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Video: Panasonic's next-gen IPS-Alpha panel is uber quick, dark

by Darren Murph posted Oct 6th 2009 at 6:46AM Featured Story

We've seen some dark, dark panels in our day, but Panasonic's next-generation IPS-Alpha has us all sorts of hot and bothered. Unlike Pioneer's plasmas of yesteryear, the prototype seen here at CEATEC has wide angle viewing down to an art, and the image quality was simply stunning. Fast moving objects slid in with nary a jagged edge in sight, while the production unit on the left produced a noticable and continual blur. When portraying a pitch black background, it's easy to see just how much darker the IPS-Alpha panel was compared to the next best thing. Have a peek at the video below for a more personal peek, and look forward to us prying out some sort of price and release estimate when the company shows this again at CES. You will have that information at CES, right Panny?

Gallery: Panasonic's next-gen IPS-Alpha panel is uber quick, dark

Continue reading Video: Panasonic's next-gen IPS-Alpha panel is uber quick, dark

Cake havers and eaters unite as Sharp promises better LCD contrast and efficiency

by Steven Kim posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 10:03AM

Sharp LCD TV
Ah, the wonders of technology. Sharp's lab rats have come up with "UV²A" technology that should allow for tighter control of the liquid crystal shutters in LCDs; that's geek speak for "higher contrast and lower energy consumption." We know that simply calibrating your set can net you benefits in the same two areas, but this is the kind of incremental gain that will help push LCDs past plasmas in the long run -- a 60-percent increase in contrast with 20-percent less juice from the wall. We'll be ready to apply some salt to the 5,000:1 contrast ratio figure and leave it to the marketing department to handle the use of "UV radiation" to twist the crystals (a healthy suntan from your Sharp TV?). We're just excited to see some tech that's production ready, as in UV²A could be rolled out next month.

Don't let retailer's lights distract you from buying the right HDTV

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 10th 2009 at 5:01PM


In case you hadn't already learned your lesson and started checking behind the displays while HDTV shopping, the HD Guru points out another element of the in-store experience that throws off buyers (and likely contributes to the LCD vs. plasma choices we find so infuriating): lighting. In case you don't recall from your last trek to a big box superstore, the lighting is quite often stuck on blinding making it nearly impossible to discern any difference in picture quality between televisions, specifically in terms of contrast and black levels (the pictures above are of the same value priced display, at left, under normal home lighting, at right, how it looks under some store lighting setups.) Tested with an illuminance meter, all the stores (except Best Buy's Magnolia showrooms) averaged well above home ambient lighting levels, with Wal-Mart and Costco measuring the highest at 411.66 and 742.77 lux. Still, there's tips on how to get a good idea of a TV's black levels even under those circumstances, plus some choice words left over for the incredible (and useless) dynamic contrast ratio numbers every manufacturer trots out these days, so go ahead and get educated.

LG's PG7000 plasma claims infinite contrast, too

by Darren Murph posted May 14th 2008 at 7:38AM


And here you were thinking Pioneer would stand alone forever as the only outfit with an "infinite contrast" plasma in its arsenal. Not so, as LG has reportedly developed its own technology in order to produce a PDP with "absolute blackness," and if all goes to plan, we could see it surface by the end of July. Aside from that, we don't know much more about the PG7000 just yet, and while we're told the first model will indeed be 1080p, lower-resolution flavors are slated to follow. Get ready folks -- the battle for blackerness is about to get even darker.

[Thanks, heikki]

Ask Engadget HD: When does contrast ratio fail to matter on an LCD?

by Darren Murph posted Apr 2nd 2008 at 12:00PM Featured Story


After taking a look at the realities (or lack thereof) of dynamic contrast, reader caveman posed a question that we found quite intriguing. There's little doubt that higher actual contrast ratios on televisions generally lead to sharper blacks and better overall image quality, but where does a number stop becoming a factor of importance and start becoming an overpriced bragging right? In his own Neanderthalian words:

"I'm looking to buy an LCD TV soon and was wondering how much of a difference contrast ratio made? Where does the cutoff occur where a higher ratio just isn't worth the increased cost?"

Yeah, we know stipulations around set placement, surroundings, etc. all come into play here, but why not give Mr. caveman a glimpse into your own experiences? Have you moved from a low contrast set to a high and seen a noticeable improvement? Have you watched your buddy's G Platform plasma and walked away unimpressed? What's your take on the matter?

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

What's dynamic contrast anyways?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Feb 14th 2008 at 7:50AM

Contrast ratio
In the world of video quality there aren't many specification more important than the contrast ratio -- if you enjoy movies or TV shows with dark scenes. Unfortunately, this also happens to be one of the most worthless specifications because every manufacture measures it differently. One of the latest tricks manufactures did was to introduce Dynamic Contrast. 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 one at a time and then measure the difference. Obviously this is next to useless, because this almost never occurs during normal programming -- of course there are exceptions to this, like alpine skiing or ice hockey. But it is the detail in the shadows and the ultimate appearance of black that is appealing in most programming. In the end the only way to compare apple to apples when looking for a new TV is by going to a trusted reviewer who always measure contrast the same way.

