

A monitor is a display device that interprets the graphical output signal from your computer’s graphics card and displays it on the screen. There are many types of monitors with different features. If you look at various tests and expert and customer opinion, you will conclude that the best choice depends only on your needs and preferences.

OLED is short for “Organic Light Emitting Diode“. This type of monitor is made of organic material (such as plastic, wood, carbon and polymers), that is used to convert electric current into light. It can be thinner or lighter with a higher contrast ratio than LCDs. Tests have shown that these monitors are the best for watching movies.

LED stands for ‘Light Emitting Diode’. This type is the latest innovation on the market. These types of monitors are panel displays that use light-emitting diodes for backlighting on the screen.

LCD is short for ‘Liquid Crystal Display’. This monitor is made of liquid crystals. It is the most used monitor worldwide. It requires less space, consumes less electricity, and in expert opinion produces less heat than an old CRT monitor.

PDP stands for Plasma monitor panel. These monitors are made of Plasma technology. This technology is one of the latest types of computer monitor technology. According to expert opinions and various tests, compared to LCDs this type of display offers  superior performance time, a much wider viewing angle and a good response.

Monitors are very important compliments to computer units, regardless of whether they are used for work, leisure in general or gaming in particular. In either situation, it is important to take into consideration a few important criteria before making a final purchase. In this section, we leave you with one last set of criteria to evaluate in any product you choose.

This particular aspect will determine and highly influence which model you choose. For this reason, it is important to be clear about the use you plan to make of your monitor. Do you want it for a generic or specific use? If, for example, you work in photo or video editing, you should have a screen that most accurately reflects colors.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a screen to help you immerse in the world of gaming, various tests have shown that there will be other parameters you must consider. For instance, the monitor you choose should have a good dynamic contrast ratio and a high refresh rate. For film and series lovers, a monitor with good resolution will be important.

This may seem trivial, but keep in mind that the monitor you choose will be featured prominently wherever you choose to set it up. For this reason, it would be good for it to have an appealing design that fits in harmoniously in the environment it exists in. Colour and shape will be part of this consideration, however, thickness will likely play a more important role.

The thickness of your screen will be one of the main aspects to determine how much space it takes up. Fortunately, there are increasingly thinner models appearing on the market. Furthermore, you shouldn’t overlook the design of the edges of the screen. Manufacturers today keep making them smaller and smaller. This is a plus if, for example, you want to use several monitors together.

The resolution of a monitor, an aspect we described in one of the previous sections, is not a characteristic that should be overlooked. More important than the numbers of this spec, will be to find a balance between this value and the size of the monitor. The majority of monitors today, come with a resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 – Full HD.

Of course, you’ll be able to find monitors with higher resolutions, especially considering that the use of the 4K, i.e. 3840 x 1440, is becoming more and more popular. In order to enjoy the full benefits of these high resolutions, make sure to get a monitor that is at least 24”. Remember that the resolution you need is related to how you will use the screen.

In addition to the connection between the monitor and the computer, you can also look at other connections on the device. Audio output can be of use if you want to connect speakers to your computer. Some monitors have two HDMI ports, in the event that you want to connect another device to it, such as a Chromecast stick.

There is a wide variety of monitor sizes on the market. This parameter, alongside resolution, is going to be the main factor to influence the cost of the monitor. For this reason, we must first consider where we wish to place the screen. Will it be on a desk or attached to a wall? Monitors can be over 40” in size, so make sure you have space for the product you choose.

As for how stable the monitor will be, this will largely depend on the type of mount and support it has. An interesting feature for some users is that the mounting height can be adjusted. There is also the possibility of tilting it forward or backward. Even though in most cases, the mount is an accessory that is purchased separately, ideally you should choose a monitor that includes it.

Response time is particularly important with fast-moving images. If the monitor has a low response time, it will blur and distort fast-moving images and sudden movements. For gamers, this is a particularly important feature. When watching movies, it will also determine the quality of the experience. The top monitor models can reach a 1 ms response time.

Simply put, the resolution of a monitor is the number of pixels that a screen has the ability to represent. In the product selection of this article, you may have noticed that when we described the monitors and their quality, we wrote down two figures. These two figures, for example, 1920 x 1080, refer to the pixels the monitor is able to represent.

