Dynamic Contrast Ratio – What It Is & Why It’s So Important

What’s Dynamic Contrast, and why is it so important when deciding which TV to buy? In this short but informative article I shall get straight to the point and tell you what really matters. First I will explain what contrast actually is, and then I will talk specifically about dynamic contrast ratios.

The Importance of Contrast

Put simply, contrast is the relationship between the light and dark areas on your TV screen. For example, if you were watching a TV that didn’t have good contrast, you wouldn’t be able to make out much detail in the image, especially in the extreme shades. This would be because the extreme blacks and whites would actually be shades of grey. If your TV has high contrast, then black really will look black, and white really will look white.

What is Dynamic Contrast Ratio?

These days, TV’s come with specific contrast ratios. However, it is important to differentiate between static contrast ratio and dynamic contrast ratio. Static contrast means just how much contrast you can get between the light and dark on the screen at the same time.

The dynamic ratio, on the other hand, gives a much larger number, because this refers to the difference between the blackest black and whitest white, at any time, not necessarily on the screen at the same time. So, if the overall brightness of the scene you’re watching is quite dark, then the screen will be able to display better dark contrast than if there were lighter sections on the screen.

Which Has the best Contrast: Plasma or LCD?

LCD TV’s definately have nothing in terms of contrast when compared to Plasma TV’s. For instance, a typical ratio for an LCD TV these days would be 120,000:1, compared to 3,000,000:1 on a Plasma. There’s no contest – Plasma is the contrast king!.

If you’re after a TV with a fantastic contrast ratio, here are our recommendations: For a Plasma TV with high contrast, check out the 42 inch Plasma HDTV. For an LCD TV with high contrast, go to the Samsung LN46C630

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