http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/ Engadget HD Comments for What's dynamic contrast anyways? http://www.engadgethd.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadgethd.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
The contrast ratio, measured correctly, will not allow this brightness factor to kick in. A fair measurement would indeed involve a screen that is 50% gray, with a black spot and a white spot, with two measurements, each with the white and black on switched sides. What is the difference between the two spots, is what I want to know. That in turn will measure the actual contrast ratio. Contrast ratio measured in this way ultimately MEANS IMAGE DETAIL.

Simply making the screen go black and measuring that, then making the screen go white and measuring that, will not be a fair contrast ratio measurement.

Now it sounds like you came across a manufacturer who was making a shift towards honesty. This should be cause for celebration, not contempt.]]>Feb 14th 2008 8:32AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 8:32AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 9:00AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
The problem is in your wording. Read this sentence:

" So instead of measuring the difference between the whitest white and the blackest black displayed on the screen at the same time, they display white and black on the screen at one at a time and then measure the difference. "

Look closely at the second part. You have an extra "at" in there. I first read it as "they display white and black on the screen at one time and then measure the difference" the first time I read it too. I think my mind automatically took a screwed up sentence and made it make sense even though the outcome wasn't the intended one. He obviously read it the same way I did.]]>Feb 14th 2008 3:33PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 3:34PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 8:34AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 9:05AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 9:33AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
I've updated it, thanks for the correction.]]>Feb 14th 2008 9:33AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
This sounds like the same thing to me, i.e
at the same time vs at once.]]>Feb 14th 2008 9:34AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
why would you want the screen getting brighter and then lighter. it drives me crazy]]>Feb 14th 2008 9:51AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
1. Full on/full off, without dynamic contrast engaged. Often called "Native contrast", this is the difference between a set displaying an all black screen and all white screen.

2. Full on/full off, with dynamic contrast engaged (if applicable). This number is often 10x the native contrast. Is it gamed and unrealistic? Sometimes. My old Sanyo projector looked ridiculous with dynamic contrast engaged. It was like a guy was sitting there turning up and down the buld brightness as scenes changes. On the other hand, the Sony SXRD projectors use a similar technique, and it's at once imperceptible and improves the picture.

3. Mixed-image contrast -- sometimes called ANSI contrast -- typically measured by having black-and-white checkerboard boxes on the screen and measuring the difference between the heart of a black square and the heart of a white square. This test most closely approximates real world video content, but doesn't tell the whole story. Old CRT's often had poorer ansi contrast than current PDP displays, but still had more "pop" in their picture.

I think one needs to know all three, and as Ben notes, they need to be measured in the same way on different sets, to get an idea of image quality. But without even getting into the real of color balance, image processing, resolution, etc, there is another closely related "spec" that really does require a trusted reviewer: Shadow detail. Sets can measure very well in all the above contrast measures, but still lack good detail in the shadows.]]>Feb 14th 2008 10:09AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 10:24AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 10:48AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 11:09AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/I also have a PDP-6010FD and I actually saw the display and I'm telling you it is how it looks.

It was absolutely amazing, you have to see it to believe it really.]]>Feb 14th 2008 11:10AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
If you want to reproduce it on your TV at home do this. Wait till it's good and dark outside, turn off all the lights in your house and let you eyes adjust to lack of lighting in the room. Now put on some content with lots of dark scenes and look at your TV, you will see it glows just like the picture on the left. The new kuro concept truly is amazing and really is that much better than the old one.]]>Feb 14th 2008 10:53AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 11:54AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/Feb 14th 2008 5:34PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
The best way to actually get GOOD COLOR, though, is to run a THX DVD through your screen after 100hours of the screen constantly being on. The video optimizer will do wonders. Of course, the absolute best way is to set the TV's color to 6500K and then run an ISF optimizing sequence. But not a lot of us have 4 hours and $5000 to spend on making our color as great as a TV can reproduce, so meh.]]>Feb 14th 2008 6:05PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/14/whats-dynamic-contrast-anyways/
The point at which linearity of this response begins to compress is in fact the contrast dynamic range on the hign end (whiter than white) and when noise begins to dominate the measurement on the black end, you have reached the black level. The ratio of the two voltage readings between the two linearly related drive settings is the contrast ratio, expressed as a ratio of voltages, at any given color (or summation thereof).

Each color has its own relationship between light output and video drive voltage. If these slopes are not the same for each primary, the set cannot possibly track in gray scale. If gray scale does not track, it is not possible for colors to track at differing levels.]]>Apr 29th 2008 9:55PM