Contrast Ratio

[Pixel]

I'm looking to buy 2 new monitors for my dualscreen setup. I had a look through the TFT sticky, and saw this:

Contrast Ratio

The Contrast Ratio of a TFT is 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 700:1 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. Some technologies boast the ability to dynamically control contrast and offer contrast ratios of 3000:1 and above! Traditionally, TFT monitors were said to offer poor black depth, but with the extended use of VA panels, as well as new Dynamic Contrast Control technologies, we are seeing good improvements in this area.

The thing is, I'm now seeing contrast ratios around 10,000, 20,000 and even 50,000! Are these numbers just exaggerations, or has the tech really improved over the last couple of years?

Also, will I notice any difference between a monitor with a CR of 10k, and one with 20k?

 

[raralis]

Nope, it hasn't improved that much yet.

Most monitors have between 800:1 to 1000:1 contrast ratio.

The 10k:1 and 20k:1 are dynamic contrast ratios.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_ratio#Dynamic_contrast_ratio

Pretty much it's an amount that the manufacturer places on it depending on their tests etc. It's just a business/media term to make their monitors look like they are better.

Aim for 1000:1 CR and don't rely on the DCR hype.

 

[Pixel]

Nope, it hasn't improved that much yet.

Most monitors have between 800:1 to 1000:1 contrast ratio.

The 10k:1 and 20k:1 are dynamic contrast ratios.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_ratio#Dynamic_contrast_ratio

Pretty much it's an amount that the manufacturer places on it depending on their tests etc. It's just a business/media term to make their monitors look like they are better.

Aim for 1000:1 CR and don't rely on the DCR hype.

Thanks, that's a great help.

 

[Goofball]

The quoted static CR these days are always 1000:1, no matter how good or bad it really is. It's not really a real metric.

Dynamic contrast is usually complete BS numbers, even optimal circumstances wont yeild measurments much over 10% of the stated number.

 

[Baddass]

i've rarely seen a screen which actually gets near it's quoted DCR figure. As said above, static contrast ratio is probably a more important measure as it's very rare that you would really use the dynamic contrast feature anyway