The easiest way to adjust a monitor is to perform the following four steps in sequence: (1) turn the CONTRAST control to minimum; (2) display a black picture; (3) adjust the BRIGHTNESS control to reproduce black correctly; then (4) adjust the CONTRAST control to display the brightness level that you desire. I'll detail these steps in a moment.

My forthcoming book Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms and Interfaces dedicates a chapter to the technical aspects of the BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST controls.

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make to give you better functionality and personal features. See list of functional cookies

In summation, IPS gaming monitors aren’t just viable, they’re now advisable. The technology has outgrown past limitations and currently offers its advantages of great colours and viewing angles with no strings attached, unless you count the HDMI or DisplayPort cable.

Unfortunately, the labels BRIGHTNESS and CONTRAST are misleading with respect to their functions: The control called BRIGHTNESS mainly affects reproduced contrast, and the control called CONTRAST ideally affects only brightness! The misleading labels have led to a great deal of confusion about how to set up a monitor for good reproduction.

BenQ Europe respect your data privacy. We use cookies and similar technologies to ensure you get the best experience when visiting our website. You can either accept these cookies by clicking “Accept Cookies”, or click “Only Required Cookies” to refuse all non-essential technologies. You can customise your cookie settings here at any time. For further information, please visit our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy.

Need help choosing your next BenQ product? Our online Live Chat connects you with real experts. No bots - just geniune human assistance.

The third step in monitor adjustment is to adjust the BRIGHTNESS control to a balance point or threshold, low enough that a black area of the picture emits no light, but high enough that setting the control any higher would cause the area to become a dark gray.

These cookies help to improve the performance of BenQ. If you want to opt-out of advertising cookies, you have to turn-off performance cookies. See list of performance cookies

For details of the nonlinear transfer function ("gamma") of a video monitor, see my Gamma FAQ, available at www.poynton.com/GammaFAQ.html.

Once black level is set correctly, CONTRAST can be adjusted so that a white signal produces the appropriate level of luminance. In a television studio environment there are standards for absolute luminance. Outside that environment there is no "proper" setting of this control; it depends entirely upon your preference.

With an IPS gaming monitor you get the best colours hands down. Regardless of colour space, an IPS panel gets you closest to the original intent of the artists than any other panel type. In other words, you get the most accurate colour depiction with IPS. If you want to enjoy your games in the liveliest colour possible, choose IPS.

These cookies help to improve the performance of BenQ. If you want to opt-out of advertising cookies, you have to turn-off performance cookies.

LCD displays have controls labeled BRIGHTNESS and CONTRAST, but these controls have different functions than the like-named controls of a CRT display. In an LCD, the BRIGHTNESS control, or the control with that icon, typically alters the backlight luminance, thereby effecting control over what in a CRT would be adjusted by CONTRAST. The remainder of this note applies just to CRTs.

Contrast ratio is the ratio of luminance between the brightest white that can be produced and the darkest black that can be produced. Contrast ratio is a major determinant of perceived picture quality: If a picture has high contrast ratio, you will judge it to be sharper than a picture with lower contrast ratio, even if the lower contrast picture has substantially more measurable resolution.

This icon indicates the BRIGHTNESS control, more properly called BLACK LEVEL. It adds or subtracts an offset, or bias, into the red, green, and blue signals. This control should be adjusted so that black picture content displays as true black on your monitor. Misadjustment of this control is the most common problem of poor quality picture reproduction on computer monitors, video monitors, and television sets. Later in this document, I will explain how to set this control properly. The setting is somewhat dependent upon ambient light. Modern display equipment is sufficiently stable that frequent adjustment is unnecessary.

Computer monitors are generally underscanned: the extreme margins of the screen have no picture content. A rough setting for black level can be found by making the underscanned margins as black as possible. However if your framebuffer has nonzero setup (or EIA-343-A levels) then this method is inaccurate. Using black picture content, instead of the margins, always assures an accurate setting.

“Strictly necessary” cookies can’t be turned off. But Functional and Performance cookies can be turned on or off below. You can learn more about cookies and what they do on our other pages.

Permission is granted for noncommercial redistribution of this document in its entirety, including this notice. The latest revision of this document is available at www.poynton.com/notes/brightness_and_contrast/

Resist the temptation to set your monitor too bright. Excessive brightness has a number of disadvantages. First, your sensitivity to flicker increases as brightness increases, so setting your monitor too bright is likely to increase your perception of flicker. Second, a number of phenomena act to scatter light onto the face of the screen, and the higher the brightness of bright areas of the picture, the more light is scattered into the dark areas. This scattered light reduces the contrast ratio - hence the perceived quality - of the picture. Third, operation at high brightness tends to defocus the electron beam of the CRT, resulting in poor sharpness.

Speaking of advantages, while IPS panels have improved in the three key areas listed above, those improvements did not come at the cost of existing qualities.

Display an image that is predominantly or totally black, perhaps by using a screen-saver. (In a well designed monitor, setting CONTRAST to its minimum will cause the visible raster to disappear.)

