Contrast ratio is it important

ben_j_davis · 27 Feb 2006 at 09:55

Is the contrast ratio really important for a good TFT?

I mean would a TFT with a contrast ratio of 700:1 really be much noticably different to one with say just 500:1?

Smiley Man · 27 Feb 2006 at 10:34

i would say yes

when choosting a tft i aways look at response time first then contrast ratio

my dell has a 1000:1 contrast ratio and my hyundai 500:1, and its very noticeable imo

ben_j_davis · 27 Feb 2006 at 10:38

What about Brightness? - say 250 cd/m2 or 300 cd/m2

The Mad One · 27 Feb 2006 at 10:41

IMO, i dont think so i have a Viewsonic VP191s (600:1) and a Samsung 913B (700:1) and i find both of them stupidly bright (for me) the brightness and contrast are set on minimum on both monitors. So i wouldnt worry about that when buying TFTs, in my experience be more worried about viewing angles and light bleeding.

ben_j_davis · 27 Feb 2006 at 10:57

Thats true i have a 19" Dell at work and i have to lower the brightness and contrast to reduce eyestrain.

fish99 · 27 Feb 2006 at 11:04

Contrast ratio is calculated by measuring the brightness of pure white and pure black on the monitor (both at the same (optimal) settings), and then dividing the white brightness by the black. White may be 300 cd/m2 and black 0.40 cd/m2, so you do 300/0.4 and get a contrast ratio of 750:1. Probably the most important thing a high contrast ratio tells you is how deep a black colour the monitor can do. If a manufacturer got that black level down to 0.20 cd/m2 that would put the contrast ratio up to 1500:1. So yes, contrast ratio is important.

Don't confuse high contrast ratio with the monitor having a 'bright look', it's the brightness setting that tells you that.

Also don't worry about getting a high brightness monitor, pretty much all TFTs need the brightness turning down to about 40-60% (still probably brighter than your old CRT) to be useable for any long period. The screens go miles brighter than you would ever need.

ben_j_davis · 27 Feb 2006 at 11:13

So a high contrast ratio would be good for games such as Doom 3?

fish99 · 27 Feb 2006 at 11:22

Vital I would say. Especially if you plan to play it with the lights off. I owned a Samsung SM913B briefly and playing Doom 3 with the lights out was horrible because the black colour was too far off real black. You don't notice it until you turn the lights out and play a dark game though.

If I was going to try another TFT (I bought another CRT) and wanted to play stuff like Doom 3, Fear, Thief (etc) on it, not to mention watch DVDs, I would go for a 1000:1 screen. I'm sure not everyone is as demanding as me though in this area

Baddass · 28 Feb 2006 at 10:43

Contrast Ratio:

The Contrast Ratio of a TFT is basically the difference between the darkest black and the brightest white. As a rule of thumb, the higher the contrast ratio, the better. The higher the contrast ratio, the stronger the colours will look. The depth of blacks and the brightness of the whites are also better with a higher contrast ratio. When considering a TFT monitor, a contrast ratio of 500:1 is pretty standard nowadays, but there are models which boast specs up to over 1000:1. Be wary of quoted specs however, as sometimes they can be exaggerated. VA panel specs are generally the most reliable and accurate to reality when considering contrast ratio.

Brightness:

Brightness is a measure of the brightest white the TFT can display. Typically TFT’s are far too bright for comfortable use, and the On Screen Display (OSD) is used to turn the brightness setting down. Higher brightness is good as it leads to a better contrast ratio and can be useful for dark scenes in games / movies where it might be difficult to distinguish between shades of grey. Brightness is measure in cd/m2 and is often of very high values.