Home audio & video forum: How much is too much when it comes to contrast ratio?

At risk of using the wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye the dynamic range of human eyes is about 1 million to 1 so that's as realistic as you can get. Less and you risk some loss in realism. So let's put a upper limit of about 2 million to 1 since we can't know what lighting exists in the room you will put the set in.
Bob

HDguru.com did have a bit to say on dynamic contrast ratio, so I felt since it was relevant, perhaps I should toss it up here.

"Almost every HDTV manufacturer publishes a contrast ratio number. TV Salesman explains the bigger the ratio, the better. If all other image criteria are equal, the display with the better contrast (brighter whites and darker blacks) would have the best picture and with it the best perceived sharpness. However, this specification has morphed beyond a useful measurement into a new, meaningless number that manufacturers call dynamic contrast ratio. With the recent arrival of 2008 models, it has ushered in the era of dynamic contrast ratio boasting up to one million to one (1,000,000:1). The reality? Not only is the dynamic number meaningless, it reminds me of something Dr. Evil of Austin Powers fame would be promoting.

The way dynamic contrast is measured is a two step process. First the HDTV is fed a completely black signal (0 IRE). The level of black is measured. Next a test signal with a small patch of full white (100 IRE) is generated and the white area is measured. The ratio between the darkest and lightest signal is what is claimed to be dynamic contrast. How does this relate to what you see when watching a TV program or movie? It doesnt! We dont watch content consisting of an all black screen, we see an image that has portions that will be dark (at times) light or something in the middle. An accepted contrast ratio standard measurement is called ANSI contrast, but HDTV manufacturers dont specify ANSI contrast, they just specify contrast so we really dont know how they measure it.

The same display that may provides a dynamic number may spec its normal contrast ratio as 1/30th-1/100th of the dynamic contrast ratio number. Bottom line, disregard the dynamic contrast ratio, it is meaningless.

One last note. Black level is part of the equation, but you cant perceive black level in stores like Best Buy and Costco where the ambient light level is many times higher than a the room in your own home where you view your new HDTV. Unless the dealer has realistic ambient light levels (that match the level of your homes viewing environment), you may not notice that the blacks on the stores demo set are really gray, until you take the HDTV home."

is had by using test patterns. The published specs of contrast are typically "ON/OFF" contrast. Besides these two, the 3rd type of contrast spec is called Intra-Scene contrast.

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CONTRAST

AVS Contrast Thread - Now with Dynamic Contrast Results!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=852467

The number really doesn't mean a lot. Look at the picture and decide if you like it. I recently bought a decent lcd tv, I got a lower priced one, which loooked pretty bad next to all of the much more expensive ones in the store, but when I got it set up in my house it looks great! Buy what looks good, and what you can afford, and return it if it doesn't look good at home.

If you can find a contrast ratio that is non-dynamic you have found a true measurement.
But don't be fooled by contrast ration numbers.
Keep in mind that if you are watching HDTV (high-def cable - you are only getting 720p anyway).
Now when it comes to blueray etc then you need to be concerned about other factors.

But here's something I found.
I REALLLY wanted a Samsung LN40A550.
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=televisions&type=televisions&subtype=lcdtv&model_cd=LN40A550P3FXZA
But I found that I was able to save $200 by going with the
LN40A530.

Whats the difference?
well, here's where you have to watch your stores versus valid mfg specs. The store touted 20,000:1 contrast ratio. In reality the 530 is 12,000:1 (according to samsungusa.com). But in reality, I don't notice a difference.

WHY?

Well because all things being equal the contrast ratio is the only difference. (that and a usb input but what benefit is that since you can connect a computer anyway).

Here's what you should consider:
RESPONSE TIME - 4ms is currently the fastest.
Both of these tvs I mentioned have a 5ms response time.
Their brightness ratio is the same at 500cd/m

A final point to consider is the HDMI version. Both of these again have the newest 1.3 revision of HDMI factor.

So in the end I saved $200 by getting a 12000:1 contrast ratio versus a 30000:1 contrast ratio.
Add that to a reward zone coupon of 12% off (another $143 saved) and triple reward zone points (an additional $63) and I couldn't be happier.

Hope this thread helps you realize you don't always have to get "the best" to end up with "the best"

You know Acts7....i am debating between the same 2 TVs u have considered and the contrast ratio numbers were what brought me to this page...and i agree with u completely and u have made my choice much easier. thanks a lot...
actually, when i saw the 2 TVs in best buy...i thought the A530 looked much better than the A550...but i may be wrong after reading comments that watching a tv in a store can be misleading...
anyways...thanks again...!!