3LCD manufacturers introduce Color Brightness measurement

by Steven Kim posted Jan 8th 2008 at 8:37PM

3LCD manufacturers introduce Color Brightness measurement3LCD manufacturers including Epson and Sony are getting behind a new metric for measuring color reproduction among projectors. Since the contrast ratio is based on just pure white and pure black, a high value does not guarantee that the colors produced by a projector are "punchy." This new "Color Brightness" value will measure a brightness value for each of red, green and blue primary colors used in 3LCD projectors. If a projector produces same brightness for red, green, blue and white, then you know it's able to produce saturated colors over the spectrum. No word on when to expect this metric to be adopted, as it still has to be submitted to the requisite standards bodies.

[Via AboutProjectors]

LG shows off G Platform plasmas with 30000:1 contrast ratio

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2007 at 2:00PM


If a 20.8-inch QXGA LCD was just enough to get your HD juices a-flowin', LG's latest bunch should really get you wound up. On display at FPD International 2007 in Japan, these "G Platform" plasmas claim to trump any other PDPs in the contrast department, as every one of them features a 30,000:1 ratio. Additionally, the company noted that color reproduction has been improved by "optimizing the panels' color phosphors and utilizing dielectrics," and there's also the 100Hz refresh rate to eliminate blur / flicker. Reportedly, the displays will be available in Q4 of this year in 32-, 42-, 50- (HD) and 50- / 60-inch (Full HD) models, but your guess is as good as ours when it comes to pricing.

[Via FarEastGizmos]

Samsung's latest Bordeaux LCD trio touts 15000:1 contrast ratio

by Darren Murph posted Mar 24th 2007 at 1:20PM


It wasn't too long ago that we caught wind of Samsung's latest Bordeaux sets, but now the firm is one-upping itself by kicking out a new trio in the lineup with even more impressive specs. Jumping from 10000:1 to 15000:1 in the contrast ratio department, the 40-inch LN40M81BD, 46-inch LN46M81BD, and 52-inch LN52M81BD all tout the True Black Panel technology in order to bring "plasma-like blacks" to the LCD HDTV arena, and you'll also find three HDMI ports, "Full HD" resolution, and the obligatory sexy black frame to really set your living room theater off. Unfortunately, further details on the units are scarce, but we do expect all three sets to hit the Korean market soon for $3,518, $4,690, and $5,863 depending on size.

[Via TrustedReviews]

Samsung's latest "Bordeaux" LCD HDTVs boast a 10000:1 contrast ratio

by Darren Murph posted Feb 6th 2007 at 1:13PM


Samsung's no stranger to pumping out displays with a very respectable 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and the firm is kicking out two more with its latest Bordeaux duo. While the company has already bumped the PVA LCD lineup to 32- and 40-inches before, now it's taking things a bit further by adding a 10,000:1 contrast ratio and a trio of HDMI ports, with one being of the front-accessible variety and the others flanking the rear. Additionally, the overall design scheme received a subtle, but much appreciated facelift, as the screens now offer up a shinier coat, rounder edges, and a pair of lovely demonstrators adorning each side. Unfortunately, the nitty gritty on this one is sparse, but as soon as Samsung divulges anything else substantial about these admittedly glitzy sets, we'll be on it.

Sony's 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio 27-inch OLED HDTV

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 8th 2007 at 11:03PM Featured Story

Some people need bigger and better LCDs, but we're just fine with the 27-inch prototype Sony mentioned during its press conference yesterday. With a contrast ratio of greater than 1,000,000:1 (not a misprint) to go with its 1080p resolution, and >100% NTSC color reproduction, we'll take this Organic LED great looks in a small package any day. We promised to hunt it down on the show floor and so we did, finding it hiding amongst a rookery of 11-inch displays. Take a look at the gallery for a few more shots of this HDTV and hope it hits shelves someday.

Sony's OLED prototype 1080p HDTV

CCFL backlighting is still in

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 4th 2006 at 6:54PM

Cuz all the cool kids are doing it for at least the next year or so, much unlike the mullet. Despite all the hubbub about LEDs, CCFLs are likely to continue backlighting your LCD panel, even as manufacturers ramp up production to meet demand.

When will light emitting diodes and flat fluorescent lamps become a part of the flat screen TV landscape? Who knows but Kumho Electric isn't looking to find out. I still wanted my HDTV t-shirt though.

The next step in LCDs is LEDs

by Matt Burns posted Sep 21st 2005 at 11:18AM

led
Everything has a downfall. LCDs are notorious for being backlit too much causing bad black levels. Plasmas, on the other hand, do not suffer from this. Nether will LCDs though if manufactures starting using LED (light-emitting diodes) instead of conventional backlighting. This process will cost a tad more then the current method, but I believe that there is enough of people like us that will pay a bit more in order to achieve plasma like colors.

Right?

Continue reading The next step in LCDs is LEDs





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