Let’s take these numbers, for example, 1920 would be the number of pixels that the monitor represents vertically. As you may have guessed, 1080 refers to vertical pixels the monitor can represent. Therefore, in the case of the LG monitor, the numbers varied most from the rest. Its resolution is 3840 x 2160 because it has a more panoramic display than the other models.

The aspect ratio of a monitor is the ratio between the height and width of a monitor. This parameter is closely linked to the resolution component we mentioned above. With the wide selection of products available, you’ll find that there are also many different aspect ratios, however, the most common one is 16:9.

To explain a little more, a Full HD screen, i.e. 1920 x 1080 pixels, would have this aspect ratio. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of proportions. In other words, for every 9 vertical pixels, there are 16 horizontal pixels. Another aspect ratio, increasingly used, is 21:9; this is a more panoramic ratio.

It is important to note that the aspect ratio does not affect image quality. For instance, let’s consider a screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and another with 7680 x 4320. Both have a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, the second would have a higher image quality. Keep in mind that a 4:3 aspect ratio was popular years ago, but is now in decline.

The contrast ratio of a monitor is the difference between the brightest pixel and the darkest pixel. For example, a 1000:1 monitor contrast ratio means that the whitest pixel is a thousand times brighter than the darkest pixel. A higher proportion of these numbers will result in more contrasting and sharper images. It should be noted that there are two types of contrast ratio: static and dynamic.

In the first one, all the brightness of the screen changes at the same time. It is most ideal for working with still images. With dynamic contrast ratio (DCR) on the other hand, the brightness automatically adjusts as the video plays, to make the dark areas darker and the light spots brighter. This aspect heavily influences image detail and quality.

Making sure to buy a quality product, even at a restricted budget is very important. Why you may ask, keep in mind that through this piece of tech you will visualize all the activities you carry out with our computer. So whether you’re looking for a monitor for leisure or work, make sure to get the monitor that best suits your needs and budget.

When shopping around, you’ll find monitors that have great specifications. However, the larger monitor may not necessarily be the right one for you and your needs. Keep an eye out for when the resolution it offers is not commensurate with its size. As you can see, it will be important to carefully evaluate the product you choose before making the final purchase.

IPS stands for in-plane switching, a type of LED display panel technology. IPS panels are characterized as having the best color and viewing angles among the other main types of display panels. IPS displays incorporate a series of liquid crystals which work to prevent light leaking.

Simply put, an IPS monitor is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) with a back layer of LED bulbs. IPS-type panels are particularly suitable for images showing rapid movement. This technology prevents distortions, whether in a video game or a movie. However, keep in mind that IPS panels are also the most expensive ones on the market today.

While OLED may be seen by many as the future of mobile and large panel displays, LCD manufacturers have recently come along with a number of innovations breathing new life into the panel type, including Quantum Dot and fast refresh rate technology. Today, Panasonic has unveiled its latest LCD IPS display that boasts a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. That’s up to 600 times more contrast than some of the company’s conventional LCD panels, which offer around 1800:1 ratios, and rivals OLED specifications.

Panasonic has accomplished this through the use of its new light modulating cell technology, which allows the company to switch off individual pixels in the display using a secondary control layer. Typically, LCD backlights mean that either the entire or only large parts of the display can be dimmed at any one time. OLED panels switch of lights entirely for a black pixel to offer very high contrast ratios, and this new LCD technology works on a very similar principle. This is particularly important for reproducing HDR video content, which is becoming increasingly popular.

Unfortunately, Panasonic’s new technology is quite expensive and won’t be heading to small form factor mobile panels, at least not yet. Although it can be built on existing LCD manufacturing lines, so prices should come down. The company states that it will be targeting the technology at panels in the high-end broadcasting, video production, medical, and automotive fields first, with sizes ranging from 55 to 12 inches. Sample shipments are scheduled to begin in January 2017, so we won’t see it in products for a little while yet.

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A common claim on monitor spec sheets is an unfathomably high contrast ratio. Contrast ratio is the measurement of the ratio between the darkest black and the brightest white a display can produce. It sometimes reaches as high as 1,000,000:1, or in the case of the Samsung 200 Series monitors, “Mega Infinity Contrast Ratio” — yes, that’s a real term used by a real company. It’s as absurd as it sounds.

The best monitors we’ve reviewed barely break 1,000:1 when we measure them with a calibration tool. Televisions do better, but until desktop displays receive OLED technology, they’ll continue to lag behind. Monitors with a measured contrast ratio above 1,000:1 are the cream of the crop.

