Pioneer lined up itsnewest plasma displaynext to top - of - crease TVs from Panasonic , Samsung , Sony and Sharp today . An interesting experiment , for sure . And it obtain everyone in the room verbalize about the same matter : contrast ratio . you could see why just by looking at the image above , which shows three plasma screens with superpower on but no image ( the Pioneer is on the lower right , theSamsung HP - T5064is on top and thePanasonic PZ700Uis on the left ) . None of the screens were calibrated , which would make a dispute . But the reason Pioneer ’s concealment looks so much darker has to do with a lot more than calibration , or contrast ratio .
https://gizmodo.com/pricing-and-details-of-pioneers-new-plasmas-258837
Consumer electronics company love spec wars . Whether it ’s mainframe speeds , throughput or megapixels , gadget makers like throw around big numbers that separate money from wallet . And dividing line ratios are the spec war du jour . But despite claims ranging from 5,000:1 ( Panasonic ) all the way to 1,000,000:1 ( Sony ’s upcoming organic light-emitting diode ) there is no agreed upon industry standard used for measuring contrast ratios . As a resultant role , there are a number of tricky way to influence the outcome of a contrast ratio trial — and none of them have anything to do with the real earthly concern contrast ratio that you will experience while sitting at home …
What is dividing line proportion ? just put , it ’s the conflict between the dark and bright spot on a display . This is show as a ratio measure luminosity . A good manner to think of demarcation is like the volume on a stereophonic system . You might have a stereo that go all the way to 11 , but that does n’t mean it sounds good . The environment has an effect too — the advertise contrast ratio has no armorial bearing on how well the screen will do in your house while reflecting light from a bank of windows on the other side of the way . prop to Sony for allow as much , even if it is only in thefine mark :
VESA test and measurement methods are applied yielding a contrast ratio of used 7000:1 . This number symbolise the widest possible proportion between black and white contrast levels . Sony also measures their BRAVIA televisions with a more rigorous method acting that measures the amount of black and white level that can appear on the screen at the same clip . This method succumb a more genuine world measurement of 1300:1
LCD shoot - out : the Sony XBR is on top , Sharp Aquos lower left and the Pioneer plasma is on the right .
What contrast ratio is not : demarcation has little to do with color compass or accuracy . Color is all in the gray-haired - musical scale capabilities of a screen . But with better and deeper blacks some tv are also good able to show the gradation of colour as they fall away .
How is contrast ratio measured ? In a very blue elbow room , first of all . The heavy number on the front end ( i.e. 20,000 ) is the tripping side , and the 1 is the dark side . The dark side , therefore , has a much greater effect on the ratio than the luminosity . hack the darkest dark on a blind by .5 efficaciously doubles the contrast ratio . Which is why you hear a fortune about “ true Negroid ” and never about screens as hopeful as arc welding torch that you need shaded lenses to view .
How is demarcation calculated ? Contrast ratio is calculate in many different ways . The canonical approximation is to make one part of the screen gloomy and one part really brilliant and measure the dispute using a light meter . Among the best get laid is the “ full on / full off ” method acting . There is also ANSI , which was develop as a style of measuring the contrast in projector . Another unremarkably used method is the VESA ( Video Electronics Standards Association ) Flat Panel Display Measurement ( FPDM ) standard . And in Japan , the JEITIA ( Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association ) rules the roost .
I was go to detail each one of these methods , but what ’s the point : they are all blemished and evenly meaningless because no one execute the trial in just the same way . There is no ideal scope , for one affair , no room that is utterly blackened . And just what opprobrious is being evaluate ? You could turn the TV off entirely , which results in a screen that is darker than when the display is power up . Some company measure contrast without the filter on the front of the screen , which yields much brighter egg white . Another option is to measure the black in a dark room , but then move the showing to a well - lit room and turn it on to assess the light side . All of these examples are fill from interviews with the great unwashed who work in the display industry and asked to stay on anon. .
Is n’t someone formulate a stock method for measurement ? The Consumer Electronics Association is discussing the possibility , but nothing is go forward . And it credibly wo n’t until there is enough hue and cry for a change to go on .
If there were a banner , what would it be ? Instead of using one openhanded routine , the ripe way to talk about direct contrast ratio would be based on tangible world mise en scene . television set should specify contrast in terms of watch a broadcast football game during the day versus a high-pitched - def moving-picture show at night with all the Christ Within off . More confusing , but also more exact .
So what should I make of all this contrast ratio crow going on ? The best bet is to ignore it all . It is marketing hype . Contrast proportion is the least authoritative number to look at when making a leverage . Judge with your own eyes — it ’s worth noting that your center acknowledge contrast far more clearly than resolution , which is why a 1080p silver screen with dispirited contrast may not look as dependable as a 720p screen with high contrast . fancier mag such as Perfect Vision and Home Theater do their own direct contrast ratio tests on screens they retrospect , which is a good option . But at last , those publicationsagree with me .
This subject always generate some blistering commenting action mechanism . Fire away and I ’ll answer questions the good I can . But I ’ve got a interrogation for the readers as well : Is dividing line proportion a utilitarian , albeit flawed , way of comparing idiot box and announcing newfangled goggle box applied science , or should Gizmodo disregard that number from now on ?
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