Contrast Ratio Q

Devo · 12 Feb 2006 at 15:56

Just a quickie... can someone tell me what contrast ratio TFT I should get... it means nothing to me :confused:

Raymond Lin · 12 Feb 2006 at 16:04

higher the better. 1000:1 is better than 800:1 and better than 600:1 and so on.

Devo · 12 Feb 2006 at 16:08

Thanks...the monitor I'm looking at getting is the Samsung Samtron ST74V. It has a contrast ratio of 600:1 and a 12ms response time. Will this be sufficient for predominantly internet surfing and the occasional game playing :confused:

Specs are as follows:

Manufacturer
- Samsung

Display Type
- LCD

Screen Type
- TFT

Screen Size
- 17 inches

Width
- 380 mm

Depth
- 175 mm

Height
- 383 mm

Weight
- 4.55 kg

Native Resolution
- 1280x1024

Brightness
- 300 cd/m2

Contrast
- 600 :1

Response Time
- 12 ms

Colours
- 16.2M

IInterface
- 15 Pin D-sub

Power Usage
- 34W

Chassis Colour
- Silver/Black

Standards
- TCO'99

Cables Included
- VGA Cable

Raymond Lin · 12 Feb 2006 at 16:23

First, what is your budget, and we can all suggest something.

Devo · 12 Feb 2006 at 16:36

As I'm not a die hard gamer and am only buying the monitor to save space, I am not throwing a great deal of money at it. Only looking to spend around £150 - £175 max

Raymond Lin · 12 Feb 2006 at 16:43

If its not me, someone is going to say it. Samsung SM-913N 19" LCD Monitor - Silver (MO-022-SA) its £200 if you can stretch to it, arguably the best Bang for Bug TFT on the market at the moment.

Baddass · 12 Feb 2006 at 19:00

agree with Raymond Lin there on the 913N. The model you suggest though is still pretty good, perfectly fine for office use and some occasional gaming. Bit more about Contrast Ratio taken from www.tftcentral.co.uk:

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.

Devo · 12 Feb 2006 at 19:23

Raymond Lin said:
If its not me, someone is going to say it. Samsung SM-913N 19" LCD Monitor - Silver (MO-022-SA) its £200 if you can stretch to it, arguably the best Bang for Bug TFT on the market at the moment.

Looks good to me, although I am wondering if I really need 19" though - does size really matter

Raymond Lin · 12 Feb 2006 at 19:32

When it comes to TFT, or monitors in general. Size does matter, althought technically it has the same desktop space as any 17" TFT. What you will gain thou is all round better experience with movies and games. Not to mention it's better than a lot if not all 17" TFT under £200.