That’s static contrast ratio, as opposed to dynamic contrast ratio, which is what most manufacturers quote. Static indicates the widest distance between dark and light a monitor can project at a given brightness setting.

Dynamic contrast ratio uses a different measurement. Often, it involves measuring the absolute darkest black and the brightest white, even if each is measured at different display settings. The black reading might be taken with the display backlight nearly turned off, for example, while the white is taken with it at absolute maximum. Dynamic contrast ratio is not a standardized measurement so you can’t ever see all that contrast at once.

Manufacturers often only advertise the dynamic ratio. A third of the LCD monitors for sale right now on the popular retail site NewEgg are listed as having a 10,000:1 or higher contrast ratio. That’s almost 10 times higher than the best contrast ratio we’ve ever measured. 166 monitors (about 6 percent) list a contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1 — and all of them are from Acer or Asus.

Take, for example, the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQ. It’s a high-refresh-rate gaming monitor that’s certain to make games look smoother than a standard 60Hz panel. But you might be wondering how much nicer, exactly, so Asus prepared this handy graphic.

Below, for example, we see BenQ apply blur to supposedly simulate a lower refresh rate, and AOC use a simple contrast filter on a static image to simulate a feature that allegedly creates a more vivid image.

It’s not outright lying, but it is a clear exaggeration, and it’s certainly misleading. Especially for users who haven’t spent a lot of time looking at monitors in person, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell just how useful these features are.

One of the reasons manufacturers can get away with these hijinks is that the average user doesn’t have access to calibration tools that might reveal the truth. We use a DataColor Spyder4Elite in our testing and calibration process, and that’s a $300 piece of kit, which is about what most users are likely to spend on a monitor every few years. And it’s not a particularly fancy piece of equipment. The best calibration hardware costs thousands of dollars. Most people don’t have it, so they have no way to know if a monitor lives up to its claims.

But that’s no excuse. Misleading claims are bad for buyers and ultimately breed distrust. It’s easy to claim a high contrast ratio to make a product look better, and a normal buyer may not catch on at first. But eventually they’ll realize what’s up, and get fed up – perhaps so much so, that they no longer see the point in trying to buy a great monitor and resort to a budget model.

That would be a shame. A great monitor can make a PC way more fun, especially for those who like to watch movies and play games. As our own reviews have shown, there’s a big difference between the best and worst displays. Don’t get suckered into the hype. Do your research, and buy the display that truly excels.

So, you’re wondering what Monitor Contrast Ratio is? To simply say, the difference between a monitor’s minimum and maximum brightness is implied as the monitor contrast ratio. Theoretically, a higher contrast ratio should result in intenser blacks with more grayscale clarity.

Additionally, a higher contrast ratio makes scenes that should be depressing or black look more realistic and less washed out. You may have a different experience with monitors because the self-lit pixels of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays can entirely shut off to present a perfect black.

On the other hand, some are advertised as having an infinite contrast ratio. In-plane switch (IPS) displays typically range from 1,000:1 to somewhat higher, although high-end vertical alignment (VA) displays can reach a range of 3,000:1 to 4,000:1.

The contrast ratio, or ratio between the brightest white and the darkest black on a display, measures the difference between the greatest and minimum brightness. A contrast ratio of 1,000:1, for instance, denotes that the brightest white image is 1,000 times brighter than the darkest black.

A display with a 100,000:1 ratio can produce darker black levels and more saturated colors than one with a 1,000:1 rating, resulting in a more realistic-looking image. Commonly, a higher contrast ratio is considered better.

Higher contrast ratios are effective, but they aren’t the only factor to take into account. You can witness that if you’ll be using the projector in a room with a lot of ambient light, a projector with a lower contrast ratio can offer the best viewing experience.

Among various display types, contrast ratios can also differ greatly. In contrast to many modern TVs, which have contrast ratios exceeding 4,000:1, transmissive digital projectors may only have a 200:1 contrast ratio.

However, even these numbers may not fully convey the situation because contrast ratios depend on the underlying technology and the methodology used to calculate them.

Due to its strong reliance on the underlying technology of the screen, dynamic contrast provides a larger theoretical range of a display’s contrast ratio.

Static contrast also referred to as “native” or “onscreen,” is a ratio that contrasts the brightest and darkest shades that a display system can produce simultaneously.