[[This note dates from 1999. It applies to CRT displays. At 2010-06-03, I am working to update it to reflect modern displays, particularly LCDs.]]

Television stations and networks fade to black between commercials. If you are adjusting a television receiver, you can use this "black" to set black level. Make it quick, though ! A television station never transmits black for more than a fraction of a second. If you find a colorbar test signal, its lower right corner contains true black. Black level should not vary from station to station.

A studio video color bar signal includes a  picture line-up generator (PLUGE) element at the bottom of the screen, which comprises a reference black bar with two small variations: an excursion slightly blacker than black, and an excursion slightly lighter than black. Black level is correctly set when the blacker-then-black element is indistinguishable from black, but the lighter-than-black element is just barely visible.

However, until recently IPS was considered a no-no for gaming due to slow response times and high input lag ontop of high cost and backlight issues. But all of that has changed and now you’re very likely to find your nearest premium gaming monitor has ditched TN or VA (vertical alignment) for an IPS panel. That’s because modern IPS panels combine lovely colours and superb viewing angles with impressively quick response and low input lag – in fact there’s barely any noticeable difference compared to the fastest LCD technology, TN, which still suffers from colour depth and view angle problems.

These cookies are essential so that you can move around the website and use its features. Without these cookies services you have asked for cannot be provided. See list of strictly necessary cookies

Some essential features on BenQ sites just won’t work without cookies. And having other cookies switched off can seriously affect the way you’ll be able to enjoy our services.

The first step in monitor adjustment is to set CONTRAST to its minimum setting. Some so-called "smart" television sets have automatic black level circuits that alter black level as a function of picture content. These circuits should be defeated if possible, both for monitor adjustment and for high-quality viewing.

This note was formerly called BLACK LEVEL and PICTURE, reflecting a time when I was engaged in a campaign to give these controls meaningful and sensible names. I'm sorry to report that I have abandoned that campaign; however, I continue my effort to educate users and system designers.

A monitor is properly adjusted when it meets two conditions. First, a black input signal - in desktop computing, RGB code [0, 0, 0] - should produce true black, so as to maximize the contrast ratio of the display. Second, a white input signal - in desktop computing, RGB code [255, 255, 255] - should produce the desired luminance.

When comparing curved vs flat monitors, the main point of curved monitors is to better accommodate the natural depth that human eyesight has

On a monitor or television receiver with the traditional names for the controls, first adjust BRIGHTNESS to obtain a true black that will maximize contrast, then adjust CONTRAST for the appropriate brightness. You can now understand why the modern names for these controls are BLACK LEVEL and PICTURE, and why it's sensible to use icons instead of names to identify these controls. Unfortunately, the traditional names have been inherited by modern devices such as scanners and image editing programs, so you may have to remember that their functions are opposite to their names.

There’s a lot of life left in 1080p, with new monitors offering 144Hz, 1ms response, HDR, and premium IPS panels. This isn’t the old 1080p, it’s an upgrade version that’s perfect for high speed gaming.

This note introduces the two main user adjustments of a video monitor, BRIGHTNESS and CONTRAST. I explain the effect that these controls have on picture reproduction, and I explain how to set them. This note applies to computer monitors, studio video monitors, and television receivers.

This icon indicates the CONTRAST control, preferably called PICTURE. It applies a scale factor (gain) to the red, green, and blue signals. It affects the luminance (proportional to intensity) that is reproduced for a full white input signal. Once BRIGHTNESS is set correctly, CONTRAST should be set for comfortable viewing brightness. This note was formerly called BLACK LEVEL and PICTURE, reflecting a time when I was engaged in a campaign to give these controls meaningful and sensible names. I'm sorry to report that I have abandoned that campaign; however, I continue my effort to educate users and system designers. LCD displays have controls labeled BRIGHTNESS and CONTRAST, but these controls have different functions than the like-named controls of a CRT display. In an LCD, the BRIGHTNESS control, or the control with that icon, typically alters the backlight luminance, thereby effecting control over what in a CRT would be adjusted by CONTRAST. The remainder of this note applies just to CRTs. I will explain the controls with reference to Figures 1 through 4 below. In the graphs, the x-axis represents the video signal input to a monitor, and the y-axis shows the luminance produced at the face of the screen. The transfer function involves a nonlinear relationship from signal to light. Contrast ratio is the ratio of luminance between the brightest white that can be produced and the darkest black that can be produced. Contrast ratio is a major determinant of perceived picture quality: If a picture has high contrast ratio, you will judge it to be sharper than a picture with lower contrast ratio, even if the lower contrast picture has substantially more measurable resolution. To achieve good reproduced contrast ratio and good picture quality, it is important to set black level accurately. The most common problem with picture reproduction on video and computer monitors is misadjustment of black level. Figure 3 shows what happens if BRIGHTNESS is set too low. Figure 4 shows what happens if BRIGHTNESS is set too high. Figure 1 CONTRAST control determines the luminance (proportional to intensity) produced for white, with intermediate values toward black being scaled appropriately. In a well-designed monitor, adjusting CONTRAST maintains the correct black setting, indicated in this graph by the fact that zero input signal produces zero luminance at any setting. Figure 2 BRIGHTNESS control raises or lowers the entire curve with respect to light output. Although the luminance reproduced for any input signal is affected by the setting of the control, its most pronounced effect is at the lower end of the scale, near black. In electrical terms, BRIGHTNESS controls the bias or offset of the video signal.