Industry experts often believe that this ratio provides a more truthful portrayal of a display’s capabilities because it takes into account the outcomes from the time the panel was manufactured.

Most LCDs and monitors use the default figure of 1000:1 for their contrast ratio, which corresponds to a range of about 999 nits between the darkest black and the brightest white that the display can produce under standard conditions.

In this case, default settings would be brightness=50, contrast=50, and gamma=50, all in the resident display window, with high contrast mode turned off.

The ratio should range from a respectable 1000:1 to an excellent 3000:1, with greater being better. There is a catch, though. If a product is said to have a contrast ratio greater than 3000:1, it’s probably just a marketing tactic and not a striking or useful ratio.

Before anything else, you should only believe what you can see. If you’re in the market for a new television or monitor, take some time to compare the contrast ratios of various models and test various settings while you’re doing it. In this case, diligence will pay off.

Lastly, ambient light, or the light from a room or place shining directly on the display—is a component that many people overlook when buying a new display. This will significantly affect how you perceive contrast, so bear that in mind when shopping for a new monitor or HDTV.

This technique compares the brightness of an all-white screen to an all-black screen while reflecting an equal amount of light from the display both forward and backward. Many manufacturers favor this approach because it eliminates the effects of ambient illumination and produces an optimum (and greater) contrast ratio.

Displays that measure with this method tend to register lower contrast ratios as ANSI contrast provides a more realistic measurement of the screen’s capability. For the most accurate reading, the test must be conducted in a perfect environment because it can take into account a room’s lighting conditions in its measurement.

Although, you should have considered that there is no exact way to determine the right contrast ratio for your monitor. But you can use some ways to choose it correctly and to avoid any misleading.

Because OLED pixels don’t rely on a backlight and can display deeper blacks without a “blooming” effect, they provide a better viewing experience than LCD panels if you’re searching for a TV with a high contrast ratio.

Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don’t release these numbers because Full On/Off readings are more important to their marketing than ANSI readings, which are typically significantly lower.

When comparing, stick to the same company. Comparing displays made by the same manufacturer is a great approach to get consistent numbers because every firm determines its contrast ratios using various methods.

For high-quality monitor images, a contrast ratio is essential. Viewers can notice more detail in the projected image when the contrast ratio is higher. Additionally, more color nuance and shading are possible when the contrast ratio is larger.

Do you know what contrast an LCD monitor should have? Then keep in mind that the normal contrast ratio of modern computer LCD monitors ranges from 1000:1 to 3000:1.

The difference in illumination between the brightest white and the darkest black that a specific monitor or television can display is known as the contrast ratio, or “CR.”

More specifically, brightness is a unit of measurement for the amount of light that illuminates a certain surface, expressed in candelas per square meter ced/m2.

By measuring the luminance of white and black and then computing the ratio between the two extremes, one may calculate the contrast ratio of a display.

Panasonic"s display arm, Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company, has announced the development of an in-plane switching (IPS) panel family boasting 1,000,000:1 static contrast ratio - the highest ever claimed by an LCD manufacturer.

Those who have been shopping for a monitor or TV in the last decade or so will be all too familiar with manufacturers" tendency to overstate the contrast - the distinction between fully-white and fully-black on the same panel - of their displays. Typically, this involves claiming a 1,000,000:1 "dynamic" contrast ratio - a trick which lowers the backlight level in dark scenes and boosts it in bright scenes to simulate high contrast. Panels based around organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, by contrast, have a high static contrast thanks to the ability to toggle the lighting on a per-pixel rather than per-panel or per-zone level, but these displays are more costly and complex to manufacture.

Panasonic"s display division"s new screens, though, are claimed to offer a 1,000,000:1 static contrast ratio for the first time in an IPS LCD panel - some 600 times higher, the company claims, than its nearest competition. The company"s technology is based around light-modulating cells permitting pixel-by-pixel control of backlight intensity in much the same way as OLED panels but, it claims, without the need to upgrade existing liquid crystal panel manufacturing equipment - greatly dropping the cost compared to retooling for OLED.

According to Panasonic"s internal testing, the panels treated with the additional layer of light modulating cells are capable of displaying a brightness of 1,000 candela per metre squared (cd/m²) and 0.001cd/m² simultaneously, without losing the viewing angles or colour gamut of the IPS panel. It plans to manufacture the panels in a range of sizes, from large-scale TV panels to professional-grade monitors for medical and industrial use and even down to in-car computer displays.