Need help choosing your next BenQ product? Our online Live Chat connects you with real experts. No bots - just geniune human assistance.

For even more detail concerning nonlinear transfer functions, consult the Gamma chapter in my book A Technical Introduction to Digital Video.

These cookies are essential so that you can move around the website and use its features. Without these cookies services you have asked for cannot be provided.

This icon indicates the CONTRAST control, preferably called PICTURE. It applies a scale factor (gain) to the red, green, and blue signals. It affects the luminance (proportional to intensity) that is reproduced for a full white input signal. Once BRIGHTNESS is set correctly, CONTRAST should be set for comfortable viewing brightness.

When you set BRIGHTNESS to its minimum, your monitor may display a shade of dark gray instead of black. This indicates an internal misadjustment: Ask a service technician to make the necessary internal adjustment. When your monitor's BRIGHTNESS is set near its threshold, your monitor may display a dark color instead of a dark gray. This indicates that your monitor is mistracking: The internal screen or cutoff calibration of one or two of its guns is set incorrectly. Ask a service technician to repair this problem.

BenQ Europe respect your data privacy. We use cookies and similar technologies to ensure you get the best experience when visiting our website. You can either accept these cookies by clicking “Accept Cookies”, or click “Only Required Cookies” to refuse all non-essential technologies. You can customise your cookie settings here at any time. For further information, please visit our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy.

To achieve good reproduced contrast ratio and good picture quality, it is important to set black level accurately. The most common problem with picture reproduction on video and computer monitors is misadjustment of black level. Figure 3 shows what happens if BRIGHTNESS is set too low. Figure 4 shows what happens if BRIGHTNESS is set too high. Figure 1 CONTRAST control determines the luminance (proportional to intensity) produced for white, with intermediate values toward black being scaled appropriately. In a well-designed monitor, adjusting CONTRAST maintains the correct black setting, indicated in this graph by the fact that zero input signal produces zero luminance at any setting.

I will explain the controls with reference to Figures 1 through 4 below. In the graphs, the x-axis represents the video signal input to a monitor, and the y-axis shows the luminance produced at the face of the screen. The transfer function involves a nonlinear relationship from signal to light.

Viewing angles! That’s another area where IPS stands head and shoulders above all competitors. With 178/178 degrees on the vertical and horizontal axes, IPS gaming monitors consistently retain brightness levels even from extremely low angles. You could be standing five meters off to the side of your IPS monitor eating an apple on a break from a gaming session and still not notice much difference in image quality, whereby with a TN or even VA most of the picture would be reduced to mush. That makes IPS gaming monitors great for flexibility in where you place yourself while gaming and for local coop if you have several people gaming on one screen or at the very least looking on when you game. IPS is thus the most sociable LCD technology.

Developed by savvy engineers to address the faults of older LCD technologies like popular TN or twisted nematic panels, IPS has long had a reputation as a non-gamer’s choice. In-plane switching, or IPS to its friends, largely corrects TN shortcomings like bland colours and poor viewing angles.

Contrary to popular belief, you can game on a PS5 with ultrawide monitors. We gave the setup a trial run with COD Black Ops Cold War and liked the results quite a bit.

Some essential features on BenQ sites just won’t work without cookies. And having other cookies switched off can seriously affect the way you’ll be able to enjoy our services. Please check your cookie settings below and turn on any cookies you’re happy with. “Strictly necessary” cookies can’t be turned off. But Functional and Performance cookies can be turned on or off below. You can learn more about cookies and what they do on our other pages. If you've chosen to block third-party cookies on your browser, your cookie preferences won't carry over from benq.eu to benq.xx and vice versa. Please make sure to set your cookie preferences in both places.

If you've chosen to block third-party cookies on your browser, your cookie preferences won't carry over from benq.eu to benq.xx and vice versa. Please make sure to set your cookie preferences in both places.

Previously reserved for designers, artists, and cinephiles, IPS has gradually entered the gaming scene thanks to manufacturers like BenQ working hard to improve the core technology behind it. With more efficient power delivery, faster pixel switching, and enhanced image processing, IPS has been able to emerge as a desirable path for gaming monitors.

Some poorly designed monitors exhibit variation in black level upon adjustment of CONTRAST. If your monitor suffers from interaction, after adjusting CONTRAST you may have to go back and tweak BRIGHTNESS. It may even be necessary to iterate between the two controls a few times in order to set the combination that both reproduces black correctly and reproduces white at the brightness you desire.